The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1914-03-06
CALIFORNIA Is
STORM SWEPT
Floods Extend From Tehachapi
to Line---Seven Dead.
Damages Estimated at $500, 900
Los Angeles Suburbs Short Of
Food, Lights and Water.

Los Angeles With loss Of proba-
bly, more than $4,000, 900 and . total
OF seven human lives in four days,
Southern California began 70 recover
Sunday from the effects Of the worst
storm in its history.
Swept by wind and rain for three
days, most Of the territory between
the Tehachapi mountains and the Mex
lean line was flooded, but with the sun
shining at intervals Sunday the situa-
ton improved considerably and. while
nearly all Of the towns affected re-
manned isolated. progress was made
toward re-establishing wire and rail
communication.
According to an estimate made by A.
c. Hansven, assistant city engineer.
Los Angeles was damaged to the ex-
tent OF at least 81, 500, 900. One hum
dred and fifty thousand dollars repre-
sented the damage to city streets
alone. The remainder represented
losses sustained by railroads and by
citizens who lost their homes, which
were swept away by the floods, with
all their household effects.
Except in the vicinity of Pomona,
this county, where young groves suf-
fered severely, orange growers report
ed comparatively little damage.
Ranches and small farms were inun-
dated, but no reliable data could be
obtained as to the losses sustained by
them.
The flood situation about Los An
geles became acute early Saturday
night and conditions were greatly ag-
gravated at the same time by gale
which reached velocities of from 80 to
so miles an hour at various points in
land and along the Pacific ocean shore.
Poles and towers carrying power
lines and the wires of telegraph and
telephone companies went down and,
with railroads and suburban trolley
lines already out of commission, the
situation became at once one of COM
plete prostration. For nearly four
hours there was no streetcar service,
and during the entire day the city had
only brief periods Of communication
with the East. Surrounding towns,
with few exceptions, remained entire
~ isolated, without communication by
wire, railroad or trolley.
Railroads report that the collapse of
big bridges over the Los Angeles river
in this city and the washing out Of big
spans elsewhere made it uncertain
when traffic could be resumed. But
large gangs of men were sent out to
work in continuous shifts in efforts to
repair damage as quickly as possible.
More than 100 homes were destroy
ed in Los Angeles alone by the tor
rents that rushed through the Los An
geles river and the Arroyo Seco. As
the floods in these waterways subsidized
household goods and other property,
including everything, from stoves to
pianos and beds, were left stranded on
sand bars
After a steel bridge over the river
buckled and broke, the Southern Pa
cific and Santa Fe railroads sent heavy
cars loaded with scrap iron and heavy
boulders plunging into the food in
efforts to divert further inroads by
storm waters, which threatened rail-
road tracks skirting the river banks.
The sweep Of the floods was SO strong
at times, however, that these barriers
were turned aside.
Besides numerous houses that top
pied off the caving banks, the river
usually dry bed called river by
courtesy away the Los An
geles pigeon farm. Extensive cotes
tumbled into the stream before day
light and thousands Of pigeons were
drowned.