Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-05-05
rAE GREAT WORK Of 1AE AOl.
The Interior Reservoir to be Opened
Water for All. and Plenty ofIt--
Millions In It.

water FOR All. and Plenty OF It,
Millions In It.
The plan announced in the HERALD to
run tunnel intotho Sierra Madre Noun
tains, twelve miles from this city, has
become very popular. The people are
becoming interested in the project, and
are anxious to know the prospects Of the
undertaking and the plan Of operations.
Briefly. the plan is this: To run tunnel
about seven feet in hight into the s ezra
Madre Mountains, between the ranch oi
Hon. ]. F, Crauk aud the Arroyo Seo,,
at an elevation Of 900 feet above s-a
level, beneath the fal forests and
the crystal lake that is found on the tol,
of the ranges Of mountains in front of
the city. The tunnel is to be built from
south to north till sufficient amount of
water is secured to satisfy the owners.
In all excavations into the mountains
fore us, water has been encountered
almost at the outset of the work. 1t is
fair to presume that an immense flow OF
water will be s.curel without going
thousand feet, but even if the tuunei
should be excivatei to 1000 or 5000
feet. 1t won d be better Ill, and give ii
larger flow Of water.
All tunnels into these mountains yield
water in abundance, and the uniform
success Of these works affords sure guar
anty of the success of the new one pro-
posed. The cost Of the work is very
small compared with the profit Of the
undertaking. AT least twenty irriyating
heads of water could be secured by such
tuunel, and the income from thai
amount of water would be better than
gold mine. The water would be con-
stant, and clear Of sediment through all
the year, and from this elevation could
be carried in pipes over all the
dry lands Of the Valley Of
San Gabriel and all the Mission
hills, and the highest hills in the city
Of Los Angeles, completing what our
good Los Angeles river has so well done
as far as the elevation would permit.
Owing to the rapid fall of the water
from the mouth Of the tunnel, water
wheel could BE-. set after descent Of five
hundred feet, and used to make electric
energy enough to light the whole city,
which is to extend from ,he mountains
TO the ocean.
The cost Of such work will probably
be So per linear foot, although it might
be more prudent to call it So per foot
The modern appliances of diamond
drills by Compressed air, and dynamite
instead of powder, have greatly reduced
the cost Of turneling and made the
work both rapid and cheap. In CON
versation with the most enlightened geol-
ogists and civil engineers, they one and
all considerthe plan not only practicable
and easy. but Of vast benefit to the
county Of Los Angeles. Such tunnel
would irrigate 10000 acres Of land and
add to its value $3.50 per acre or $1,000,
600. Then thee daily rental Of water would |
be at least 500 per day. or $50. 500 per
annum. That amount OF increased
value could be obtained and the above
annual revenue derived by suoh work
rs we have herein outlined.
To the merest novice in geology, the
fact is apparent that Los Angeles county
is wonderfully situated in regard to wa
ter supply. 1t is mostly placed at the
base of the Sierra Madre Mountains,
which are wall or dam on the south
side of vast elevated plateau, from
5000 to 10000 feet high. ten times as
large as the State Of Ohio, in which IRE
a hundred rivers that have no outlet,
and range after range Of mountains.
clad in perpetual snow, to supply the
plateau with water.
lhe only outlet from this vast basin.
which is filed with water, is the Colo
RADIO river, 236 feet wide, and the little
streams that leak through the dam ia
various places. forming tive Santa Ana,
San Gabsiel, Arroyo Seco and Los An
geles rivers. In three months time
another leak can be made ia this dam
by the proposed tunnel, anil rean
secured as large as the Los Angeles river
iD summer. if required. A company
should be formed Of experienced men
who are interested in lands in Los An
geles. Messrs. /. w. Hellmau, R. S.
Baker, J. s. Slauson. w. H. Workman,
J. E. Hollenbeck and others could make
such tunnel at trifing cost to each,
and at an iufnite advantage to t>s
country. Will these gentlemen set i,
movings