Power House No. 1 employee time book for 1928, the year the St. Francis Dam collapsed on March 12.

Power House No. 1 was (and is) located in San Francisquito Canyon just north of the former dam and its reservoir, so it escaped the disaster as the floodwaters crashed southward down the canyon and destroyed Power House No. 2, which was rebuilt.

Some of the employees at Power House No. 1 lived in the Power House No. 2 community, such as Ray E. Rising, a utility man whose entire family — wife and three children — were killed. The time book indicates Rising stayed on the job and even pulled double shifts later in the month.

The time book was found in October 2014 in a desk drawer at Power House No. 1 by Jason Brice, who works there. (He also works at Power House No. 2, as well as the Foothill, San Fernando, Franklin and Sawtelle power plants, as an employee of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's Aqueduct Power Plants division.)

Note: Blank pages have been omitted. Pages with entries written in colored pencil are so faint, they are barely legible. In such instances, the scans have been enhanced to make all entries legible.

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Workmen's Monthly Time Book

For 1928

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Inside Cover

31 day = 16.1 per day

30 " = 16-2/3 " "

Gilbert, M[argaret]

1343 W. 87 St.

Wickert, J.F.

4581½ W-17

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January 1928

D. Barker

Irvin J. Bruenger

F.E. Cochran

J.R. Davis

Margaret Gilbert

H.J. Harris

John W. Lyons

F. McLaughlin

Curtis E. Randall

H.M. Robinson

Mable M. Root

Henry R. Silvey

R. Sinclair

Chas. Sjoberg

D.J. Sorensen

O.V. Spainhower

C.W. Stump

H.L. Tate

Chester B. Pherson

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February 1928

D. Barker

Irvin J. Bruenger

F.E. Cochran

M[argaret] Gilbert

H.J. Harris

John W. Lyons

F. McLaughlin

Chester B. Pherson

Curtis E. Randall

H.M. Robinson

[Mable] M. Root

Henry R. Silvey

R. Sinclair

Chas. Sjoberg

D.J. Sorensen

O.V. Spainhower

C.W. Stump

H.L. Tate

[Clyde] C. Ruble

J.R. Davis — Trans.

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March 1928 (1)

D. Barker

Irvin J. Bruenger

F.E. Cochran

M[argaret] Gilbert

H.J. Harris

John W. Lyons

F. McLaughlin — Worked a double shift March 13.

Chester Pherson

Curtis E. Randall — Worked a double shift March 13.

H.M. Robinson — Absent with pay March 13.

[Mable] M. Root

Henry R. Silvey

R. Sinclair

Chas. Sjoberg — Absent without pay March 13.

D.J. Sorensen — Worked a double shift March 13.

O.V. Spainhower

C.W. Stump — Worked a double shift March 13.

H.L. Tate

[Clyde] C. Ruble

J.R. Davis — Worked a double shift March 13.

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March 1928 (2)

D.C. Mathews — present March 9-12; off without pay March 13-20; "dropped" (terminated) effective March 21, on which date he testified at the coroner's inquest, saying the dam was unsafe.^[1]

Ray E. Rising — present daily as of March 9; worked overtime starting March 20. (Absent with pay would be an "X." This shows him as being present.) Lived in the Power House No. 2 community; lost entire family (wife and three children) when dam broke.

A.J. Neff — present daily as of March 9.

R.E. Davis — Time starts March 20.

Dale V. Pleake — Time starts March 20.

Paul T. Green — Time starts March 19.

Hermann Eckstein — Time starts March 21.

R. O'Connor — Time starts March 21.

Newel Taylor — Time starts March 21.

Fred Asavis — Time starts March 21.

O.O. Dorsett — Time starts March 23.

Fred Elam — Time starts March 28.

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April 1928 (1)

E.F. Stevenson

D. Barker

F.E. Cochran

M[argaret] Gilbert

H.J. Harris

John W. Lyons

F. McLaughlin

A.J. Neff

Chester B. Pherson

Curtis E. Randall

Ray E. Rising

H.J. Robinson

[Mable] M. Root

Henry R. Silvey

R.H. Sinclair

Chas. Sjoberg

D.J. Sorensen

O.V. Spainhower

C.W. Stump

H.L. Tate

J.B. Wade

J.R. Davis

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April 1928 (2)

O.O. Dorsett

Fred Elam

Paul T. Green

R. O'Connor

H.N. Sobel

R.L. Rich

Dale V. Pleake

Newel Taylor

H.N. Wylie

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May 1928

D. Barker

Irvin J. Bruenger

F.E. Cochran — Resigned effective May 3.

