[4] Just after 5pm on July 12, 1912, a 10-foot (3.0 m) wall of water was observed upstream from Mazuma at the Seven Troughs Canyon.

A phone call was made, but due to the electrified atmosphere, the only word that could be heard at Mazuma was "water."

The warning was not received in time, the 20-foot (6.1 m) high, 150-foot (46 m) wide flash flood hit Mazuma and killed almost a tenth of the population.

[5] In addition, a relief fund was set up by the San Francisco Examiner, where William Randolph Hearst personally donated $100.

[6] Postmistress Maude Ruddell was killed in the flood when the post office collapsed on her while she was attempting to save the money.