Letter from Charles C. Batchelder to Theodore Roosevelt
Batchelder states the Austin Dam failure was caused by criminal negligence because the problem was not fixed before disaster struck. He encourages Theodore Roosevelt to read an article from Engineering News about the failure of the dam. Batchelder believes dam failure could happen in more locations and asks Roosevelt to comment on the matter in The Outlook to raise awareness.
Comments and Context
The Austin Dam in Austin, Pennsylvania, failed on September 30, 1911, killing 78 people. Within a few months of its construction in 1909, problems were detected, but dismissed as a normal response to drying concrete.
