Samuel B. Eldridge

Johnstown Police Department — Johnstown, PA

Accident

End of Watch May 31, 1889

Age 35

The Vigil Panel 10 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 8

Incident

Patrolman Samuel Eldridge drowned during the Johnstown Flood while attempting to assist other residents of the borough.

A severe storm produced heavy rains starting at approximately 11:00 p.m. on May 30th, 1889, causing two rivers surrounding Johnstown to overflow their banks. Flood waters approximately 10 feet deep converged on the borough throughout the day. Patrolman Eldridge, who was off duty, told his family that it was his duty to assist other residents and left his house, at 280 Apple Alley, at approximately 3:00 p.m.

At approximately 4:00 p.m., a large dam broke approximately 14 miles upstream of Johnstown, sending 20 million gallons of water downstream and into Johnstown. Most of the town was destroyed, and a total of 2,209 people were killed as a result of the dam's failure. Patrolman Eldridge's family survived after seeking refuge in their attic.

Patrolman Eldridge was survived by his wife and three children. He is buried in Grandview Cemetery in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Survivors

Patrolman Eldridge was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-PA-FF31F1D3
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

137 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Patrolman Eldridge served with the Johnstown Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Johnstown community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Johnstown Police Department

Location Johnstown, PA

Platform Identity jpd.cambria.pa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 31, 1889

Age 35

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Patrolman Samuel B. Eldridge is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In PA, 417 of 1,261 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

At Johnstown Police Department, 2 of 9 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 22.2% of this agency's fallen.

Johnstown Police Department

of 9 officers

22.2% Accident

PA — Statewide

417

of 1,261 officers

33.1% Accident

Nationwide

10,088

of 32,508 officers

31% Accident