Imperial Valley press., 1938-03-04
Communication With
Flood Area Made
CContinued from PAGE ]

AAOlAA I dSG -
able to communicate directly with
Los Angeles headquarters and had
no way of aScertaining when SER
vice would be resumed. Service 20
San Diego, on a limited scale. was
possible, with service to the east
as usual Limited communication
with Los Angeles, via San Diego,
was reported.
Dan Bowerman of the United
Press arrived in FL Centre at noon
Friday. one of the first to make
the trip from Los Angeles to the
valley over the Indio route after
the storm. The trip was possible
by a detour around washouts. He
said travel was possible with little
inconvenience. The route present.
ed a series of flooded roads, strand
ed automobiles and damaged bridg-
eS.
Incoming and outgoing mail, pill
ed up throughout the valley in the
general transportation paralysis,
was headed toward clearance Fri
day. The accumulation of outgoing
mail. stranded at inland when
train service stopped, was returned
to El Centro post office by South
ern Pacific trucks Friday morning
for re-dispatch by train via San
Diego.
All first class mali for the coast
will be sent to San Diego over the
San Diego and Arizona, thence TO
San Pedro via coast guard cutter,
thence to Los Angeles by truck.
That for the east will be sent to
Yuma over the S. D. and A and
turned over to railway officials
there.
Imperial Valley, mailleSs for 3
days, may anticipate mail from Los
Angeles Saturday morning if the
emergency schedule does not fail.
After a trip from San Pedro
aboard the coast guard cutter "Itas-
ca" to San Diego and a journey
over the S. D. and A. to Ell Centre
valley mail is expected to arrive
at 3 am. Sunday. Postmaster Frank
Richmond of El Centre said.
New Orleans and eastern mail
and all Imperial Valley mail will
leave San Pedro by boat Friday
at midnight and arrive in San Die
go Saturday. 1t will be dispatched,
sent on the railway to El Centre
and all eastern points.
Mail will arrive Saturday night,
be worked by the post office crew
Sunday morning, Richmond ex-
planned. All box holders will get
their mail at the post office Sun
day morning. Carrier and general
mail delivery service will be re-
sumed Monday morning. Also gen.
eral window distribution.
All valley mail will be dispatched
on train No. 3 Friday afternoon
for San Diego, sent from San
Diego by boat to Los Angeles.
Buses At Standstill
Bus service was at Standstill
except for extremely meagre travel
TO San Diego and up the coast
over route off the main travelled
Greyhound officials an
nounced. East and west service was
on schedule. The line between San
Diego and Los Angeles was handi-
capped by scarcity Of buses. Ma
chimes are marooned or held up
in the flooded sections. No buses
are running over the Indio route.
Officials have 10 idea when regu-
lar service will he resumed.
Postal Telegraph messages fol-
lowed devious routes to Los An
geles from FL Centro. Sent to Phoe-
nix by telegraph, they were sent
to San Francisco and then down
the coast by Mackay radio. Brawley
messages went to Dallas, then TO
San Francisco and down the coast
bv radio. Ernest SYSman OF Ri
Centre announced Messages were
handled through El Centro by the
Morse code, the old dot and dash
system. SuSman beat the storm to
the punch Wednesday night by
cutting two lines from Los Angeles
at inland and hooking local lines
Up with two eastern lines. Hun
dreds of messages and hampered
service caused delay but the ser
vice is fair.
Western Union Friday afternoon
announced a line to Los Angeles
via San Diego with fair service
promised. The Morse code Is IN
use.
The telephone company announc-
ed limited service to San Diego
for emergency calls headed for Los
Angeles. The San Diego line east
was operating through Ell Centro
Friday. The service was difficult
because of water flooding plants
all along the lines. Direct lines TO
Los Angeles still were out Friday
A Southern Pacific train was
expected at 4:30 pm. Friday but
trains to Los Angeles probably will
not be in operation for several
days. Trains were operating on
schedule TO the east. Carload ship
ments Of peTishables were impos-
sible. Less than carload lots of fruits
were accepted by the company sub
ject TO delay.
The company has several hun
dred passengers stalled in Yuma
and Indio and Friday was attempt
ing to get them TO their destina-
tions by means of airplsnes. J. w
Donohue, district agent for the S.P
P. announced.
Gerrish To Indio
Chief Herbert Gerrish of the i'm
migration border patrol in Ell Cen