I was watching a documentary about the great flood at Johnstown, PA, in 1889. The dam had been built by the city, but was bought by a fishing and hunting club that counted many of Pittsburgh's most important people as members, like Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, Andrew Mellon, and Philander Knox.
Under its ownership, the dam was not only neglected but lowered to create a nice carriage road for the members to ride upon. They saw the dam as their plaything, and when a huge rainstorm hit on May 31, it burst. In the ensuing catastrophe, 2,209 people died. ...