M[argaret] Gilbert

H.J. Harris

John W. Lyons

F. McLaughlin

A.J. Neff

Chester B. Pherson

Curtis E. Randall

Ray E. Rising

H.M. Robinson

[Mable] M. Root

Henry R. Silvey

R. Sinclair

Chas. Sjoberg

David Sorensen

O.V. Spainhower

E.F. Stevenson

C.W. Stump

H.L. Tate

J[osephine] Wade

J.R. Dario

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June 1928

D. Barker

Irvin J. Bruenger

M[argaret] Gilbert

H.J. Harris

John W. Lyons

F. McLaughlin

A.J. Neff

Chester B. Pherson

Curtis E. Randall

Ray E. Rising

H.M. Robinson

[Mable] M. Root

Henry R. Silvey

R. Sinclair

Chas. Sjoberg

David Sorensen

O.V. Spainhower

E.F. Stevenson

C.W. Stamp

H.L. Tate

J[osephine] Wade

J.R. Davis

Cates Senora

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July 1928

E.H. MacIntosh

D. Barker

Irvin J. Bruenger

M[elissa] Gilbert

H.J. Harris

John W. Lyons

F. McLaughlin

A.J. Neff

Chester B. Pherson

Curtis E. Randall

Ray E. Rising

Henry R. Silvey

R. Sinclair

Chas. Sjoberg

Dan J. Sorenson

O.V. Spainhower

E.F. Stevenson

C. W. Stump

H.L. Tate

J[osephine] Wade

J.R. Davis

Lenora Cates

J.F. Wickert — Resigned effective July 16.

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August 1928

D. Barker

Irvin J. Bruenger

Lenora Cates

M[argaret] Gilbert — Employment ended ("finis").

H.J. Harris

John W. Lyons

F. McLaughlin

A.J. Neff

Chester B. Pherson

Curtis E. Randall

Ray E. Rising

Henry R. Silvey

R. Sinclair

Chas. Sjoberg

Dan J. Sorensen

O.V. Spainhower

E.F. Stevensen [sic]

C.W. Stump

H.L. Tate

J[osephine] Wade

Gertrude Hovey — Started Aug. 13.

J.R. Davis

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September 1928

D. Barker

Irvin J. Bruenger

Lenora Cates

H.J. Harris

Gertrude Hovey — Discharged (terminated) Sept.25.

John W. Lyons

F. McLaughlin

A.J. Neff

Chester B. Pherson

Curtis E. Randall

Ray E. Rising

Henry R. Silvey

R. Sinclair

Chas. Sjoberg

Dan J. Sorensen

O.V. Spainhower

E. F. Stevenson

C.W. Stump

Josephine Wade

H.L. Tate — Transferred to Power House No. 2 on Sept. 3.

J.R. Davis

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October 1928

D. Barker

Irvin J. Bruenger

L[enora] Cates

H.J. Harris

John W. Lyons

F. McLaughlin

A.J. Neff

Chester B. Pherson

Curtis E. Randall

Ray E. Rising

Henry R. Silvey

R. Sinclair

Dan J. Sorensen

O.V. Spainhower

E.F. Stevenson

C.W. Stump

J[osephine] Wade

Inez J. Johnson

Julia M. Stevenson — Worked 3 days and "resigned sick."

Chas. B. Campbell

J.R. Davis

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November 1928

D. Barker

Irvin J. Bruenger

Lenora Cates

Chas. B. Campbell

H.J. Harris

John W. Lyons

A.J. Neff — Transferred to City Subs[tation?] on Nov. 16.

F. McLaughlin

Chester B. Pherson

Curtis E. Randall

Ray E. Rising

Henry R. Silvey

R. Sinclair

Chas. Sjoberg

Dan J. Sorensen

O.V. Spainhower

E.F. Stevenson

Josehpine Wade

A.L. Kunkel

Inez J. Johnson

J.R. Davis

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December 1928

SD. Barker

Irvin J. Bruenger

Lenora Cates

Chas. B. Campbell

H.J. Harris

A.L. Kunkel

John W. Lyons

F. McLaughlin

Chester B. Pherson

Curtis E. Randall

Ray E. Rising

Henry R. Silvey

R. Sinclair

Chas. Sjoberg

Dan J. Sorensen

O.V. Spainhower

E.F. Stevensen [sic]

J(osephine) Wade

Chester L. Jackson — Started Dec. 9.

Inez I. Johnson [sic]

J.R. Davis

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Final Entry

A.J. Neff — On vacation Nov. 2-16

Chester L. Jackson started Sunday, Dec. 9, 1928; was transferred from PH2 Construction — Mechanic $6.50 to $4.00 a day at PH1.

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Inside Back Cover

(Vacation Schedule)

Sinclair — April 10-23, 1928

Tate — April 26 - May 9, 1928

Robinson — May 12-26, 1928

Sorensen — May 21-31, 1928

Randall — May 28 - June 8, 1928

Barker — June 1-14, 1928

" — June 15 to

McLaughlin — June 1-14, 1928

" — June 15

Bruenger — June 11-24, 1928

Rising — June 12-25, 1928

" — June 26-30, 1928

Lyons — July 2-15, 1928

Silvey — July 18-31, 1928

Stump — Aug. 1-14, 1928

Pherson — Aug. 17-31, 1928

Harris — Aug. 28 - Sept. 11, 1928

Sjoberg — Sept. 11-24, 1928

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1. Per Ann Stansell, 2014.