Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-03-01
LAKE rAHo1-Anp WHO OWNS
IT.

should consider . bill to provide for supply
ing San francisco With water from Lake
Tahoe, because, Il says, the Truckee River
belongs to Nevada, and the future will see 1t
lined with factories and mills. The Enter
prise advises the Tahoe Water Company to
maintain an army at the lake after the bill
passes to fight off the raiders from Nevada,
"who will not submit to the proposed rob-
berry," When the people OF Nevada fnd that
they have been injuredit will be time enough
for them to complain. Lake Tahoe could
supply all the water needed BY the Trnckee
mills a. well ~ BY San. Francisco. dam =
few feet high will prevent foods in winter
and spring, and, besides an abundance OF
water for the metropolis, will furnish more
to the outlet than it has At present in Sep
TENDER. The quantity that Tuns to waste in
the winter would be enough for several cities
like San Franeisco.-S. F. Alta.
AS we are quite well acquainted with
Lake Tahoe and its surroundings, we
may as well "chip In and also have
something to say on the subject Of tap
ping the lake and thereby drying up
one of the principal rivers in the State
of Nevada. First, then, as to the feas-
ibility OF tunneling the main summit
Of mountains so as to tap the lake.
The California newspapers say that the
projectors Of the Lake Tahoe Water
Company estimate that 1t would re-
quire a tunnel only three miles long to
reach the lake, when the water would
run into the head Of Antoine Canyon
Greek, and thence into II Of the
branches Of the American River, where
It would run uninterruptedly down to
near Auburn, clear and unadulterated
from mining operations-and from
which point (near Auburn) it would
be taken up in pipes and con-
veyed to its destination. Now,
we will speak Of what ice per-
sonally know Of the most practical
point-if the project is practical at all
-of getting the water from the lake
for the purposes named. The lowest and
shortest pass in the summit Is where
the old Georgetown trail comes over
it, not far from the southwest end Of
the lake, which pass Is 900 feet above
the lake, aud the nearest creek or valley
being the head springs of the south
fork of the Middle Fork of the Amer
lean River, the head Of the waters of
Antoine and Long canyons being
nearly twenty miles north Of the
Georgetown trail. The distance from
the lake to the eliminating or highest
point on the Georgetown trail is five
miles F; and it is an equal distance
from the top going westward to an
equal level with the waters of the
lake, and where there Is . natural
intercourse to receive and conduct
the water from the lake to the Amer
lean River. As the distance owe the
summit, then, Is ten miles, from water
level at the lake to an equal level OH
the west, the reader can calculate for
himself how long such 4 tunnel would
be required to be run-the summit
being 900 feet above the lake. The
three-mile tunnel theory would not
hold together very well, and by calling
the tunnel eight miles would perhaps
be nearer the truth. After getting
water through such a tunnel, and let
ting it run down the natural river
channel. 1t would have to be taken up
in pipes at the junction of the south
and north forks of the Middle Fork,
several miles from Michigan Bluffs,
for the waters Of the North Fork are
as yellow as clay the year round.
This point we believe to be not less
than seventy-five miles from Sacra-
mento city, and a very rough country
to lay water-pipe through, to say
nothing of the almost impracticability
of getting water-pipes on the ground
unless it Is intended to build wooden
fumes. The balance Of the route the
projectors know more Of than we do.
or the vested legal rights Of the
States to the waters in the lake we
will not pretend to speak, for the
a that we don't know what they
are In the premises. But two-thirds
of the length and breadth of the lake
is within the bounds Of the State Of
California, we know from having
learned 1t from official surveys made.
The amount Of water intended to be
taken from the lake every twenty-four
hours Is, We believe, estimated at about
500, 600, 600 gallons. The Alta suggests
that this amount Of water would not
be missed out Of the lake if q dam a
few feet high was constructed at the
natural outlet, or the head of the
Truckee river. Let us see how this
proposition would work: The present
outlet of the lake is just one hundred
feet wide, through which is constantly
discharging n volume of water three
feet in depth, and most Of the time
during tho year.a less quantity. How
far, then, would these three hundred
feeN square of water 60 to supply the
800, 600, 900 gallons per day which
would flow toward San Francisco-and
Whist amount of water would be left
TO run into the Truckee river? But,
say. the Alta, "bulll . dam a few feet
high" We have 1t from a gentleman
Of reliable judgment, who has lived on
the banks Of Lake Tahoe for the last
eight years, that II o dam werp built
that would raise the lake three feet
higher than 1t usually Is, that the flood
would destroy and inundate a million
dollars worth of property belonging
to the settlers around the Lakeland
especially would what Is known as
Lake Valley, with its valuable farming
and grazing Improvements. be entirely
destroyed. Here, then, would be q
sspretty kettle Of fish, for the great