Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-05
FIRE AND FLOOD
DESTROY GREAT
CROPS OF GRAIN
Heavy Loss Falls on
One Firm
Water Continues to Sweep Through
Broken LeVee Near Bakers
field-Farmers at Work on
Huge Dam
BY Associated Press.

| BY Associated Press.
BAKERSFIELD, July 4.-The fooc
waters in the rich reclaimed wheat
lands in che lower part of Kern county
caused yesterday by the breaking oil
the Buena Vista lake levee continued
to spread today. The waters rise is un-
abated and all resistance against theli
progress is impossible until the aux
iliary levee being constructed at the
San Emidio road is completed and the
waters reach that point. The break III
the levee has widened continually and
this morning it is reported that the
entire levee is doomed.
Coincident with the break in the ieYee
yesterday was the breaking out of two
large fires in the grain fields of Miller
and LUX, nearly twenty miles distant
from the lake. After burning all day
the fires were finally extinguished last
night shortly before midnight. About
two whole sections of grain were de-
stroyed, aggregating between 1900 ana
10000 sacks. Intelligence of these two
fires and the remarkable coincidence was
suppressed by the officers of both cor
porations because of the suspicion nat
urally aroused by the two catastrophes
occurring at precisely the same time.
The officials of neither corporation Will
commit themselves.
The fire broke out at Button Willow,
seventeen miles from the lake and at
headquarters. four miles from Button
Willow. Waters at the lake are rising
at the rate of about two inches an
hour. The advance this morning is
about two and one-half miles from the
San Emidio road, where the fight Will
be made by the construction of the
auxiliary leveo to stop the advance,
and according to superintendent James
Ogden of the Miller & Lux company
he does not expect the water to reach
that point for three days. The water
will have to travel up hill.
Farmers Had to Work
After organizing forces consisting of
several hundred men and teams work
was started. All the farmers in the
territory have given their horses, scrap
ers and wagons and have joined In the
work.
Gravel trains over the branch of the
Southern Pacific will transport earth.
The levee, having the advantage OF
being constructed at the crest of an
old ditch bank, is expected to be com
pleted in time and have sufficient
height and strength to check the ad-
vance. w nat are kIlOWH DIS lAS AOA III
head gates have been opened and the
waters of Kern river instead of flowing
INTO Buena Vista are now run off
through the Kern Valley Water COM
pany's canal. This water will eventu-
ally flow into the Tulare lake.
The effort is being made to conf1ne
the flooded area to the country east
of the break. comprising an area oil
about twenty-one square miles.
The damage that is being sustained
is enormous. Cattle shipments from
the various stock ranches in the vicin-
ity of Buena Vista and from the Sun
set oil field is now at standstill, and
it is even reported that shortage
in supplies may result because of the
inability to reach the stricken district
with the railroad and wagon roads
washed out.
Henry Miller of the Miller & Lux
company hurried here from San Fran
cisco and Is now at the scene.
Superintendent Harry Jastro of the
Kern County Land company arrived
from Los Angeles, and President w.
S. Tevis has been notified of the dis
aster.
The loss will fall entirely upon the
two corporations.