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Measured by loss of
life, the collapse of the St. Francis dam, 50 miles north of Los Angeles, is
the greatest American civil engineering failure of the 20th
Century. In California it ranks second to the
natural catastrophe of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. Despite
this, the St. Francis story is a surprisingly little known and widely
misunderstood landmark of American history. It has never been
fully explored on television.
It began at approximately
11:57 PM on March 12, 1928 when a two hundred feet-high wall of concrete suddenly
shuddered, cracked and broke apart. 12 1/2
billion gallons water burst through gaping cracks and crumbling concrete.
Within minutes, a towering surge of mud, trees and debris rumbled down a
narrow canyon. Directly below the dam was a power plant surrounded by a
community of workers and their families. Only three would
survive. Ahead in the night lay a construction camp and isolated
Southern California farms, ranches and entire towns. Most of their
inhabitants were sound asleep. Many would die.
When the flood
waters reached the Pacific Ocean, five and half hours and 53 miles
later, more than 450 people were dead --
including many Mexican-Americans who lived directly in the flood path.
As much as $25 million worth of livestock and property were washed away.
 Aside from the
devastating loss of life and property, the collapse of the St. Francis dam
brought a tragic end to the career of William Mulholland. The
legendary "Chief" of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power,
Mulholland was
responsible for the construction of the dam, as well as the controversial Los
Angeles-Owens River Aqueduct. Without Mulholland's aqueduct, it is
quite possible that Los Angeles wouldn't be the major American city
it is today.
 The St. Francis Dam disaster was also a life-changing event for a Santa Paula rancher, Charles
Outland. Outland witnessed the flood as a teenager. It
haunted him for more than thirty years and inspired him to become a
self-taught historian. His book, Man Made Disaster: The Story of
the St. Francis Dam (1963) is the most authoritative study of the
collapse, a dramatic, almost minute by minute account, drawing upon
survivors' testimony and exhaustive research.
Outland's book will
be a primary basis for "The St. Francis Dam Disaster." Outland tells a story of
grand visions, violence, political power and intrigue, interweaving
engineering detail with accounts of personal tragedy and heroism. The
events of the St. Francis Dam disaster are also a detective story. Why did
the dam collapse? Who was responsible? What happened during the aftermath?
Could it have been avoided? What lessons are there to be learned?
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