Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-15

The selection OF reservoir sites and the
construction OF dams for the purpose of
retaining the excess OF water during the
period OF flood for the time OF drouth,
for the benefits resulting from irriga-
ton, domestic water supply and the
furnishing of a cheap motive power, is
not a new idea or theory by any means,
according to Wegmann.
Ancient works still existing in India
and Ceylon bear evidence that the con-
-struction of reservoirs for storing water
dates from very remote period of his
tory. The ordinary manner of forming
these basins, some of which were of vast
extent, consisted in closing valley by
dams of earth and it was not until
comparatively recent times that walls
of masonry were employed for such pur-
poses. This method seems to have
been first adopted in the south
ern part of Spain, where about the
sixteenth century large reservoirs for
irrigation were constructed. The oldest
existing masonry dam is that of Al
mama, situated in the Spanish province
of Albaceta, near the town after which
it is named. The exact date of its con-
struction is unknown, but it appears
from old documents that it was in use
prior to 1885, The Alicante dam was
built during the years 1879 to 1894 to
supply the arid region of Alicante for
irrigation. Both of the above named
dams are still in use. Numerous dams
have been built in Spain since the above
dates, the latest of record being the two
Higar dams, which were built in 1880 on
the Martin river, distance of 10 miles
from the city OF Higar, in order to form
two large reservoirs for irrigation pur-
poses.
The great results obtained by irriga-
ton in Spain induced the French gov
ernment to encourage similar improve
ments in Algiers. Among the import
ant reservoirs constructed by the French
in Algiers for this purpose, the largest
was that of Habra river, the capacity OF
which was to be nearly S,000,000,000
gallons. The dam was commenced in
the year 1866, but was not completed
until 1878.
The two greatest undertakings in the
United States are the Quaker Bridge
dam on the Croton river, the reservoir
of which is to retain $4,000, ,000, 900 gal
Ions of water for the supply Of New York
city, and the San Mateo dam OF
the Spring Valley Water COM
pany, whose reservoir is also
to retain 32,000,000,000 gallons,
for the water supply of San Francisco.
There is at present great deal of enter
prise being manifested in the construc-
tion of dams for the retention of water
for irrigationspurposes in Southern Cali
fornia. The Bear valley dam, which
was commenced in 1888 by an embank-
ment OF earth six feet high, is two and
.one-half miles above the present dam of
masonry. The dam thus constructed of
earth retained all the water for the fol-
lowing twelve months, causing the over
flow OF four hundred and fifty acres of
land. The masonry dam was built dur
ing the latter half of 1884. This year
the Bear valley company are construct
ing another dam in the canon below
their present masonry dam, which is to
be 120 feet high. These reservoirs will
retain water sufficient to irrigate Red
lands, Moreno and Alessandro, in San
Bernardino county, and Perris lands in
San Diego county. The Sweetwater
dam, in the Sweetwa.er valley, is 80
feet high, and will retain water
sufficient to irrigate lands of Chula
Vista, South San Diego and other
large tracts of land and furnish National
City with water for domestic use. An
other great storage reservoir is the San
Diego Flume company's, fifty-five miles
back from San Diego in the Cuyamaca
mountains, having flume line nearly
fifty miles in length, traversing vast
areas of fertile land. The Hemet valley
dam, on the head waters of San Jacinto
river, whose reservoir is being increased
to sufficient capacity to supply water
for irrigating purposes for South San
Jacinto, Hemet valley and other lands,
in all, 100 900 acres or more.
There is to be, a reservoir on Rock
creek, near Lancaster, of sufficient ca
pacity to retain water for the irrigation
of Rock creek valley and adjacent lands.
Now come capitalists from Cincinnati
and buy a reservoir site on the head
waters Of the Mohave river, in San Ber-
nardino county, who will construct
reservoirs of sufficient capacity to
irrigate 10000 acres of land of Chino
and the surrounding vicinity. There
are still others in the embryo stage, one
of which 1 happen to know of at pres
.ent, the waters of which will furnish
motive power for the saving of lumber
from the adjacent forest of pine, etc.,
and fiuming the same to railroad, to fur
nish water to work vast beds Of placer
grounds and to irrigate thousands of
acres of good land.
Still another is the gigantic plan of
transforming Lake Elsinore into stor-
age reservoir to supply with irrigation
water principality of the richest land
in Southern California. Thus is the
foundation being laid for thousands of
homes that will be more than beautiful
because they will be bountiful. Where
there is plenty there is comfort.