Joel Hills Johnson - Journal and the Mill dam

In his Journal, Joel Hills Johnson - Journal (Dec 1858 to Jan 1861) writes about how he built a mill dam that failed.

My circumstances at this time were good for a young man, having paid for my farm and mill, but being anxious to obtain this worlds goods I purchased an adjoining form which bought me several hundred dollars in debt, and to pay these debts in 1827, I took a job to build a sawmill, which I agreed to do, and furnish all the materials myself and warrant the dam against the floods for one year. With great anticipation I hired hands, bought materials on credit, and went to work and soon put the mill in operation; but for the want of a rock to build upon I built upon the sand, and when the floods came my mill dam was torn from its foundation, and great was the fall to me; for when my creditors saw my situation, they came upon me, and took away all that I had, and left me worse than nothing, and with the fall of my property, fell my constitution also, on account of excessive fatigue and labor in the water, etc.

Fascinating indeed.