| Show JARGE ARCE LAW VIOLATION IN fiN MAMMOTH DAM CONSTRUCTION N UTAH ENGINEER SAYS A m DISASTER WA AS EASILY AVOIDABLE H. H S. S of S Salt lt Lake Contributes Article to New Y York Magazine Pointing Works Work's D Defects rI THE AL E direct charge that the the- bre break k in ill the tho Mammoth dam dam- lainof lam lain of the the Price Price River Irrigation con com company com pany near Utah June J LillO 24 and 25 was due to violation I of state that resulted in I makeshift construction is made InI in inan inan an article by H H. S. S consulting consulting consulting con con- I engineer of Salt Lake City published in the July 12 number of the En Engineering Record News-Record of New NewYork NewYork NewYork York City Geor George e Austin president of the Price River Irrigation company de declared declared de de- that none of the officials of If the corporation was ready to make any answer to charge but the inference was given that after a trip of inspection to the affected af of Petted district from which they returned returned re turned yesterday the conclusion was reached that faulty construction had hal nothing to do with the tha break in in- inthe the tho dam Excerpts from article arts arti cle clo follow The failure of the Mammoth reservoir reservoir reservoir reser reser- voir dam In Utah on June 24 and 25 resulting In the loss or the structure and a large volume of water stored for irrigation and in large Jare property and other losses to the Denver Gande railroad coal mining companies com panics and others was due to violation violation viola viola- tion of state legislation that resulted in makeshift construction It was Vias also due to careless operation Early reports laid the break to toan toan toan an unusual volume of or water from melting snow entering the reservoir This cannot have ha been the cause UTTER CARELESSNESS The disaster can be attributed only to utter carelessness in the lack or of oran i I I an spillway and In the flimsy I construction o of what was Intended for forit forI rt R spillway together with the unsafe I height to which water was as held in inthe inthe inthe the reservoir resen against the earth fill fillI I forming the crest of the earth dam The unfinished condition and design design de de- de I sign of tho the outlet t tower lower formed a contributing conI contributing con con- I cause The vary temporary I i makeshift provisions for controlling I the inlets to the tower made it Ira Ira- to operate them In Jn opening it Is necessary to lift the full wei weight ht of the water standing over the covers to unseat them This with the arrangements arrangements arrangements ar ar- ar- ar at hand made it impossible ble to open any but those near th top in any event The tower thus afforded no means In an emergence enc of letting out quickly a large volume Had the spillway been deep dee enough and properly protected with means for the quick removal of tle tJ-e e the cal calamity would most certainly not have happened In closing says The The disaster disaster is an eloquent warn warning warn warning ing against lax methods in th the operation operation operation opera opera- tion o of structures that at be best beset t have haTe elements of danger against which every possible precaution should b be betaken taken State officials all over the United States should renew and increase increase increase in in- crease their vigilance and insist that the laws las goV governing the construction ons ruction and operation and operation of reservoir dams be rigidly rig rigIdly idly enforced The Price River Irrigation com corn Continued on pa page paga 9 6 I I UTAH ENGINEER Continued on on- page 2 I pany the writer concludes at I whose door the failure must be laid is the least loser The innocent parties parties par par- ties as usual are the tho sufferers I examination he states was made in company with George F. F McGonagle state engineer of Utah and J. J L. L of f the state en engineers engineer's ineer's office George Austin president of the company asid today tOday- We Ve are not prepared at this time to make any statement as to the probable cause of the break An announcement an an- will be made within a few days after pur our engineers make their report This report will dice I and conclusively clear things up The article comes dose close after the announcement that the Denver Rio Illo Grande Grando railway plans to file me suit against the Irrigation company com corn pany for for damage to tho the railroads railroad's property It Is estimated that damage to ten tel amount of several hundred thousand dollars was done other property in the neighborhood of ot the brea break |
