Johnstown Flood Stories John and Joe Plummer and the Johnstown Flood of 1889 John and Joe Plummer were both engineers on the Pennsylvania Railroad on May 31, 1889, the day of the Johnstown Flood. Both John and Joe had their homes in Conemaugh Borough (a suburb, 2 miles up- stream from the City of Johnstown, Pa.), and Joe was to lose everything in the flood. John was working that day and as he headed through the town of South Fork, Pa. (about 8 miles upstream from Conemaugh) headed toward Johnstown when he heard the news that the South Fork dam had broken. (South Fork dam was situated about 2 1/2 miles up a tributary stream, east of the town of South Fork). John continued with his train toward Johnstown, "I guess he let her go", opened his window, keeping the whistle blowing and ringing the bell, yelling "head for the hills, the South Fork dam has just broken". When John and train reached Conemaugh, Joe was waiting for him and stopped him. After some discussion, after which Joe threatened to hit John over the head with an umbrella if he didn't abandon his freight train and head for the hills. They reached high ground safely, and observed the "wall" of water roar through Conemaugh, upsetting the locomotive John had abandoned. None of their families were injured in the flood. --From notes of Chessie (Plummer) Fisher, daughter of Joe. The Engagement Ring and the Johnstown Flood of 1889 Joseph (Joe) Plummer (1862-1940) was married to Elizabeth (Lizzy) (Masterson) Plummer, and as is the custom in weddings, an engagement ring is an important part of the pre-marriage tradition. Joe had gotten Lizzy a beautiful ring which she prized very highly, so highly that she wore it on only special occasions, prefering to keep it secure in a little box, which was kept in a drawer upstairs in the bedroom of their home in Conemaugh, Pa. -- Then came the Johnstown Flood of 1889, which completely wiped-out their entire home of all their possessions, including the highly prized engagement ring. Several weeks after the flood, and during the clean-up, a neighbor who lived down-stream, found the ring in a mass of flood debris, and returned it to Lizzy. The ring was passed from Lizzy's most senior daughters and is now in the proud possession of Chessie (Plummer) Fisher. --From notes of Chessie (Plummer) Fisher-1984 Source Plummer, John. "The Three Plummer Stories". "Richard Plummer American Heritage 1767-1984". Pennsylvania, 1984. Pg. 7 Back to Firstmom's Genealogy Resources-Pennsylvania