Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-03-07
A FLOOD.
The Wooltn Mill Reservoir Breaks its Bounds
and Sends Small Deluge Down Through
the Foothills and Out Upon the Valley
Causes Of the Break The Damage.
(FroSa the Evening Express.

tHiS inCTulDgi as Watcnman IL. u.
Thomas stood in the door of his
house near Reservoir No. 4, other.
wise known as the Wooden Mill
Reservoir, he heard an ominous
"boom, boom,n like the explosion
of cannon. He concluded in an
instant that something was wrong
with the reservoir, and he ran
down tthe embank ment with all
haste. Going first out over the lit
tie bridge to the tower, he saw
that nothing was amiss there, and
he started to retrace his steps,
when the
"BooM, BOOM"
Was repeated, coming up, appa-
rently, through the tower. Look
ing next on the lower side of the
embankment, which served as
dam to hold the immense body of
water back, he saw q large stream
squirting out. The embankment
was broken through along the line
of the exhaust tunnel and the inn
mense pressure above was sending
a seethipg, foaming torrent out of
:! the aperture. Mr.. Thomas had
horse staked out close by, grazing.
He cut the rope, mounted the ami
NAL without saddle or bride and
started post haste for town to give
the alarm. 1t was but few mo.
ments until he was ut Police Head
quarters and had dispatched mes
sengers to members of the Irriga-
tion Committee of the Council,
going himself to
WARN THE PEOPLE
Living along the little valley be.
hind the foot hills, down which he
knew flood would be speedily
pouring. A crowd soon collected
at the reservoir, including nearly
all of the Councilmen, and n squad
of men was engaged for service,
but there was little that could be
done to stay the outflow of water.
One of the first efforts made. was
to construct II large raft of planks
and float it out over the break, so
that men stationed upon 1t could
drop bags OF sand into the aper-
ture, but the suction was so great
that it
wHIRLED THE RAFT UP ON EDGE
And the men were obliged to
scramble for their lives.
A reporter of the EXPRESS Wis
tied the spot about half past 10
o'clock this morning. At that
time the water in the reservoir had
been lowered about six feet and it
was still running out ut n great
rate. The break appeared to be in
the bottom of the reservoir, mid |
way between the tower and the
emba nkment. The powerful ex-
haust formed perfect whirlpool,
the water surging and fro,hing as
it whirled into the hole. We saw a
boulder weighing probably fifty Or
sixty pounds whirled along the |
bottom by the rapid current.
LIKE A PEBBLE
And swept into the vortex. Below |
the dam the water rushed out like |
the tail-race off saw mill, leaping |
and foamipg with the force of its |
discharge. 1t continued down the
arroyo foaming and angry torrent.
After winding in and out among
the hills, the stream broke into the
.,L ha
where it broadened considerably,
oveiflowing the cultivated lands
and nursery belonging to Mr.. J.
w. Potts. One or two small houses
in this locality, we think, were
washed away, but We have heard |
of
MOI LOSS OF LIFE.
People living further down report
seeing articles of household furni
tufe floating down on the tide. The
little brooklet which carried the
waste water from the ditch and
was known as the Woolen Mill
creek, was swollen to the proper
tions of river. Running down
through the culvert on Sixth street
it burst out upon the plain lying
below. Standing upon Prospect
Hill, we could see the water
ovERsPREADINa THE COUNTRY
Almost as far west as Agricultural
Park and eastward to tine junction
of Main and Spring streets. 1t
found its way into many of the zan.
jas, overlooking them, and then it
took down innumerable channels,
looking like so many serpentine
rivers, winding here, there and
every where. Some fields were COW
cred over, but generally the flood
appeared to run off in streams
rather than to mass in any partic.
ular sheet of water.
THE DAMAGE AND INCONVENIENCE |
70 people living in the western
part of the city will be very con-
siderable. Cellars are flooded,
orchards and fields are submerged,
and, in many localities, Iocomotion
would scarcely be possible without
boats. The flood encircled st. |
Vincent's College, completely sub
merging the streets tbereabouts,
running across Hill and Fort streets
and thence nearly or quite to Main.
Figueroa street became a running
stream, and, indeed, all of the
lower part of the town was soaked
to u greater or less extent. At IL
o'clock the tide was still pouring
down and gave promise of contin-
uing several hours.
THE WooLEN MILL RESERVOIR,
Or reservoir No. 4, is located in the
foothills, north of Temple street,
and about II mile from the centre of