Imperial Valley press., 1940-05-20
Conserve Water
Rule in Cities
Following Quake

BY herculean efforts telephone and
telegraph employees kept the lines
open to the outside and repaired
damage to valley lines in an I'M
believable short space of time.
Gas. power. and light companies
kept the service going except for
almost unappreciable Interruptions
to lights during the early part OF
the catastrophe.
Free ice for the needy was offered
Monday by the Imperial Ice and De-
velopment company if those seeking
il have certifcation from the county
Supervisors. city government, Red
Cross or other charitable organiza-
tons. Company plants escaped dam
age on account OF the type of con-
struction ordered after the Santa
Barbara shake several years ago.
To the everlasting credit of I'M
perial Valley residents and visitors
there was almost no looting OF dev-
astated property All cities main
tanned guards around the stores and
public buildings left gaping open
when windows and walls crashed
during the quake
PATROL REINFORCED
The California Highway Patrol
sent eight men to the valley from
Los Angeles. They were sent to
BraWley by Sergeant Cliff Reed to
assist BraWley police in guarding the
battered, shattered buildings in the
downtown district.
Quick on the heels of the diSas-
ter came Governor OlSon'S request
that the legislature make funds
available to the valley for recon-
struction purposes. .#
Brawley. the most sorely beSet of
all valley towns. emerged from the
terror of the earthquake and found
her downtown district in ruins
Stores and office buildings had
crumpled in the twist of the shake
Roofs sagged or dangled into build
ing interiors. Walls leaned gro
tesquely out of plumb Store contents
were jumbled in great, disordered
piles on the floors Plate glass win
doWs were shattered into millions
of bits by the shakes and powdered
in the fall to concrete sidewalks.
DANGER AREAS GUARDED
The whole downtown area was
roped off Sunday to protect the
thousands of sightseers from danger
of tottering arcadeS, looping sup
ports, and lettering walls.
Brawsey-s residential district was
badly damaged. Roofs fell, windows
broke, chimneys went down, and
walls fell outward. Residents slept
outside. China spilled to the floor.
Ice boxes overturned. Pictures drop
ped from the walls.
Imperial suffered a total loss es-
timated at $l5O000 and was faced
with the necessity of condemnlng
so per cent of the business build
ings left standing by the quake. The
CITY hall, library, and high school
we're among those condemned. 1t
will take at least two months to
complete reconstruction.
Ell Centre was third in the in
tensity of damage done. Parts OF the
Ell Centre hotel and the rear OF the
Edgar Brothers warehouse, both on
Main street, suffered the most Sc
we're damage
Residents Monday recalled the
terror they felt when the earth
quake struck without a warning
roar early Saturday night. Screams
and shrieks issued from homes,
stores, theatres, and along the
streets and the earth buckled, twist
ed. and heaved in series OF sick
ening, dizzying sWays.
Theatre patrons rushed Shrieking
into the outside air in panic strlck-
en- efforts to get away from the
swaying walls and rocking floors.
Parents scrambled to get their chill
dren to safety. Streets were packed
with human beings frantic to get
out of danger.
Windows cracked with reports as
loud as pistol shots and dashed
dlo Ill oiiiooiiiii6 NSCoAi>S-
sidewalks, and high
ways cracked sharply as the force
Of the shocks struck the concrete.
Cracks appeared in the earth
along the highways east of Calexico
and east of Brawley. Great cracks
and sunken places showed the force
If the quake.
Mrs. Mullings and her two little
girls died in the Wreckage of the
Adair grocery store in Imperial
Her husband, Ben Mullings, and
heir -year-old son saw the
bury the three just as they
stepped from their car in front of
he store. Miss Blevins was crushed
% death in the same building
Moore was killed when the FL
Centric hotel collapsed.
Portillo lost his life when the
walls of his adobe house in BraW-
ey tumbled down upon him as he
for bed. Garcia was killed |
When struck by timbers from -s-e
oof of an adobe structure. The
Mexican or Chinese was caught in |