TREMENDOUS LANDSLIDE

Evening Star, Issue 22818, 29 November 1937, Page 11

TREMENDOUS LANDSLIDE

WHOLE HILLSIDE ON THE MOVE PARTS OF LOS ANOELES THREATENED Press Association — By Telegraph— Copyright LOS ANGELES. November 23. A landslide which three weeks ago began moving an inch a day, is carrying a hillside comprising two city squares and threatening a row of buildings, a highway, and a viaduct and the Los Angeles riverbeds, to-day rumbled 13J inches onward and badly frightened neighbouring inhabitants, despite 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 of the size of automobiles, causing an earthquake-like tremor and covering many streets with a deep muddy slush. Several movie studios have day and night camera crews posted to film the landslide when it becomes fully loosened, which is expected at any moment. HILL SPLITS IN HALF EXTENSIVE DAMAGE DONE. LOS ANGELES, November 27. , The entire hill, estimated at 3,000,000 tons of debris, finally split off in two sections during the night and crashed down, covering a riverside drive, cutting off the electric power, and, destroying the water mains, but stopping at the doorsteps of endangered buildings. A sheer cliff 150 ft high remains where the hill was torn off from the terrain. Thousands of spectators viewed the spectacle, which hundreds of police are guarding. Crowds during the day watched rocks, earth, and trees tumbling down the mountainside. Geologists fear a second avalanche more serious than the first. The damage so far is estimated at 200,000 dollars. A further collapse is virtually certain to destroy a bridge, the cost of which was 3,000,000 dollars. '