Daily Los Angeles herald., 1880-08-29
IRRIGATION development.
What the State Engineer Department i
Doing in Southern California.

There is perhaps no subject Of
such general and vital interest to
the readers Of the HERALD and
the people of Southern California
generally as that of irrigation.
Deprive Los Angeles county of her
facilities for irrigation, and proper
ty values would shrink to an ines
Unable degree. Notwithstanding
the fact that Los Angeles is the
leading county in the State in the
extent of her irrigated lands, and
in the Intelligent and economical
application of water to agricultural
uses, there is yet within our bor-
ders vast area of fertile but un-
watered lands, quite as capable of
supporting dense population as
that which is now verdant with
orange groves aud vineyards. The
streams are apparently all apprO-
priated aud taxed to their utmost
in the irrigation of the lands now
watered, aud the question lie, how
shall the dry lands receive their
share Of the life-givlDg element?
At this juncture, when the limit uf
possible development seems to
have been reached, the people OF
this section hail with pleasure the
advent Of a corps Of engineers, or
ganized under authority of the
state to make an exhaustive ex.
animation OF our irrigation re-
sources. From Mr.. Schuyler, who
projected and has charge OF the
work in Southern California, and
who came in from the field yesUer.
day, we have obtained some facts
relative to the character and extent
Of the operations to be carried on
this year. Up to this time Mr.
Schuyler has equipped and sent
out three full parties. Party No.
is engaged IN surveying reser-
vOir sites on the headwaters of the
Kern, Kaweah, Kings and San
Joaquin rivers. Party No. 2, under
H. J. Stevenson, Is now working
on the San Gabriel river. Liue-
for canals are being run from the
mouth of the San Gabriel csiion Oh
both sides, skirting the mountains
eucircliDg the vslley,and terminat-
ing In y series Of reservoirs in the
coast range of hills. 1t Is believed
that in ordinary Seasons
the San Gabriel river flows q suf-
| ficipnt volume from November to
A pril to irrigste all the unwatered
lands of the upper valley In excess
Of the quantity now diverted, be-
sides filling number Of storage
reservoirs for the irrigation of the
territory between the coast range
and the sea. When the WORK on
the San Gabriel Is completed, the
Los Angeles and Santa Ana valleys
will be similarly examined. 1t is
expected, too, that q few boriDgs
will be made at points where sub.
merged dams may be advanta-
geously located. Party No. s, in
charge of +. Il. Perris, Is operating
In San Bernardino county, starting
first on a general gauging Of all the
streams ami bitches of the valley,
and afterwards making selectiOn
and survey Of the reservoir sites.
In addition to these full parties,
there are, in this county, three en-
gineers making special examina-
ti0ns, collecting statistics, etc
while, in San BernardinO, Kern,
Tulare and Fresno, there are sew
eral others employed on the same
class Of work.
Mr.. Schuyler, with a guide alone
to accompany him, has been max
ing quite an extensive examina'
tion of the Sierra Madre noun
tains, with o view of ascertainine
what may may be done In the way
of storage OF water. He reports
having had a rough and rugged
trip. He found the mountains ex
ceedingly precipitous, and the op
portunities for storage Of water aI
reasonable cost, few and far be.
tween. Scarcely % miles from Lol
Angeles bear were unpleasantly
thick and an occasional mountain
lion was seen prowling about
camp.
: Judging from what we can CLEAR
lin convers sing with Mr.. Schuyler
/ we are led to believe that a larg,
. share Of the appropriation for irri
cation surveys made by the las
4.