The Bosses Club

by Richard A. Gregory

AN HISTORICAL NOVEL The story of America's transition from iron-making to steel, and questioning the cause of the 1889 Johnstown Flood. The Bosses Club is a fresh look at the history of the American iron and steel industry and the most infamous flood in America. In this book, you'll learn about the pivotal role Johnstown played in developing America's steel industry; who were that industry's true founders, inventors, innovators and scoundrels; and how negligence by members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, many of whom were friends, colleagues and associates of Andrew Carnegie, contributed to the great Johnstown flood of 1889. Mr. Gregory explains in an historical fiction why so many people lived in the remote Conemaugh Valley starting around 1830, why a perilous earthen dam was constructed upstream from the city and how a series of modifications to the dam by its owners, the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, led to the dam's failure resulting in one of the worst "natural" disasters in American history. The story follows several families during Johnstown's development and questions the accepted history of the 1889 flood as simply a "natural disaster" caused by an act of God. Whether by omission or commission no one will ever know, but there can be no question that the acts of men played a significant role in the events that led to the failure of the South Fork Dam and the Great Johnstown Flood of 1889.

Genres: Nonfiction

400 pages, Hardcover

First published February 23, 2011

About the author

There is more than author in the Goodreads database with this name. This entry is for Richard A. [2^] Gregory.

Reviews

[Paul Ricci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good discussion of Johnstown's early days.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this look at Johnstown industry and the stories woven within. The author tells the story in an fairly gripping manner. Some of the dialogue between the individuals telling the stories seems a bit contrived, but overall it was well done. The city has an amazing (ignored) history and after reading this, you really start to wonder how the area would be different had that man-made disaster in 1889 not happened. I also liked how the author intertwined other local stories in the text, such as the Lost Boys of the Alleghenies and how Ebensburg became the Cambria County seat.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was very dry and didn't keep my attention well. If it hadn't been chosen by my book club, I never would have finished it. The last third was a little better, but the titular "conspiracy" got very little coverage compared to the history of the Cambria Iron Company.

[Jennifer Kirby malisko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book about the Johnstown Steel industry and the Johnstown flood. The author has an interesting plot and very interesting characters

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great review on how Johnstown came to prominence as first an iron and later steel manufacturer. Nice to read the parallel 'growing up' of Carnegie and then actual members of the Cambria Works. Author definitely has an axe to sharpen against Carnegie, but it is not too much of a leap to see how he made his fortune throughout his life.