Word: damming
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Dates: during 1920-1929
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...important link in the system that supplies Los Angeles with water from the mountains. The fruit growers and ranchers in the Santa Clara Valley fought in vain against its construction. They wanted the water for their lands. In the southwest, where water is scarce and tempers are hot, a dam has never been built without an argument between agriculturalists and city folk...
...Break. At 1 a. m. one night last week the St. Francis dam broke at each end, although the centre section (200 ft. high) held fast. Twelve billion gallons of water in the form of a wave 75 ft. high went charging down the San Francisquito Canyon, into the Santa Clara River. By the time it reached the Pacific Ocean, 75 miles away, it was little more than a malicious trickle. But behind were the wiped-out towns of Newhall, Saugus, Piru, Fillmore, Santa Paula; 305 dead humans, thousands of dead animals; little white flags designating corpses found by rescue...
...Cause. There was scarcely a man in southern California who did not have his own theory concerning the breaking of the St. Francis Dam...
...minor earthquake several days before the flood caused a shifting and a weakening of the dam's foundations. Engineers had little faith in this theory...
...Road workmen set off unusually potent charges of dynamite near the dam on the day before the break. A few Los Angeles residents even hinted that the dam was intentionally destroyed by country bumpkins to spite the city folk. Officials pronounced this speculation ridiculous...