Norwich bulletin., 1916-01-31
DAM BURST IN
 OTAY VALLEY, GAL.
Men from the BattIeship Oregon Call
 ed to Suppress Looting.

San Diego, Calif.. Jan. 30.-Looting. described by Rear Admiral Fullam, commanding the Pacific reserve fleet, as "the worst have ever seen," broke out today on the Otay Valley, food swept by the breaking of the Otay dam last Friday. The lower valley was turned into an armed camp, pa- the battleship Oregon and the cruisers Milwaukee and South Dakota in San Diego bay with orders to shoot looters on sight.
 The loss of life in the Otay valley now is estimated at 50, while reports that the cloudburst in San Luis Key and San Pasqual valleys cost no more than ten lives brought the probable death list in this section to sixty.
 A new flood poured down the Tia Juana river today which has risen four feet at it's mouth at the foot of San Diego bay.
 A telephone message from Tecate said it was reported there that the Morena dam, SO miles back in the hills had burst. Officials here, fearing that fifteen billion gallons of water inn pounded by the dam would tear a new channel for the river across Coronado Strand into the sea, ordered residents of Imperial Beach, a hamlet on the strand, to fleet.
 First news of the reported collapse
  Ervast city engineer of San Diego. Ervast, trying to reach the Mexican town of Tijana, met Japanese run ming along the bank of the Tiajuana 1 river.
 Get back" cried the Japanese in broken English. "Tell people lots wa ter coming"
 Ervast could see a four foot wave | coming down the river. He turned 1 his automobile and spread tHe warn @sAr Vi, | of San Diego, and others, said that ! nothing but the breaking of the Nor 1 ena dam could have caused the flood The dam stood 265 feet high in a narrow gauge and was built of ma l sorry and reinforced concrete. The water supply was taken from | the reservoir formed by the dam by l a tunnel into the creek, which fed the lower Otay dam, but the natural chan nel for the water led into the Tia 1 juana river.
 Of the 29 bodies recovered in the i Otaya valley only six have been iden- tified
 Federal troops patrolled the Coro- | nado Strand along Sandspit offering | the only means of ingress into the | be sightseers. The marines under | Capt. Charles T. Westcott, Jr., campe6 | in the valley while the sailors under l Ensign Hamilton O'Brien of the Mil | Wduke6 naO6 neaOQuarIerS III the ILL | tie brick schoo1house at Otay City | Each man carried twenty rounds ot ] ammunition
 The United States destroyer Law. renee as base ship and a hospital squad | from the Milwaukee operated in con | junction with both forces.
 Fifty farmhouses, according to per. sons acquainted with the Otaya valle1
 must have stood in the path of tht 1 flood. It was estimated that from foul
 to five persons occupied each, although housing Orientals held large number
 Many of these are believed to hay,
 had time to escape. although it is i'm, possible to check in any way agains l the known residents of the valley. Tn,
 estimate of 50 dead is considered con l servative
 Reports that the town of Tiaiuana
 Lower California, had suffered heav! | damage seemed to be confirmed today
 It was said that little was left of tn
 new racetrack plant which cost $2OO, 900.