| Broken Dam and Lumber Avalanche, Austin, Pennsylvania, 1911. In
January 1910, when the dam on Freeman's Run in Austin, Pennsylvania,
cracked and slipped 4 feet on its foundation, the Bayless Pulp & Paper
Mill spent $1,000,000 to repair the cracks and reinforce the foundation.
However, few of Austin's residents believed the dam to be structurally
sound. The Emporium Lumber Company, located about 1/2 mile downstream from
the dam, shipped their highest grades of wood from its mills to prevent
inventory loss should the dam break again. On September 30, 1911, heavy
rains filled the Bayless reservoir and broke the concrete dam. An
estimated 400 million gallons of water rushed over Austin and continued
through the valley, destroying property as far as eight miles downstream.
In Austin, 50 people were killed, and 38 more were reported missing or
presumed dead. Only the Emporium Lumber Company Mill and the Bayless Mill
remained standing. The Bayless Pulp & Paper Company (the owner of the dam)
paid over $2,000,000 in negligence claims. The Emporium Lumber Company
Mill, shown here, surrounded by its inventory loss, continued to operate
in Austin for two more years, perhaps because of its foresight in keeping
its inventory to a minimum.
Gelatin silver print by H. M. Beach
View more photos of the Sept 30,
1911 Austin, PA Flood
View more photos of Austin, PA
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