The hydraulic press., 1860-01-21
Capacity of the Eureka Lake bitches.

ORLEANS FLAT, January 10Th, 1860.
lIr. Editor: We have just been reading in
| your number of the 7th inst, a communica-
ton signed "Justice,' which intimates that
the statements given some weeks ago in your
paper, under the title of "The Eureka Lake
and Miners Cos. Disches," are not correct
Being the men who gave you these facts, al
| low us to reply to Mr.. Justice, and let can
| did and disinterestcd public decide betwe
US.
| In the first place, we thank Mr.. Justice
that he didn't dispute the accuracy Of our
| figures about the contents of the Lakes, and
the capacity of the bitches; although we
made little mistake against ourselves on
this last score. The two Grizzly bitches
will run over 1900 inches of water, which
! is nearly double the amount we named at
| first. This little mistake being corrected,
let us proceed:
| 1t is true, as Mr.. Justice states, that up to
this time the Grizzly, the Humbug and the
Poorman's bitches have been dry large
portion Of the year. But this is no reason
why they should be so all the time. 1t is
reasonable to believe that if the Eureka Lake
and Miners Co. have kept rom seventy to
! eighty men working most of the last sum
mer and fall witrpowerful mechanical means
to extractthe rocks from the lakes hil-sidcs,
and pile them in a strong masonry dam fifty
feet high and eighty five feet thick, tAss has
been done to some purpose.
| Why then shouldn't people expect that
part of this water which never was stored
before in SO large an amount, is to be relied
upon to change the condition of these diy
bitches which your correspondent alludes to?
| Was Mr.. Justice really in earnest when he
affirmed that the Magenta ditch and flume
were merely constructed as a substitute for
the Irwin ditch? Is there man on the Ridge
that can believe that company mostly COM
| posed of serious business men-a company
whose debt was large at the time this work
was done-meant only to take out the water
| from an old and good ditch where it runs so
nicely, and for the mere sake of saving a
| few miles in the distance, incurred an expense
of $4,000, if not over, to cut new ditch
and construct an aqueduct three-fourths of a
mile long and l25 feet high?
IF your correspondent had paid more at
tention to the amount of water stored in the
three lakes mentioned, and divided this
amount by the capacity of the bitches, he
would not have been SO hasty in deducting
1850 inches from the total daily amount
given by as as correct.
There was, Mr.. Editor, as you are aware,
several water companies on this Ridge. All
had good thing, but were Deficient in some
respects. Some had many bitches, but not
water enough to put in them others had
| plenty of this precious element, but no way
to convey it all to where it was wanted. By
consolidating, these mpanieshave increased
their advantages. They now possess, ,(what-
ever Justice and his friends may say) an
immense command of water, and the ways
to conduct it anywhere ON the Ridge. If
ever this title Is attacked, we trust it will be
an easy matter to vindcate its validity.
Now to conclude, and in reply to the last
query of your correspondent, by a new que
ry If he is ditchman, we ask him how
he will like the idea of our turning on the
south side of the Ridge all the waters of the
Miners and Poorman's bitches? This he
knows is quite practicable at any time.
We call, Mr.. Editor, on your feeling of i'm
partiality in this matter, to do us the favor
of inserting this letter in your next number,
and subscribe ourselves,
| Very respectfully,
| B. FAUCHERY,
| j, POQUILL0N.