On This Day In History: Great Sheffield Flood – Largest Man-Made Disaster Occurred In England – On Mar 11, 1864

AncientPages.com - On March 11, 1864, the Great Sheffield Flood occurred. The immediate cause was a crack in the dam, the cause of which was never determined.

This tragic accident was forgotten. We have to remember Sheffield's sad day - at least - today.

It killed ordinary working-class people.

 For years there was no memorial in central Sheffield with only a memorial stone near the dam. Photo via Mail Online

Photograph of the Old Dale Dyke reservoir embankment, shortly following its collapse in March 1864. Unknown author - Unknown author - Scanned from The History of the City of Sheffield 1843-1993: Images ISBN 1-85075-431-4 - Public Domain

A dam near Sheffield, England, burst its reservoir and caused a flood that killed 244 people: Additionally, more than 600 houses were damaged or destroyed throughout Yorkshire.

In the mid-19th century, Sheffield was the British center of steel-making, and this industry was systematically expanding, creating a huge water demand. The Sheffield Waterworks Company decided to construct The Dale Dyke Dam in the Loxley Valley, north of the city, in response to the pressure. Work started in 1859, and early in 1864, the dam and its reservoir were complete.

On March 11, 1864, just as the reservoir was a few feet short of being filled and ready to start a business, a workman noticed a small crack running along the reservoir wall, 'just wide enough to enter a finger.' He immediately alerted the foreman, who sent for the chief engineer, John Gunson, who was in the city center, eight miles away. As Gunson set off in a carriage, a storm started up, and by the time he arrived at the scene, water was lapping over the top of the reservoir.

Photograph of the Old Dale Dyke reservoir embankment, shortly following its collapse in March 1864.
Unknown author - Unknown author - Scanned from The History of the City of Sheffield 1843-1993: Images ISBN 1-85075-431-4 - Public Domain

There was no memorial in central Sheffield for years, with only a memorial stone near the dam. Photo via Mail Online

Gunson instructed the workers to reduce the reservoir level by causing an explosion in the overflow compartment, but the storm's severity prevented the gunpowder from igniting. Gunson and his men could only watch in horror as the crack expanded and the dam burst violently, shaking the ground like an earthquake.

As much as 700 million gallons of water flooded down the valley into Sheffield, causing death and devastation on a colossal dimension. Two hundred seventy people were killed, and bodies were swept by the flood as far away as Mexborough. The youngest victim was two days old, and the most aged 87.

A subsequent inquiry revealed that the dam's construction was defective and that a small leak had widened until the wall could no longer retain the force of the water. Many of the victims are buried in Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield.

The Dale Dyke Dam, where the disaster occurred, was rebuilt in 1875.

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