The Mill River Flood of 1874, A Preventable Tragedy
The Mill River Flood of 1874, A Preventable Tragedy. On May 16, 1874, the cheap and shoddy Mill River dam collapsed, killing 139 people and wiping out four towns in western Massachusetts within one hour. It was the first manmade dam disaster and one of the worst of the 19th century. Though mill owners and engineers were clearly responsible for ...