1912 Cloudburst Drowns Dunbar

On July 25, 1912, an onrush of water due to a drenching cloudburst caused one of the dams of the Dunbar Furnace Company on Dunbar Creek to burst. The onslaught of water inundated the downtown area of Dunbar. It was reported in the Daily Courier that some parts of town were submerged in almost 12 feet of water.

All railroads and the West Penn Trolley system were paralyzed by the raging waters of Dunbar Creek. Many residents narrowly escaped drowning as they fled to the hills. No lives were lost due in part to the bravery of Miss Margaret Veith, the young Bell telephone operator, who stayed at her board and notified people and businesses of the deluge that was on its way. Dozens of buildings were washed away in the torrent including Kelly’s Jewelry store, which ended up in the present day Dunbar Historical Society Coke Oven Park!

The Bell Telephone Company had the only service to the town as the Tri-State lines were all out of commission. Manager J. A. Colleppe, of the Bell Office in Uniontown happened to be in Dunbar that day and was at the Bell Company's office when the cloudburst occurred and the dam broke. He helped to warn businesses and residents of the impending calamity headed toward town. Undoubtedly, the fact that both Colleppe and Veith remained at their posts helped to save the lives of townspeople that day. They worked from 2:15 PM, the time of the first warning, until all people had been notified and told to “run for the hills!”