Dolgarrog memories

Jane Owens of Caenant (from www.penmon.org)

Jane lived at Caenant One day, Jane was poorly and having a nap, when her daughter Sally heard an awful rumbling. The Eigiau dam wall had burst, and water was crashing down the valley. Sally ran upstairs to wake her mother and they both went outside.
They ran down the hill to where a woman was shouting out of the window for them to catch her child. They were desperately trying to help her when a boulder threatened to land on them. A man shoved Sally and Jane out of the way and saved them. Some of Sally's extended family were saved only because they had gone to the cinema that evening and their home was empty. Caenant is on the hill very near the path where the water burst through.

Dolgarrog disaster

The Dolagarrog disaster in 1925 affected the whole community and was cause for lamentation for decades. It is still remembered and memorialised. Stories, old photos and memories of Dolgarrog.

Richard Roberts and his family. Mr Roberts saved his family at the risk of his own life.

 On Monday 2 November 1925, after two weeks of heavy rain, a breach in a small gravity dam occurred at the Aluminium Corporation's Llyn Eigiau reservoir, up in the hills near 735 m high Craig Eigiau. This was claimed at the time to have been caused by inadequate foundations and lack of maintenance.
This breach released thousands of gallons of water which flowed down along the course of the Porth Llwyd river to another small reservoir, the Coedty. This reservoir could not contain the extra water and breached also, releasing an even greater quantity of water, possibly some 350 million cubic meters, which carried huge boulders and pieces of pipeline down the mountain through Porth Llwyd hamlet and the village of Dolgarrog a mile below, sweeping houses and villagers away as it went. Sixteen people died.
 The water poured like a river down the streets and among the great boulders until the reservoirs were emptied. The church was swept away, its bell tolling as it went. Villagers were swept away, one family clinging to debris and singing hymns as they battled for their lives.