Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-10-07
After the partial failure of the dan

4 After the partial failure OF the dam
on Jan. %, 1910, it seems TO MS to have
stbeen the duty of competent engineers,
on the part of humanity, to have given
warning Of the danger and to have de-
,manded action on the part Of owners,
regardless Of cost.
If Mr.. Greenwood will read our edi-
Itorial from the standpoint OF one writ
ling for all classes of people he will
more readily understand that we in
tended 10 draw a lesson much differ
ent than he interpreted What would
he make of the following from the edi-
torial to which he refers:
I'VE seem TO understand the infinite
power TO demolish the works OF man
as little as the bird understands the
.drouth and the effect OF shower on
a rain spout. We are inclined 10 say:
In these days of perfection OF en-
.gineering methods it is incredible that
such a catastrophe should not have
been foreseen.
And then we remember that 1T
HAD BEEN FORESEEN,"
And again:
But modern progress points the
necessity of great city where
Frisco stands. hence the necessity
that hundreds Of thousands OF people
risk their lives every instant.
1.-The people of Austin and Costello
knew that a great danger hung above
them. but each trusted in the wisdom
and foresight of others and placed his
life and the lives of his dear ones as
a wager against the immutablc decree
Of destiny"
Further by way of elimination, We
played engineering skill against cupid
Iity. one of which must be guilty.
We beg to suggest to Mr.. Greenwood
that We are not 50 ignorant Of engi-
neering progress as he seems 10 infer,
and perhaps could. bring to his mind
some things of which he has not
thought. If this is not the editorial
for which he asks We might be induced
to write another
As we write. Engineering News
comes 10 the editors desk. We woald
like to publish entire the article Of
this admirable magazine on the Austin
dam disaster. for the benefit nf our
Skowhegan friend and others, but
snaee forbjds. We content ourselves
by giving the following from its edi-
toFial comment:
ANOTHER AUSTIN DAM FAILURE
AND ITS LESSON.
The terrible disaster which DESTROYED
the village of Austin. Pa, last saturday
with a loss OF 200 or more lives, Is a shoeA
TO the engineering profession naroly 10
appalling than that experienced NheH tits
Quebec bridge fell four years ago.
So far as the newspaper reports nave
Informed the world. the structure was
designed and built under direction o.
competent engineer Of good reputation.
The structure fails suddenly with great
loss of life, and the public jumps TO ne
conclusion that no engineer ls iehahle'
land that no dam is safe.
We wish first Of all. to combat TINS
idea. Most emphatically de We declare
that II is within the resources OF eng
neering To SO build such dam as tldt II
! Austin that II shall be safe and secure
| Ii lis not our province to silt ana appof-
/ ton the responsibility for This sad cAlaih-
| ity. II Is our duty to say that the &C.
| currence is without excuse; and that II
the dam had been built with proper pre-
teautions and proper regard Tor safety the
| failure would never have occurred
There is no mystery in the art of dam
| construction and no problems IN tnef de-
sign which competent engineers are not
capable of solving with accuracy ana re-
| liability.
But IL may be said. why then do dams
and bridges and other engineering struc-
lures fail, even when engineers oil sood
REPUTATION are employed in their design /.
We can answer this question In word.
These disasters occur because too ire
nuently those who build the structures
buy Just as little engineering and buy 1t
as cheaply as they possibly can,
They do not quite dare To go ahead Win
an Important structure without some sort
nf engineering advice; but they get along
with Just as little as possible ana too
often they reject so much or II as does
not suit their fancy or their purse.
of course not all engineering work IS
carried on In this way. If 1t were, acci-
dents and failures TO engineering WORKS
would be far more numerous; but we do
know that far too much of the Work OF
engineers is done under conditions which
prevent them from really bearing the re-
sponsibilty that is noninaliy theirs.
IL is farthest from our desire TO say
anNtllnS al ttllS IlIltt WHEEL iiihS az w
lesslv add TO the burden OF those, Who
ever they may be, on whom responsibility
for this disaster may be placed and Who
are without doubt already suffering tor
lures untold We should be derelict iii
our duty, however, did We not point out
the salient facts in connection with the
disaster not for the purpose of locat-
ing the blame. hut to Indicate how similar
calamities may be avoided in the future.
| The article which we reprint elsewhere
! from our issue of March II. 1910 describes
a partial failure of the dam al Austin
which took place in January, 1910. fall
ule which the careful reader Will seh
might easily have caused at that time
Just such a calamity as has now occurred
The earlier failure of the Austin dam.
| by most remarkable coincidence, oc-
CURED from almost the identical cause
which destroyed the Colorado River dam
at Austin, Tex on April Z. 1900 The dam
at Austin. Tex, was Slid forward on It's
base until il toppled over. The dam at
Austin, Pa. was slid forward together
with a stratum of the underlying rock up
on which 1t was founded. BY great good
fortune the movement stopped before The
yielding dam section was crushed or over
turned and emergency measures were
taken to draw of the water from behind
the dam and relieve the pressure upon IL
No on4 seems to have realized, however
that In that condition all assurances as
to the safety of the dam was again filled
Of