Show AUSTIN DAM KNON KNO N TO 10 BE UNSAFE Edward Famous Cival Engineer Consulted in Regard to a Means of Strengthening the Reservoir PAPER COMPANY DID NOT MAKE REPAIRS He Says Loss of Lives and Damage Could Have Been Averted by Ex Expenditure Expenditure Ex- Ex re of About SOMEBODY IS RESPONSIBLE By Ily International Nes Ne's Service Es Oc Oct Oci 2 u. The terrible N NEW NB loss loan of ol life hife In lu the tlc neighborhood of CH OO OO-aud nud the fits widespread nd lo loss 1011 of properly calculated t to amount mount to nt at leaNt t 5 which resulted from froni the I darn ter er er nt at l in n. n have huc been averted n at t n a cost cent of 25 This ThiN wn UN ns the thC statement n made de today b by the civil engineer M ai ho Ito lio lu in lu luthe the carl J of 1511 year ear wn 1 coni b by I T. T Hutton civil chU engineer n of Del ho ho designed the Hie I I dare Mr Hatton wrote me January Januar 29 29 1910 asking me mo to give him hint some en engineering engineering en- en advice In connection with the reinforcement of or dam am s said l Mr Ir eg man toda today I agreed to do so and Alts Mr h Hatton Hutton called upon mo me shortly thereafter at my office In this city Mr Ir Hatton submitted me mc the plans according to which he h-e had constructed the dam at Austin Pa Mr 11 Hatton said ald the base baso of ot the dam already had slid eighteen Inches and that the top of the dam darn was O thirty thirty- one inches away away from Its original po position po- po Dam In D n roll Condition The Calculations which I made made- with reference to tot to t tug the lt stability ty or of the dam m showed that the he pro profile ile adopted for tor forthe forthe the construction of or the dam am would been sufficiently provided ther dam had been built on an Jm rock foundation oUI 1 A As a mattor of fact the dan w s built on a 8 loVs more mob or Ot less Jess fissured d I f o that taking taking Into account the the l pressure pres pres- suro sure of ot the water under tho the base of the dam dain tile tHe structure w J In h a. a very dunger dangerous condition and J I advised Mr H to build bull an additional amount of oC masonry On n side of or the dam and to construct a cutoff wall of ot masonry or puddle at the upstream face this face this cuto cutoff to reach down do to nn un impervious stratum I also suggested sug that the dam be Je strengthened by buildIng build build- Ing lug a a. cutoff wall wan and adopting a rock filling on the do Cace as az a re- re I r t m my n report to Mr r. r Hatton Hat Hat- ton and received a reply In which Hatton Hatton Hatton Hat- Hat ton stated that he fully agre d with my and Intended 10 to submit them to 10 hi ht clients with some additional precautionary nary measures as regarded regarded- water passing between the cutoff wall and the upstream am face tace ace of the dam Would Not Make Mr r. r ex exhibited two letters etters from Mr tr Hatton Halton the first under date of oC February 16 1910 In this letter Air Mr lr Hatton said ald that he Intended advising ad- ad his cHen clients clients' to adopt both precautions precautions precautions pre pre- cautions recommended b by Mr Ir pin mann nann n a. a February 10 1910 Mr Ir Hatton wrote The dam cost ost I originally not in including including In- In chiding engineering expense I am Kind glad l d you coincide with m my l Ideas but butI I 1 fear m my clients will t fear ar to spend the or OOOO ne necessary to render the dam absolutely safe fafe The company evidently did fear feal to spend th the comparatively trifling sum sum said Mr 11 eg man significantly for Cor nothing was as done on the dam After draining g- g off large arge quantities of oC water this was following the t scare in the early part of last year cal when the weakness weakness' weak weak- ne ness ness' ln the dam began heg-an to be noted the theO Company O gradually raised th the amount of water held in th the tho reservoir The They would woul raise the tIle water wate a a foot or two It stood another foot toot or two it stood another few lu Inches hes and nd then I the tho break There should hould be a commission slon to prevent such unsafe dams as these thes eluded Mr 11 g emann Ve Ye have hare had ha several se instances of or this I will stake my entire reputation thin tion up upOn n tHe statement that this catastrophe would not have occurred had thad ad In my recommendations been followed ollow t to tJ the letter |