Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1878-05-10
gus Saseles Nerald.
(From the Evening Express,
THE RIVER TURNED.

the river into the tunnel just COM
pleted by Captain Moore from the
City Water Company's new reser-
voir to point several hundred
yards above the upper railroad
railroad bridge. The tunnel meas
ures $40 feet in length, is five
feet in the clear in width and six
feet in height. 1t passes through
great variety of formations, includ-
ing sandstone, clay, trap rcck and
black earth. Portions of the tun-
mel had to be stoutly timbered in
order to render it safe to the work.
ers, and the whole Of it will have
to be supported more or less with
heavy cross pieces. The workmen
also passed through species of clay,
lying in strata like slate, which de-
composes and cru mbles as soon as
exposed to the air. Wherever
this formation has been encounter
ed 1t has been solidly tim bered.
The cut approaching the tunnel
from this end is about two hundred
feet in length. This will be cover
ed and arched. There is a fall at
the ebouchure of the tunnel emp
tying into strongly.lined basin.
Here large gate is erected, and
from 1t the water can be turned
into the mouths of the zanja madre
and the middle zanja, or be allowed
to escape into the lower zanja
which is fed principally from
the water which gathers below
the dam Of the tunnel, and which
includes the outflow of the Arroyo
Sceo. This last is very import
ant and voluminous water drain
age, and is sufficient to irrigate all
that part of tie city which lies be.
tween the middle zanja and the
river. At about half-past three the
water came booming down the tun-
mel, carrying with it in its rush all
the loose stuff which tie workers
had left in their track. 1t came
seething and boiling, and rushed
with impetuous force into the dis
tributing basin at the debouchure.
The system CT gates were then
opened, end an immense flow Of the
muddy element forced its way in
the several zanjas placed in con-
nection with the tunnel. Consider
able power can be had at this point
which may yet be utilized to ad.
vantage. AS all the water In the
river above the dam was let into
the tunnel, very considerable
body came down; but there is am
pie room in 1t for ten times the vol
ume now supplied by the upper
river. We should judge that the
depth of the flow in the tunnel, at
its maximum volume, was about
six inches, but as the fall is at the
rate of about eleven feet in the
nile, the flow was necessarily very
rapid. The opening test Of this
branch of the water service was a
complete success, and Captain
Moore was warmly congratulated
by the citizens and officials present.
We subsequently visited the dam,
and inspected the work there. The
river is completely intersected, in a
diagonal line from the lower
mouth of the tunnel to the embank-
ment on the east side of the stream,
by pile dam. The piles
consist of heavy square tim
bers sunk into the bed of the river.
Thick planks are fastened to these
below the original bed and clear up
to the surface of the dam. Fascines
of willows are thrown against the
planks and embedded in a bank of
clay-gravel, SO that when the SUI
perlncumbent filling has fully set
tied the dam will be practically
water tight. In order to strengthen
the work oser two hundred tons of
heavy boulders have been dumped
against the dam on the lower side,
and these from their own weight
have sunk into the bed of the river
six feet. This filling will be con-
tinued until the rock has finally
lodged, when the dam will
consist of combination of
rock, woodwork and gravel, forming
a wall of sufficient strength to re.
s;st any pressure that may come
from above. The whole river can
be turned into the tunnel at mo-
menps notice.
Thus, another important link in
our great water system has been
completed. A brief glance at it,
as far as it is now perfected, may
not be uninteresting. About ten
miles up the river the first dam
is laid. This turns the water reach
ing that point into a large ditch
which is divided at the upper end
of the Feliz ranch into two bitches,
one crossing to the east side of the
river, and following the base of the
hills to the Arroyo Seco, where it
is llumed across that creek, and
continued along the hills east of
East Los Angeles to the reservoir
now In course of construction in the
vicinity OF the S. p. II. RS loco
motive house. The other runs