The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-04-12
Irrigation in California.

respects than California. 1t Is surprising
how persistently every measure suggested
for the good of this State is opposed by a
large proportion of its own citizens. No
sooner is any movement made to encourage
the investment of capital in works of inter-
nal improvement, than cry is raised against
monopolies. Somebody will hold large bod
les of land and Cypress the people; the
honest settler will be excluded from the soil;
the capitalist, already too powerful, will
make more money.
For my part, l sincerely hope that any
combination of capitalists, or others, who
possess sufficient sagacity and public spirit
to engage in the reclamation and irrigation
of lands now comparatively worthless, will
profit largely by their enterprise. / strong
ly favor monopolies in all useful works, when
such works can never, perhaps, otherwise
be undertaken.
An important and comprehensive enter
prise, having in view an extensive system of
irrigation, was organized some time ago, I'M
der the name of the San Joaquin and Kings
River Canal and Irrigation Company. The
eastern trunk of the proposed system of
canals, of which the San Joaquin Valley
line will form only the southern branch, so
far as can be ascertained at present, COM
mences at the southern extremity of Kern
Lake, and extends northerly along the Ser
ra Nevada as far as Red Bluff in the Sacra-
mento Valley, distance of more than five
hundred miles. This grand canal is design
ed both for purposes of navigation and irri-
cation. 1t will derive its supply of water
from the great western watershed of the
Sierra Nevada, comprising an area of more
than 10000 square miles, drained by Kern,
Tule, Cowille, Kings, Fresno, Chowchilla,
San Joaquin, MERGED, Tuolumne, Mariposa,
Mokelumne, and various rivers and creeks
south of Stockton, and north by the Feath-
er, Yuba, American, and Bear rivers. The
western trunk will probably commence at
Summit Lake, with connections from Kern,
Buena Vista, and Tulare lakes, and. passing
in a northerly direction along the foothills
of the Coast Range, form continuous line
of communication to Antioch, distance of
1913 miles; thence up the western side of the
Sacramento Valley as far north as Stony
Creek, about 200 miles, deriving its supplies
from the watershed of the Coast Range,
and from the southern lakes. The aggre-
gate length of the two main trunks will
probably fall but very little short of 900
ing at Summit Lake, have already been con-
structed. The area of irrigable land in the
two great valleys is estimated to be about
$4,000 square miles, or 100000 acres. 1t
is proper to remark that these statements
and calculations are not derived from any
bases them upon his own general knowledge
data furnished by the company. The writer
Of the country, and occasional notices in
the newspapers.
The capital required to carry into effect
this important enterprise can scarcely fall
short of S20,0O0,OO0; but it will be one of
the most beneficial investments ever made
on this coast If it should be the means of
rendering productive fractional portion of
the uplands now uncutivated, or partially
cultivated. and subject to all the casualties
of drought, it would enh Ince the export
trade of this State in wheat alone more
than s 100000 per annum. Itwould also
be the means of encouraging the best class
of immigration to California, to an extent
that could scarcely be equaled, and certainly
not surpassed, by any other public measure
that could be devised. Such an enterprise
is worthy of serious consideration and cor
dial support, and we earnestly trust that it
will meet with encouragement.-J Ross
Bro1cne, in Overland Monthly.
PAPER CoLLARs-THE FIRST ONE
Walter Hunt, who is said to be the orlgina-
tor of the first successful paper collars, was
one of that useful race of inventors who
seldom receive their full reward. He had
been experimenting for ten years in machin-
cry for sewing purposes, and it is claimed
perfected an invention which, but for his Pc
cunlary embarrassments, would have proved
the first successful sewing machine. He was
compelled to abandon this field, however,
and after obtaining some twenty patents for
new and useful inventions. he turned his at
tention to the manufacture of collars and
cuffs of paper. In 1854 he made his first
collars.
Having secured the aid of business men,
who saw in his invention new and proita-
BILE trade, he gradually got his collar into
market but the sale was slow. To wear a
collar made of paper was regarded as sign
of poverty, and people ridiculed the idea of
substituting paper for linen. But Hunt was
confident that paper would triumph, and per-
severed. His first collar was made of pa
per which was intended for very different
USE He tried Bristol board, thick writing
paper, Whatmans drawing paper; parch-
ment paper but each of them was deficient
in some quality. One would not resist per-
SEPARATION another would not fold over with
out cracking still others were of bad col
or, and none were of sufficient strength He
then tried pasting two sheets of paper to-
gether with strip of muslin between; yet
while this answered in many respects, it did
not afford all the advantages he desired.
His friends became discouraged with his
long continued and costly experiments, and
advised him to abandon the idea and turn
his attention to something more feasible.
But he was confident that collars could be
made of paper; and as he could not find
the proper kind Of paper in the market,
he determined on trying to make it. He
built small rag engine and made numer-
GUS samples OF thick strong paper; but,
after spending large sum of money in
this way, he abandoned his attempt and
returned to the manufacture of what he
he called cloth-lined paper. He perfected
machinery which obviated all his difficult
ties in FASTING the cloth and paper togeth
er, and at length, after an outlay of ten
thousand dollars in experiments, his efforts
were crowned with success, and merchant
able paper collars. which could not be
distinguished from linen collars, except by
handling, were given to the world.
Doctor Puschmann, of Munich, has
just published a psychological study, in
which he endeavors to prove that the
genius of Wagner, the musical composer,
iu ot rrasant ovor,bodopuad hx, r,,antaI oh.