Imperial Valley press., 1928-03-14
NUMBER
OF DEAD
UNKNOWN
Rescue Crews Searching
Debris For Victims of
Raging Torrent.
RELIEF is RUSHED
Stricken Area Presents
Pitiful Scenes AS Work
Proceeds.
Ey REUEL S. MOORE
United Press Staff Correspondent

LOS ANGELES, March 14.-Dawn
lifted today over the desolation OF
the Santa Clara river valley, per
mitting searchers to resume thelr'
hunt for the bodies of additIonal
victims of the st. Francis dam flood,
and bringing with il the commence
mcnt of an exhaustive investigation
of the catastrophe.
Los Angeles city officials and the
state were preparing t" fix the cause
end name responsibility if such ex-
ists for the disaster which caused
according to the most conservative
estimates, 800 deaths and many mil
lions of dollars damage.
The ruined towns and cities OF
Santa Paula, Fillmore, Piru, Saugus
and Castaic, the rows of bodies ~
various improvised morgues, and the
ia agged, massive center section of the
dam, still standing over the valley
of death like n gigantic tombstone,
spurred the investigators and scar
chcrs on.
Between the walls of the San
Francisquito Canyon, where two
GAYS ago the dam held back the
water in storage for the city of Los
Angeles, there trickled only small
stream over the debris of the brok-
en barrier.
This was expected to permit the
engineers and biologists to make n
thorough survey, to determine If
possible why the huge concrete grav-
ity dam, approved by state engin'
GERS and the pride of the Los Ang-
cles Water and Power department,
gave way so suddenly.
Several theories have been advan-
ccd. William Mulholland, chief en-
gineer of the department and build
er of the dam, said the wrecking Of
the structure might have been caused
by major ground movement at the
western buttress of the dam, eNl-
dence of which was found during Il
hasty inspection while the flood
waters were still raging. ii. a. Van
Norman, assistant engineer, was OF
the opinion that seepage at both
sides Of the dam might have weaken
ed its foundations.
Blast Theory Discarded
Other theories that a local earth
quake, or malicious blast set by
sympathizers of ranchers in some IF
Los Angeles water rights disputes,
were practically discarded, although
inquiry was to be thorough along all
lines.
Robert T. Hill, G.. +. Tolman and
d. w, Murphy are the engineers and
biologists named by the city to con-
duct an impartial investigation.
Meanwhile the state was directing
n separate inquiry under the author
ity of Edward Hyatt, California
state engineer, who will personally
conduct u survey.
Work of repairing the main line
aqueduct, damaged between power
plant No. and Dry Canyon, a small
regulatory reservoir, was already
under way today. City commissioners
were discussing the Feasibility of
rebuilding the dam which spelled
such disaster less than two years
after it was finished.
Below the dam, in the Santa
Clara and Santa Paula river valleys,
weary rescue workers and searchcrs
toiled on.
Over the area of the catastrophe,
which left a scar 65 miles long by
onc-half to three miles wide, humid
reds of relief workers resumed their
labors at daylight.
The list of missing was expected
to be long. Swirling waters carried
down silt that buried objects many
feet below the surface of the de-
posits. Bodies have been found as
deep as 10 feet below this carpet
of sand.
Every organization which poss.
Coptipuod on poua @