Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-06-18
STORAGE RESERVOIRS.
The Benefit TO be Derived from
Them I'm the Nojavc Desert.


The storage reservoirs in the desert
portions of the States of Durango, Chi
huahua, Coahuila, Tamaulipas and
Nuevo Leon, in the Republic OF Mexico,
which were built by the State and Ma
tional Governments, so long ago that
there is only a legendary account Of their
expense and construction, have been the
salvation Of that country, and have made
it possible for travellers, herdsmen and
pack trains to cross the arid ia ole lands
between the Sierra Madre and Coast
range of mountains, and in many locali-
ties have furnished water for irrigation.
These lagunas are nothing more nor less
than immense walls OF masonry crossing
the throat of vast water shed, covering
| from section to a township OF land,
which retains the rainfall until it is
consumed or exhausted by evaporation.
| By these restraining reservoirs, in some
instances from three to forty feet in
depth and covering territory as large
as this city, water enough is
secured during the rainy months to
supply passing travel for two or three
years, and afford the thousands OF cattle
and sheep all they want. The continued
droughts, that some times prevail in that
country, would make it untenable were il
not for these great artificial lakes that
gladden. the heart of the traveller as be
comes off dusty trip OF thirty or forty
miles without water.
There are similar water sheds on the
great Mojave and Colorado deserts,
that with comparatively small outlay
for dams, could be made to hold enough
rainfall to irrigate large areas of land and
make the otherwise arid deserts fruitful
and productive.
| There are millions OF acres of the
choicest grape and fruit land in the vast
expanse Of territory between Mojave and
the Colorado that will never be occupied
until either artesian wells or storage
reservoirs shall make the country ten
able. In one locality on the Mojave
river there is enough territory to profit
ably occupy over one hundred thousand
people, if some energetic capitalist would
spend hundred thousand dollars TO
catch the waters OF that stream that now
run to waste every winter.
There is enough rainfall in Antelope
Valley 10 furnish more water than is nee.
essary to irrigate every foot OF il if the
water was impounded and economically
distributed. The topography of that
valley, like the country east of it, is such
that at least one-half of the rainfall es-
capes and is lost in the sinks, except
when the ground is cultivated and arrests
the vitalizing fluid before it reaches the
lakes.
There is no more profitable investment
for capitalists, and it is hoped that Con-
gress will make sufficient appropriations
| for this importaut dpvelopmant IN roaka
the desert portions OF San Barnardino
and San Diego counties the most fruitful
and productive portions OF our State.
If the Board of Trade OF this city, San
Bernardino and San Diego would make
move in this matter and urge the neces-
sity OF demonstrating what can be done
in this line on the headwaters of the
Mojave river first, individual capitalists
would soon take up work where the Gov
ernment left off and duplicate the great
Bear Valley storage reservoir in a dozen
places on the great Mojave Desert.
I fFYN