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Show RELIEF PARTIES RUSH TO DAM Procession of Automobiles and Motor Trucks Leave San Diego for Stricken Otay Valley. MANY LIVES ARE LOST Billions of Gallons of Water Let Loose From Great Southern South-ern California Water Company Reservoir. San Diego, Cal., Jan. 29. Relief parties in automobiles and a procession proces-sion of motor trucks left here today for the striken Otay valley, fifteen miles to the south, where the burst ing of the Lower Otay dam late Thursday loosed thirteen billion gallons gal-lons of water upon the little streak of parable land between ridges of hills and drowned probably fifty persons. The motor trucks carried provisions for the survivors in the valley, tools and pontoons for fording swollen streams where bridges are out. The pace of the relief expedition, It was believed, would depend upon the slower slow-er vehicles. All communication with the valley and the little town of Otay at its foot remained cut off This city, some fifteen miles up San Diego bay from the entrance of Otay creek, was In no direct danger from the flood at any time, but its water supply, coming largely from the system sys-tem of which the Lower Otay dam was a part, was curtailed today, and National City and Chula Vista, suburbs, su-burbs, were reported cut off from usual water sources altogether. Persons familiar with the contour of the country said today that the loss of life and greatest damage undoubtedly undoubt-edly occurred close to the dam, and that in the lower valley which is broad, property damage would be great, but loss of life unlikely. Engineering parties, and civil authorities au-thorities joined the rescue parties which hastened today to tho site of the Lower Otay dam. 17 miles southeast south-east of here An investigation of engineering en-gineering methods will be made, it was stated, and will be of particular interest in this case because the lower low-er dam was of unusual construction. The dam, 130 feet high, was of the loose rock type, with concrete side walls. In the center was Imbedded a core of riveted steel, the object being to make a water tight dam without building a solid concrete one. A mas-onrv mas-onrv structure, in fact was first intended, in-tended, aud foundations were laid for It. The change created considerable interested speculation among engineers engi-neers at the time and one expert on reservoirs, discussing It, deciarea lum until the dam had been filled, and remained re-mained for a considerable period, no one would be able to say whether or not the design would be a success. Whether anv money was saved by making the change, the same authority author-ity said, could not be determined. "Bodies and Houses Carried to Sea. Otay creek empties into tho very foot of San Diego bay, and wrecked ranch houses and dead animals, borne ten miles north in the bay by the current cur-rent of the flood brought the first Intimations In-timations here that a flood had co-curred. co-curred. For many hours after the disaster, no word of it had traversed the ridges fifteen miles from Otay creek to this city. |
