Pulse en una miniatura para ir a Google Books.
Cargando... Man-Made Disaster: The Story of St Francis Dampor Charles F. Outland
Ninguno Cargando...
Inscríbete en LibraryThing para averiguar si este libro te gustará. Actualmente no hay Conversaciones sobre este libro. sin reseñas | añadir una reseña
On March 12, 1928, a huge dam nestled in the foothills north of Los Angeles collapsed and spread death and devastation from Newhall to the Pacific Ocean near Ventura. Some 450 lives were lost, making this disaster equivalent in its human tragedy to the great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. But the earthquake was an act of God, while the dam's collapse resulted from the actions of men. From its canyon above Castaic Junction the wall of deadly water was unleashed on the Santa Clara Valley and its ranches, citrus groves, towns of Fillmore, Santa Paula, and the valley south of Ventura. Homes, schools, bridges, highways, power lines, a railroad-all were ravaged under a blanket of seething water and debris. This classic account of one of California's great tragedies is once again made available to the public after being out-of-print for over twenty years. It is a fascinating narrative, recounting the arrival of William Mulholland in 1877, the search for supplies of water for thirsty southern California, and the subsequent Owens Valley water troubles. The dam break and flood are vividly portrayed, with many eyewitness accounts. Post-mortems of the disaster are offered, including the unique legal history of relief and restitution by the City of Los Angeles on nearly 3,000 claims-none of which were ever filed through the courts! Geology of the damsite, construction of the dam, mistrust of the structure by persons of the area, valley people's resentment of the mass destruction, relief work and restoration, investigations of the failure-all are presented in interesting, factual, and unbiased narration. No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca. |
Debates activosNingunoCubiertas populares
Google Books — Cargando... GénerosSistema Decimal Melvil (DDC)979.4History and Geography North America Great Basin and West Coast U.S. CaliforniaClasificación de la Biblioteca del CongresoValoraciónPromedio:
¿Eres tú?Conviértete en un Autor de LibraryThing. |
Mulholland had attributed the mud in the water to gravel and dirt picked up by the water after it left the dam - all dams leak to some extent. Mulholland wanted to reduce the water level of the dam, but, ironically, they had no place to dump the water, because Los Angeles and the runoff canals were in a state of surplus. There is no question the damkeeper was afraid of the dam, and the fact that his girlfriend was found fully clothed - most bodies were found naked or in night clothes, as the dam collapsed in the early morning - upstream from their cottage, which was located one-quarter mile below the dam, lends credence that she and Tony were fleeing the area as Tony had said they would. Or, she may have been on the dam with Tony - whose body was never discovered - investigating additional leaks when the dam collapsed. Outland's book - he was an adolescent living downstream from the dam when it collapsed and was fortunate to be able to seek safety in a school - reveals a classic case of hubris. Mulholland was at the peak of his fame. He had successfully completed several extraordinary water projects, and few dared question his judgment. The force of the avalanche of water and mud that was released by the collapse was extraordinary. The height of the first wave for the first few miles was calculated to be one hundred to one hundred and forty feet high. It crushed the concrete powerhouse No. 2 that was over sixty-five feet high. Huge pieces of the dam weighing more than 10,000 tons were washed more than one-half mile down the canyon. Outland, by careful examination of the records, discovered deliberate attempts after the fact, to alter evidence in order to relieve the water and electric departments of liability for not having conveyed a warning to those downstream in time to prevent additional loss of life. The water, at its fastest, traveled about 18 miles per hour, and clearly many of those who lived miles downstream might have been saved with adequate warning. This fascinating book compares favorably with David McCullough's classic of the Johnstown flood caused by the collapse of its dam. [b:The Johnstown Flood|2371|The Johnstown Flood|David McCullough|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1188171928s/2371.jpg|1391380] ( )