Assigning blame is thought to alleviate the pain, but is often pointless fault cannot erase the tragedy or consequences. Humans make mistakes all the time – mistakes that are unintentional, without malice, and completely by accident. The final tallies would end up being much worse.

Francis Dam Disaster,” read the Los Angeles Times front page on the 14th. It wasn’t until 6 a.m., with the sun peeking over the eastern horizon and the water finding its only logical exit into the Pacific Ocean, that the damage could finally be assessed. The water instead roared through the canyon, valley, and the small towns that populated the region, smashing everything in its path. Within moments, the canyon was filled with 12.6 billion gallons of water, which had been intended for the sinks, bathtubs, and residents of Los Angeles 47 miles away. Many of the sleepy residents of the San Francisquito Canyon mistook the shaking and rumbling for an earthquake, a common enough occurrence in Southern California. It was three minutes before the stroke of midnight on a windy March 12, 1928, when the St. The front page of the Los Angeles Times on March 14, 1928

I envy the dead