Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-10-07

was charged with he responsibility or
whether the whole matter Was treated
| as one that any practical" nan could
f P9G2 hs record %s aPf is uyat afm Ss
tration Of how not ~ Engineering
work.
Inspection Of the dam - member OF
the editorial stan of Engineering News
who went 10 The site as soon rs the news
Of the disaster was received. shows that
nothing whatever was done 10 strengthen
the dam and IL was In use NJ to the time
ot Us disaster with Il head of water
against II usually amounting 10 about 10
IT., according 10 the statement made hy
the President of the company owning the
dam
The question Of most Importance to the
public is not the placing of blame for
this particular disaster. hut how similar
disasters may be- prevented in the future.
such disasters will occur and occur with
increasing frequency We may be sure so
long rs Il private individual or firm or
company has tGe right 10 build Il dam
when ana where and how he or IL plea ses,
wherever land fer dam site may be
But the lesson Of Johnstown fell on deaf
ears. In the state of PENNSYLVANIA today
it is nobody's business "a prevent such
dams as that AT Johnstown or that at
Austin from being constructed. or 10 see
that dams once built are SO cared for rs
10 prevent their being a menace to the
valleys below them.
great ma Jurty Of its sister states. Rhode
Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts
in the East and Colorado and possibly
some other of the far Western states
where irrigation is important are the on
~ states we know Of which exercise even
the Tildest sort OF supervision over the
building Of dams
Even in these states. however, the state
supervision is generally exercised in an
Inadequate manner. We ara We'll within
bounds in saying that there is not sim
s,Ie state of the Union where the design
and construction of dams is under sufii-
acting under state authority and RESPONSE
bic FOR the public safety.
Strong arguments have been brought
forward during the past few years in
water-power development to the end that
public rights in the value of such unue-
veloped water powers may be preserved.
But considerations of public safety fur
establishment of some sort OF state con-
uol over structures which may constitute
menace 10 hundreds and thousands OF
people, and 10 millions OF dollars worth
of property Austin and .lohnstown and
Min River are far from being the only
cases where terrible destruction has been
wrought by a dam failure Smaller
structures fail every little While and the
general public barely notices the item al
a few lines in the newspapers That tells
OF lives lost and homes destroyed
Nor Is Il tdIluEes OF dams alone when
show the crying need Of Government SUI
pervlsion OF some sort to protect the pub
lie from the results OF tamperIHE with the
rivers OF d country by irresponsible and
Incompetent concerns. A glaring example
is the situation Of the Imperial Valley III
the Colorado Delta.
But il may be said that state super
vision OF dam construction would be
farce that Tie Office would be political
siueeure, and that no real public benefit
would result But ii this argument be
sound. il applies TO each and every one
Of our governmental activities
Carried To its logical conclusion il would
abolish city Inspection OF buildings and
elevators. state supervision over water
supplies and sewerage systems. Federal
inspection OF steam vessels and their ma
chincry. Of locomotive boilers. of tXplo-
siVes, and so We might continue through
a very long list The SIMPLE tact is that
under our modern complex civilization
dangers innumerable threaten on every
hand II the technical work on which mod
ern industry depends is not done with
Skin and fidelity.
Engineers will heartily welcome the es-
Establishment Of state bureaus TO supervise
engineering construction, provided such
bureaus are Differed by men Of high
standing in the profession and are main
tanned free from graft and political In
fluence Such bureaus in fact would be a
great aid TO the engineer who Is DESTROYS
Of doing only honest and safe work and
finds himself hampered by the ignorance
or parsimony OF his employer.