The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-06-13
GREAT STORE OF WATER.
THE GREATEST ARTIFICIAL IRRI-
CATION RESERVOIR.
IL Is Held by the Great Hear valley River
Dam LA san Bcrnardino County,
In Caiifornia-fuiiy TWO
Miles Wide In Places.

The greatest artificial storage basin
In America and perhaps In the world.
Is that controlled by the Bear valley
dam In the mountains OF san Bcrnar-
dino county. California. IL affords n
demonstration OF a hitherto infested
principal In engineering in relation 10
7 masonry dams. and at the same time
Is an illustration OF tho preservation Of
the maximum amount OF water at the
minimum OF cost. Natural advantage
OF location had a great deal TO do with
this. il Is true. but boldness in con-
struction Is also entitled 10 much OF
the credit. The immediate cause OF
construction OF the Bear valley river
reservoir was found I'm the rapid In
crcaso OF population In that part OF the
state In the few years prior 10 1880.
and the corresponding increase In the
demand for water for irrigation.
This valley is an extensive basin ten
or twelve miles long and of varying
width, lying mt an elevation of about
$500 feet above sea level. The sur
face was remarkably level consider
ing the generally rugged character OF
the country. and examination suggests
the idea that at some remote period the
valley vas occupied by "A lake, which
had its outlet down n dry and rocky
water course at tho eastern extremity
10 the level OF the Colorado desert.
The valley Is fully two miles wide In
places. and at the western extremity
narrows TO IA rocky gorge between
lofty cliffs. down which flows the water
OF Bear creek TO its juncture with the
Santa Ana.
This valley attracted the attention OF
+. +. Brown. a young graduate OF
Yale. who came 10 California In 1876
TO practice his profession as civil cngi-
neer. He was engaged in the reclama-
ton OF a large tract OF apparently
desert land In the eastern portion of
the San Bcrnardino valley, and II
became necessary 60 obtain "a much
larger water supply than was available
In the streams OF that locality. IL was
found that "A dam sixty feet Ina height
would form a water plane six miles In
length and covering some ?, 500 acres.
Work on the dam was commenced in
1883, and owing TO the difficulties in
the way OF getting cement and other
material over the mountains IL was
decided to adopt IA novel idea in dam
construction. Instead OF erecting IN
immense mass OF masonry. which
should confine the water by virtue of
It's gravity alone, it was decided 20
adopt the arch principle. Since the
vertical arch will sustain immensely
more weight than a fiat surface, IL was
reasoned that an arch laid horizontally
upon the ground would withstand the
pressure OF a much greater amount OF
water than a wall Of the same size laid
In n straight line. Simple as this pro-
position seems. IL has been f~lcrccly
combated by prominent engineers. In
defiance OF opinion against the idea.
Engineer Brown went ahead with his
work. He planned n wall twenty feet
thick at the base end three feet thick
at the crown. At the foundation IL
was but sixty Ia seventy feet wide.
rapidly increasing with the slope Of
the bank. until nj the coping IL Is 800
feet from shore 10 shore. The radius
Of the arch is 335 feet. end the extreme
height of the wall Is siSty-four feet.
The dam was n success Ia every way,
and IL has been extensively copied In
more recent structures. Although the
expense OF transportation OF supplies
was great. IL was finished az "A cost Of
$40, 600. The result was marvellous.