POOR ENGINEERING AND NEGLIGENCE
Although this flood was classified as a
natural disaster, it could have been prevented if the 61 members of the South
Fork Fishing and Hunting Club had seen the importance of improving the dam. The
previous owners of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club did not take the
proper time in making the dam safe and indestructible. Even after the dam was inspected
and determined to be hazardous, the new members of the Club decided to take
three feet from the center of the dam away so that their horse and carriage
could fit easily. Due to the concerns about the dam, the members of the South
Fork Fishing and Hunting Club would make periodical improvements of the dam to
fix gaps and weak points. They would fill in the gaps with manure, rocks,
brush, and mud. The big concern at this point was that the spillway was only
four feet lower than the top of the dam which could cause the dam to collapse
if a big rain occurred. Their biggest concern was that it would spill over the
weakest part of the dam, which was the center. However, the biggest weak point
of the dam lay at the bottom of the lake. Previous to this point, the dam had
already failed causing a lot of pressure on the pipes at the bottom of the dam.
The new members that had purchased the dam from the previous owners were not up
for putting time or money towards the dam to fix the mishaps and neglected the
poorly engineered dam (Charles Guggenheim, Video).