Monday, November 07, 2011

First, Jane Spillman answers some of Michael Krumme’s question about the historical 1972 flood in Corning that inundated CMoG.

Dear Alan,

I was a staff member in 1972, and most of Michael Krumme’s questions are answered in the book we published, “Museum Under Water”. We re-opened on August 1, but, of course, the restoration of the broken objects and water-damaged rare books and mss. took several years. Fortunately, insurance on the glass collection did cover the replacement of those objects that could be replaced (mostly 18th and 19th century ones) and many books. The new museum building that opened in 1980 has the galleries above the flood level, although the offices are below it and the U.S. government built the Tioga-Hammond dam in Pennsylvania to control the river and flooding. The Chemung River had flooded several times in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the Army Engineers recommended the dam in 1936, when they sent a group of engineers to Elmira to study the problem. However, due to the Depression, the dam was not built, and then it was forgotten.

I hope this answers some questions.

Sincerely,

Jane

Jane Shadel Spillman

Curator of American Glass

The Corning Museum of Glass

One Museum Way, Corning NY

Ph.607-438-5270

Then Francis Allen, webmaster at NAGC reports on another available publication reporting on the flood.

FYI, the February 1973 (No. 104) issue of the (NAGC) Glass Club Bulletin contains an article about the flood and what had to be done.

Francis Allen

www.cardersteubenclub.org

2012 Carder Steuben Club annual Symposium will be held at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY from September 20-22, 2012.

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