Why did the St Francis Dam fail in 1928 only two years after it was built causing the death of about 420 people?
Why did the St Francis Dam fail in 1928 only two years after it was built causing the death of about 420 people? Saint Francis Dam, California, failed at 2357 hours (about midnight) on March 12-13, 1928. The dam was 2 years old when it failed. The dam was 188 ft (57.3 m high) and the reservoir contained about 38,000 acre-ft (46.9 million cubic meters) of water. The concrete gravity dam failed as a result of structural defects.
What happened to the St. Francis Dam and its surrounding area on March 12 1928?
Francis Dam in the San Francisquito Canyon. Nearby these haunting reminders, there is a sign: “On March 12, 1928, just before midnight, it collapsed and sent over twelve billion gallons of water roaring down the valley of the Santa Clara River. Over 450 lives were lost in this, one of California's greatest disasters.”