HILLSIDE MOVING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 42, 29 November 1937, Page 5

HILLSIDE MOVING.

MENACE IN LOS ANGELES. LARGE AREA IN THE CITY. .United Press Association—Copyright.! SAN FRANCISCO, November 27. A message from Los Angeles states that a landslide, which three weeks ago began moving an inch a day, carrying a- hillside comprising two of the city squares and threatening a row of buildings, a highway and viaduct, and the Los Angeles river beds, to-day rumbled 13£ inches onward and badly frightened the neighbouring inhabitants, in spite of the roping off of the endangered district. Millions of tons of earth and stone threaten to cover a wide area, and today’s movement precipitated rocks the size of automobiles, causing an earth-quake-like tremor and covering many streets with a deep muddy slush.

Several movie film studios have day and night camera crews posted to film the landslide, when it becomes fully loosened, which is expected at any moment.

A later message states that the entire hill, estimated to contain 3,000,000 tons of debris, finally split off in two sections during the night. It crashed down, covering Riverside Drive, cutting off electric power and destroying water mains, but stopping at the doorsteps of the threatened buildings. A sheer cliff 150 feet high remains where the hill came away. Thousands of spectators viewed the spectacle, and back.

Geologists fear that there may be a second fall, more serious than the first. The damage so far is estimated at 200,000 dollars. Any further collapse is almost certain to destroy a bridge which cost 3,000,000 dollars.