After checking out some information on the South Fork Dam that gave way and flooded Johnstown, Pa. in 1889, I started thinking about the St. Francis Dam – although I couldn’t remember it’s name and had to look it up by referencing Mulholland. It collapsed in a spectacular and deadly fashion two years after the 1926 dedication and released a 2.8 mile long lake which roared toward the ocean. At this site, pdf files can be opened to look at the reports about and impact of the dam collapse. One pdf discusses reassessment of the dam failure and includes this photograph:

This is not a surprise; it is happened before – several times in my life, actually. It was cold out in the diesel at 6 am, getting it started and defrosted for a trip to take my daughter-in-law to work. But I didn’t mind it so much – the little glow plug light was orange and then went out and when I turned the key, the engine responded with a healthy chug, chug, chug. There was no doubt about it, no thought of deciding, “Oh, heck, AmeliaJake, it’s too cold for me to do this . . . I’m just going to stop all this foolishness and let my parts rest.” But it was steadfast, doing its job. Oh, Little Green Car, I love you.