Salt Lake Telegram | 1946-12-27 | Page 2 | Rains and Holiday Leave 51 Dead on Coast

Rains and Holiday Leave 51 Dead on Coast LOS ANGELES, Dec. 27 UPV Rains which at times reached torrential tor-rential proportions abated Friday, leaving one dead from drowning and eight more killed in traffic additions to the 42 highway fatalities fa-talities in southern California's blackest Christmas and Christmas eve. The two-day storm total approximated approx-imated three inches in most valley communities, although it approached ap-proached five Inches in the Pasadena Pasa-dena area. Seasonal marks are more than double normal. The rains sent slides roaring across highways, caved In excavations, excava-tions, turned gulleys Into roaring torrents and in some Instances weakened bridges and approaches. Searchers watched without result for the body vof Roy L. Parcher, 47, swept Into a flood channel as he lost his footing while trying to push a stalled automobile. Aftermath of the unprecedented holiday crash toll waa announcement announce-ment of all-out campaigns against drunken driving by city, county and state authorities, aimed at preventing a repetition during the normally even wetter from- the standpoint of bottled cheer New Tear's period. Said Municipal Traffic Judge Leo Freund, In a blunt warning: "Stop drinking or stop driving. Tou can't do both."