Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-01-21
7RTrDF HISTORY.
v bs Angeles Was
Destroyed.
fHpAREAT FLOOD OF 1900,
ssl,0OO,O0O of Property Swept
Down by the Flood Six Short
Years Ago.


in local annals, Is taken from the Pasa
dena Pickls Pot, and will refresh the
memory of many on the details Of the
greatest calamity Of this or any othel
age. The siege Of Troy, the destruction
Of Jerusalem, the great fire in London
the earthquake in Lisbon--all dwindls
into the merest insignificance as com
pared with the flood which swept TN
proud city Of the Queen of the Angels
to the sea. -,
Geo. Rice, Jr., for some years ON tn
staff Of. the Pickle Pot. and one OF th'
most acrid and spicy quills ever shovel
on the able columns Of this great ant
glorious, most enterprising and surest o
scoopers, lhow pitiable was the editol
of two decades ago, who dared not blow
his own bazoo) has sent in graphic
glorious and excitingly interesting ac
count Of the loss Of Los Angeles, cleaned
from conversations with Col. Rice,
his now aged and feeble parent,
who was an eyewitness OF
that sad, sudden and soul-sinkine
disaster, which cast mournful pail OF
deepest dye over the whole country.
Even the city of Sacramento's sympa-
thetic soul stirred the newspapers Of
that out t-of-the-wsy place to print an alb
breviated account OF the occurrence.
There, had been floods in the an
ancient Pueblo Of the Angels before
1900. There were traditions that the
river had flowed some century or two
ago where 1t runs now. emptying into
what was called the Ballona slough un-
til within the last thirty years, but
where now the magnificent docks OF the
great Pan Pacific Electric Ship Com
pany's fine vessels load and unload. ar
gosies for every cline under the sun. In
that time, which to all intents and pur-
poses is prehistoric age, as there is no
record of the period, great Hood came
down and the river changed its course,
cutting a new channel away to the east
OF its present bed, passing to the sea
along the bluff at Workmanton. past
the farms where Denkerville now
stands, skirting the site OF the
great Nadeau brandy house, thence
through the dairy lands reaching down
10 the sea az Banningsburg, then known
as Wilmington.
As Los Angeles grew and fourisLed,
residences multiplied and business blocks
rose along the streets like mushrooms
under warm spring sun III an old COW
pasture. In 1884, and again in 1886,
there were large floods, much property
a..k~x.-..,7 4 ox1 .asxa.ol tsx,a, loof aa ~
Of where the river bed is now, along the
low lands. 30 rich, and so productive
rs gardens, vineyards and orchards, and
80 perfectly protected from all sncroach-
o, Of further floods by the world re-
nowned levees, built by private enter
prise. From these rich alluvial soils the
people OF Pasadena now procure nearly
all their vegetables and fruits.
There had been many attempts made
to Get City Council with sufficient en-.
terprise aud knowledge Of affairs to build
a ievee which would keep the floods from
the inhabited portion Of the city. Pub
lie function failed to do what private
enterprise has SO easily and successfully
accomplished. Each time the people
who had fed from their homes like rats
from wet holes, went back again as soon
as they could wade through the reced-
lug waves, assuring their easy souls that
this one was the last flood to be known
in the City Of the Angels. They soon
forgot the poor angels who had bee ONE
lost angels in the seething waters OF the
wild waves that ever sang. come with
me to tho sea. The Councilmen were
busy in those days watching their neigh
bors' moral welfare and forgot the tenn
poral interests of their constituents in
their anxiety for the souls Of the citi.
zens Of Los Angeles. So long as they
kept red wine and the straw
tinted hop and barley brew
ont Of the stomachs OF their
clientele, they did not seem to care how
much water got into their bedrooms and
kitchens. There had not been much
rain for few years. Not that any
drought had taken place. The city had
grown like weeds on fat bottom lands in
warm summer weather. Even then the
country from the Sierras to the sea, was
settled up by dense population Of
thriving people, and the city grew with
the country. The Fall OF 1899 set in
most auspicuously and the 500, 900
people in this county, including the
l50,O in the city of Los Angeles, were
all making plans to meet the business Of
q most prosperous year. Rains had
fallen early and all over the country the
fine orchards were plowed and prnned.
The vineyards were got in shape. The
holidays came and every one
was happy. The newly elected
Governor Of Sonth California. in his
message, spoke in glowing terms of the
prospects of the year. Everyone was
In tho most pleased state of mind.
Soon after the opening of the new
year, rain began to fall. The HERALD
that season, as often before, pointed to
the red skies prevailing all autumn,
warning Augelenos Of the impending
pIuvial precipitations. The rains fell
pretty regularly until near the end Of
the month of January. In the last
week OF that month all signs pointed to
an approaching downpour Of unusual
volume.
Take map Of the city of Pasadena
and her surroundings, including the Ar
royo Seco and the Los Angeles river. II
will be seen that the river heads up in
the San Fernando Valley. the nearest Of
all water courses to the city. East Of
that the two Tujungas head up to-
wards the Soledad country. Drops
of water might fall on a sharp
rock up there and getting split
IN two. one-half might fiud its way
to the sea by way Of the Santa Clara val.
lev ct Ventura, while the other might
follow the Tujungas and reach the sea
at the Ballonad docks. The heads Of these
winter torrents are 45 miles from where
Los Angeles stood. Further east still
the Arroyo Seco heads up in the moun.
tains a little more than half as far from
the sita OF the ruined town. The safety
OF the city was often duo to this geo
graphical fact. In those days whore the
country is now thick set with orchards,
vineyards and stately eucalyptus forests,
were all bare plains and the waters ran
with no impediment down the Slopes like
.wild horses to the streams below.
.Theze streams rose six to ten
feet, breasting down the cafons
with the force OF a western cyclone.
Should the waters from all these sources
reach the city at the same time Los An
eeles at any time would have been swal.
lowed up, The memorable year in
question, the rain Of the previous time
had soaked the earth full Of water. The
few days before the food the river had
come down bank full. The sky had
cleared for a few hours and the Hood
was falling so that all fear of evil had
been allayed. The day befor the city
was destroyed the wind swung around
TO the east and all day It rained stead
lily. Still that night the people went to
bed along the fated bottoms expecting
TO see clear skies in the morning. The
police, firemen and Sheriffs stayed uT
all night to watch and warn Of watery
waves walking to swallow up sleeping
city.
HOW 1T HAPPENED.
On this fated night about 3 o'clock the
rain came down in torrents. The greai
storm swept up black from the eastward
on heavy wind. A sheet of liquid fell
from the water shed along the crests o.
the Sierras far out to the sea. From oil
quarters the streams were rapidly filled
till thew OVerioyad THAR hanka Th.