Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-09-03
THE SENATORS.
A Flying Trip About the
Surrounding Country.
THE INFORMATION OBTAINED
San BernardinO and Riverside
Visited-The Party off
for San Diego.

The Senators of the Arid Land Com
mittee had busy time Of it yesterday,
covering in the course of the twelve
hours of daylight great many miles of
territory. They are now in San Diego,
and will not return to Los Angeles again.
At 8 o'clock the special train left the
Arcade depot and emerged from the city
on the Southern Pacific track for q trip
into San Bernardino county. The first
stop was made at the San Gabriel
winery. Mr.. Shorb, who has been very
active in providing for the entertainment
of the visitors, was desirous that they
should look into one Of the greatest in
dustries of the southern country, the
manufacture of wine. The party left
the cars and went through the winery.
Senator Reagan exhibited great deal
of interest in the matter, and asked q
number of questions about the success
and possible future of the industry. Mr..
ShOrb ordered several cases of wine sent
on board the train and q quantity of
fresh grapes.
The train then pushed on at rapid
rate, with Riverside as the next point at
which stop was to be made. At Po-
mona Richard G;rd boarded the train
and was placed on the witness stand by
Senator Stewart and his testimony taken
by the official reporter of the committee.
At Riverside the party left the cars and
were conveyed in carriages to the Hotel
Glenwood. In it's parlors conference was
held with number of the prominent
irrigators of the locality. One after
another they were put on the witness
stand and their testimony taken under
questions from Senator Stewart. The
latter's method of cross-examination is
rapid and complete. He seems to under
stand to perfection the art of extracting
from man in an incredibly short space
of time all that he knows which is valu-
able as having special reference to his
own locality. Absolute familiarity with
the entire subject and consummate skill
as a lawyer make him preeminently we'll
qualified for the work which he is prose-
cutting.
The first man examined was s. @.
Evans, the President of the Riverside
Water Company. The land about River
side, he testified, had originally been a
barren stock ranch, worth perhaps from
81 to IS an acre. 1t was now worth,
when unimproved, from 5000 to $500 an
acre. Bearing oranges it was worth
from $3.50 to $4,000 an acre, and would
pay more than ten per cent on those
prices. At the end of fifteen years of
experience with different products, he
had settled down to raisin grapes and
citrus fruits as the most profitable. The
vineyards now were under fair produc-
tion. They paid about $75 per acre net.
Oranges paid $3.50 TO 1,100 net. The
water he used was brought five miles.
RIv9RsIDE's WATER SUPPLY.
q. o. Newman, the Chief Engineer OF
the Riverside Water Company, was next
put upon the stand. The supply of wa
ter came from the Santa Ana river, and
from wells and from underground drains.
1t amounted altogether to 200 inches,
or $40 cubic feet second. They sold
1000 inches; the balance was lost by
seepage and evaporation. The company
miles of distributions. Some of this
was built of masonry and rubble, plas.
tered with cement. This had cost $2. 75
along canal, eight by four. In bitches
the loss was is per cent.-on pipe lines
according to Mr.. Newman's idea, was
one inch to three acres.
Senator Stewart said that at Ontario
the duty of water was estimated at one
inch to ten acres.
Mr.. Newman was confident that salts.
factory irrigation could not be done on
such terms as those. At Riverside he
would modify his statement to admit
m ~r;a1 70 tho frooo in iron
pipes, might do duty at one inch to five
acres. acres Nothing had been done in the
way of experimenting with the storage
of water, as no need had appeared of such
an undertaking. As to what per cent. OF
the total water was used in the different
months of the year, Newman offered this
schedule: January, 2 per cent Febru.
ary, 2; March, 2; April 8; May, 15;
june, is; July, IS; August, 15; Septem'
ber, IL; October, z; November, 4; De-
cember, l.
Mr.. Evans was recalled to the stand
and continued his testimony under ques
tjons from Senator Reagan. The watel
was connected with the land at the
rate of one.half an acre to a share
OF stock in the company. Thus
the owners of land throughout this local
itv are The stockholders of the company
The rates are fixed by the city. Las
year they were TX cents per inch o
twenty -four hours flow. This year the.
were 10 cents.
THE ARLINGTON DISTRICT.
DR.. John Jarvis, of the Arlington dis
trict of Riverside, WAS the next witness
The duty of water per inch, he testified
was in the summer months three acres
A considerable surplus went to waste il
winter. The figures of net profits on hi
land per acre were: Raisins, $3.50; pears
$125; oranges, $500 and apricots, $35
net, and best oranges, 81 1000 to 81 100
Young trees we're just now expensive
and it cost 5000 to plant an acre. Ate
that $50 year paid running expenses
till the fourth year, when the orchar'
would begin to give returns. The LAM
then would be worth $500 to 500 al
acre. Land with no possible prospect o
water was worth $40 to 500 an acre. Th
same land with water privileges wa
worth from $3.50 to 500.
A. HI. Noftzger, the next witness, CAV
his opinion that land entirely withou
water was intrinsically worthless.
could grow only little hay or barley
His estimate of values corresponded wit
those of DR.. Jarvis.
Mr.. Gage, the inventor OF the Gag
system of irrigation was next examined
Five wears ago he had bored forty-tw
wells 100 to 500 feet in depth and had
how of l, 700 inches day. He had COZ
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