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Sherwood Callaway
Blog Post 6 (for Tuesday, 3/11)
The Johnstown Flood contains all the elements of a Gilded-Age disaster archetype. The dam itself was gilded. The circumstances under which it burst exposed the dam for what it was— shoddily built and poorly maintained. Fatalities were mostly immigrant laborers who lived in the valley below. As much as they were victims of the flood, they were the victims of negligence. Wealthy businessmen, who perpetuated the poor conditions that these laborers worked in and lived in, had been careless in allowing the dam to exist in disrepair. Catherine points out in her post that the “capitalists, who commanded and encouraged construction of the dam, were not physically affected with the eventual collapse of the dam.” They were confident that nature could not overcome human architectural achievements. This story of class struggle, industrialism, tragic negligence, Machiavellian capitalism and arrogance during the Gilded-Age is a familiar one.
David McCullough writes in The Johnstown Flood that the “viaduct was one of the landmarks of the country” (107). I would venture to say that the viaduct was also a temporal landmark representing the Gilded-Age, and exemplary of many of the elements that comprise a Gilded-Age disaster archetype. This particular viaduct was built for train usage, making it distinct from similar structures that have existed since antiquity, and uniquely industrial— fitting for Gilded-Age use. McCullough also explains that it was an especially impressive architectural achievement, standing “seventy-five feet high and [bridging] the river gap with one single eight-foot arch” (107). The concept of a viaduct, or any other bridge for that matter, demonstrates an inherent conflict between humans and their environments. Human convenience is often at odds with the circumstances of natural world. The viaduct allowed trains to go over the river, rather than having to go around it. During the flood, the viaduct’s arch became clogged with debris, forming a second damn. It collapsed under the pressure of the water and was destroyed. Makes me think of a Blue Oyster Cult lyric that aptly describes the moment: “history shows again and again how nature points out the folly of man.”
Except that was about Godzilla.