Imperial Valley press., 1928-03-13
(Contipred from page one}

Crg, and Camarillo.
According to reports from Ventura
/ On the scacoast the Santa Clara
liver became a raging torrent 90
, feet deep and two miles wide. Wreck
Ncd homes. animals and debris were
\ carried along with the flood.
According to word received from
! Fillmore 100 members of the Bureau
Of Light and Power camp at Piru
are in a critical condition but be-
cause of the wrecked roads medical
sid NAV not reach them for hours.
All bridges through the Santa
/ Clara basin have been swept away
including the Southern Pacific rail
way bridge between Ventura and
OXnard and rail communication pro-
hably will not be reestablished for
~ hours at least.
Red Cross chapters throughout the
state are rushing relief squads to
the inundated sections and D. c. Me
Waters head of the local chapter,
has ordered the equipment used in
the Santa Barbara earthquake dis
aster made ready for immediate scr
Vice.
Collapsed Dam Cause
The huge dam collapsed shortly
before ! a. m. and all wires in the
section were torn away leaving the
stricken cities in darkness. Auto
mobiles were sent speeding to near
by towns to warn Of the impending
wall of DEATH
No word has been received from
Santa Paula for hours and it is be-
Geved that the city was completely
wiped away.
Shortly before the flood reached
that section the United Press re-
preventative there reported by long
distant telephone that the residents
were fleeing to the hills having
been warned by fire sirens.
Piru and Santicoy, also in the
path Of the flood, have not been
heard from and it is feared that
they have suffered similar fate.
San Fernando Valley, one of |
Southern California's IS garden spots.
was saved from the flood by a |
ridge the water being di-
verted down the Santa Clara river
and Santa Paula canyon.
The famous Ridge Route leading
north to- Bakersfield is completely
blocked and all highways north and
south of the area have been wiped
Dut.
Eight men are known to be dead.
The bodies were brought into New
nall at an early hour.
At the Edison Company camp be-
ow the dam so men were employed
md probably sleeping when the wa
-er came down. a half mile further
down at power bureau sub-station
l25 men were employed.
81 talked to old residents of the
district Captain Newsletter of San
Fernando police division said, "and
they believe that escape from the
water was impossible. In some plac-
IS there must have been a 20 foot
wall of water
Five members of the family of
B. w Hunick, rancher, were saved
when they joined hands and floated
to the edge of the flood but To-
yearold daughter and a baby, of
the same family, We're swept to
probable death in the darkness, ac-
cording to reports reaching here.
Hunick was asleep in his ranch
home with his father, Charles, an
other rancher named Halschau, Mrs.
Halschau and Halschau's father, in
n cabin a mile and half above
Saugus. The names of the 12-year-
-old girl and the baby were not
The Hunicks and Halschaus were
taken to the emergency hospital at
Newhall. An uncle and sister of
Hunick are still missing and are
believed to have perished.
Carey Ranch Ruined
The ranch and Indian store owned
by Harry Carey, movie star, located ,
two miles from Saugus, was COM
pletely wiped out but it is not /
known whether anyone on the ranch !
is lost.
The ranch was the pride of Carey |
who spent most of his time there.
His family lived on it and Carey
it. The Indian store is located a |
half mile below the ranch on the
San Francis-Quito road and, due to !
its lower position, probably receiv-
ed the brunt of the water.
The st. Francis dam was complet- |
ed a year ago and is the second !
largest dam constructed by the Los !
Angeles bureau of power and light. !
Reports revealed that the South
ern California Edison company pow
er lines, serving Los Angeles, Santa
Barbara and Ventura counties, went !
down when the water struck.
Santa Barbara newspaper men
were unable to go to press because
of lack of power but the lines serv-
ing Los Angeles were partially re-
paired although certain districts are !
without lights.
Authorities here began the task
of co-ordinating the relief work !
shortly after reports of the disaster
reached Los Angeles, Sheriff Will
liam l. Traeger dispatched between !
500 and 600 deputy sheriffs to the
scene and 80 deputies from Ventura
county were ordered out for relief
work.
Chief of Police James E. Davis |
ordered out 400 police Officers who
were sent to San Fernando to the
division there.
The Red Cross installed an emer
gency hospital at Newhall.
The Southern Pacific main line
inland route 10 San Francisco is