Daily Los Angeles herald., 1882-02-03
Wosse0 Weslsh-NO 1.

Sunday morning.
Wassed Weslsh-NO 1.
Though all the signs indicate
that the weathsr-clerk is getting
ready to accord US another rain, it
IL not amiss, even though We had
the certainty of q good season,
and Of repeated good seasons, to
call attention to the shameless
way In which our water supply is
being wasted. Scarcely year
passes in which there IL not griev-
ous complaint of paucity of water
when, in truth, the water of the
Los Angeles river is abundant. IL
intelligently and economically
handled, to irrigate fully one hum
dred thousand acres of land, max
ing the pueblo of Los Angeles and
the country between the city and
che sec the center of the most prod
igal and varied production known
on earth.
There are two sources of loss in
the handling OF the waters
Of the Los Angeles river.
The first is that downright and in.
excusable willful waste which
makes woful want in all matters
relating to an individual or o COM
munity. Night after night tre-
mendous volume OF water is al.
lowed to run to waste under the
Aliso street bridge which would, il
properly applied. make an exten.
sive section of very productive
country blossom like the rose.
When one learns that tive of our
most important reservoirs are but
. third full irrigators at least are
excusable for an occasional indul-
gence In profanity.
Strangers coming here are sur.
prised to see large city-s city
destined to contain 100, 900 inhabi.
tants In the near future-twenty
miles from the ocean, and to see
that city growing and fourishing,
while towns by the sea, with q
climate unexcelled, and harbers
unsurpassed, will ever remain
towns Of docks, wharves and ware.
houses, where freight is trans
shipped to that inland city. 1t Is
water, that life.giving substance,
which produces this anamoly. Let
us give that water q thought.
Very few even of our own people
have an idea of the extent of the
water resources bound up in com.
parativsly insig nificant stream,
which hardly merits the name Of q
river. While it is scarcely navi'
gable by q canoe. the waters of the
Los Angeles river have built uI
one ofthe wealthiest communities,
according to population, on the
American continent. The area Of
this productive district-product.
i've in all seasons, wet or dry
ought to be increased at least ten.
fold.
Les Angeles city has 10 irrigat.
Ing heads Of wate. of 120 inches
each, being 2080 inches. Pasadens
has 40 inches of water. The Pasa'
denans rightly consider that theil
water rights are worth $50, 600
and, probably. the possessort
would not sell ut that figure. This
would bring the value of each inch
up to $4,000, 80 that the 2OS0 inch Ell
controlled by the city of Los An
geles may be considered worth
81, 16e. .oOo.
Pasadena irrigates 1000 acre.
with 40 inches and Los Angelo,
5000 acres with 20SO inches; where
- We might, on the same scale, ir'
rigate 104, 1000 acres, thus making
the whole stretch of country to tn,
OCEAN highly productive.
When we say that the country
might be irrigated from the city tt
the sea, no doubt present irrigatorl
will raise q hue and cry, thinking
that they have not enough fol
ehemselves; but let them remem.
ber that, twenty years ago, old
VIM. Wolfskill made similar OBJ.
Jections when only 500 acres where
irrigated. crying for more water,
while he lived to see the time
whsn. far below, present irrigators
were using water upon 5000 acres,
notwithstanding that. in his early
days. the same volume of water
severed less than 500 acres.
Let them, also, remember that,
twenty years ago, old Don Pho
Pico, on the 6aa Gabriel river,
made similar objections when wa.
ter was asked for to irrigate in the
Compton and Downey country.
With the water supply no larger
there now than then, there are at
present 10000 acres OF land under
irrigating bitches along the San
Gabriel, from Ell Monte down to
Compton and Downey where, In
the good old times, Don Pic, with
6fn Ina "A rde Waa after n fashion