Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, 1932-10-11
Valley Recovering
From Big Storm
Continued From Page u

highway. a section of the new
pavement near Westmorland hav-
( ing been washed out. Most of the
stages were operating behind
schedule throughout the course Of
! the storm.
Gas service in FL Centre was also
put out of commission for several
/ hours because of the absence OF
electric power necessary to operate
q compressor An auxiliary gas
unit. pressed into service, met with
disaster during the morning and
service was suspended while re-
pairs were made. The gas was on
again early in the afternoon.
Thanks to an auxiliary gasoline
engine at the water plant, water
service throughout the city was
maintained without interruption.
Even crime was at comparative
standstill over the weekend, the
sheriff's office and police depart
ment having an easy time as 1t
was too wet and muddy for the
criminally inclined 10 operate.
Despite wet and muddy pave
ments, earthquakes and other acct
dent-promoting conditions, not
serious accident was reported in
the valley as a direct or indirect
result of the storm.
Lowers Temperature
The storm brought one benefit
to the valley as the temperature
was cooled considerably, and to-
day was more like fall than ANY
day in the past six weeks.
Highway service, aside from the
Los Angeles route, which was con-
sidered dangerous but passable"
was maintained throughout the day
though water covered the roads in
many places.
City schools maintained sessions
throughout the day, with decreas-
ed attendance, but the condition
of the roads in the rural sections
forced many schools throughout
the county to suspend for the day.
Airmail service was operated but
pilots were behind schedule be-
cause of weather conditions. No
attempt was made to land at I'm
perial county airport last night
by the eaStbound plane, though 1t
dropped off mail intended for here.
Airmail for the east was dispatch
ed to Phoenix by train.
The complete collapse Of the
power system was reflected in a
general stagnation Of business
throughout the day. The Press, de-
pending completely upon electric
power in the operation of its me-
chanical department, was unable to
set line of type. The United Press
leased wire, also dependent upon
electric power, was out of commits
sion the entire day.
Late in the afternoon when power
service was restored, plans were
made to attempt an issue of the
paper, but the service again failed
and the working force, which pre-
viously had been sent home for the
day and recalled, was again dis
missed. Shortly afterward per-
manent power service was resumed
but by that time it was too late
to attempt printing.
The battle waged by the power
company and against heavy odds
Every available man was on the
job, attempting to reach and re-
pair the bReaks, with Joe King,
general manager, and B. o. Nit
chell, superintendent, directing
the work from this city. N. G.
Smith, repairman, accompanied
Brockman in his plane and liked
three miles over the desert to a
supply depot for insulators to be
used IN repair work. Carl Ernst and
L. M. Wilson flew in the Califor-
MIA Air Transport plane to check
up on the repair work and supply
food to the repair gangs, many OF
whom worked up to their armpits
in water.
Joe E. King, district manager,
this morning said: Officials of the
company are certainly apprecia-
tive of the forbearance and pa
thence of the people of the Imperial
Valley yesterday for the manner
in which they met the inconvenience
of being without power and light
for so long a period. They seemed
to realize to the fullest the diff
culties we were up against"