The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-05-31
vassault, A. D. Merrldeld and William G.

Nassault, A. ID. Merrl1eld and William u.
Wood.
OF these only Ferdinand Vassault is alive to-
day, and he is very old. while-hared gentle
man, with remarkable facility of speech and
excellent memory f1r one 40 old.
He ted the story 10 CALL man In the follow
ing sequence: "In 1851 l bought the eighty
acre tract in which Mountain Lake Is Sit
uated," he began, "from Edward N. Parker.
W no had located there and carried on a small
vegetable farm. The land lies In the rear OF
and adjoining The Government reservation.
&c oveInor Samuel Pnrdy soon afterward be-
cam The part owner OF and the representative
OF The whole OF an undivided one-half OF the
tract OF eighty acres.
Major Robert Allen, then Quartermaster-
General for the Pacific Coast. William q.
W God, JOnn Middleton, A. ID. Merrield, Gov
ernor Purdy and myself then organized a
company for the purpose of utilizing the water
of Mountain Lake IN supplying the city OF San
Francisco. The corporation was known as the
Mount ain Lake Water Company.
"Jnne l, 1851, VIZ secured franchise Tor
building the tunnel and laying our mains.
Then ii u cost of $3.50, 900 we built big brick
tunnel 3 feet by 41a. interior dime nsions.
Major Allen. Governor PuIdy and myself
were the principal owners of both the land and
The company. The surveys for he water sys-
TEN we've made by John Morris and noted
civil engineer Of That time named Hotalling.
When tie tunnel WAS built and the surveys all
cOWpleIeu we iOunQ tHat we Nau Invested dltO-
eethrr S2S0,0oo. About 100000 was sim
needed 10 complete the irrpIise. and this
amount we could not borrow on bonds here
save at a frghtinls high rate of inteIes':
$50 Nathaniel Bennett, tiOverRor Purdyau
MIR. Wood went on to New York 10 negotiate
The loan. Through the house OF Horace
elcham & Co. the loan vas finally engineered
AT reasonable rate OF interest. ana DAY was
set upon which The papers were To be signed
an a the money placed IN the bank subject 10
our order.
In rrI,, ti,a ,of Inn
OF the deal Charles O'Connell. who was the at
torney Tor Horace Ketcham & Co., after ex-
aiming our franchise and act OF incorporation.
raised the technical point that the latter docu-
nent did not empower our corporation TO raise
money on bonds.
at was then agreed that the matter should
ay over until the Legislature OF California con
yened again, when the technlcaty should be
felDedied and the money loaned without further
delay.
"Puidy was Lieutenant Governor OF the
State and he declared that he would bring The
matter before The Legislature as soon as 1t
convened.
Thar year the Assembly met at Vallejo and
Ihe great waterfront question was brought up.
lhete was great excitement over the settle-
ment OF this controversy and as Il consequence
all lesser matters were lost sight OF.
Hall McAlisier, who was out here then.
Mr.. wood and myself went 10 vallejo to try to
iesurrect our forgotten cause.
"At that time l had organized company
with certain Russian officials for the purpose
oi bringing ice down here from Sitka. We
wanted special law passed enabling the Rus
Sian Government officials TO become partners
with us in the enterprise.
''In this mailer We were successful and the
pest legal authorities on the coast assured us
that III This Enactment the very point raised by
the attorney Tor Horace ketcham & Go. was
fully covered. We were satisfied with that and
did not feel like asking the Legislature To
DUPLICATE its action for our especial benefit.
'But when tine New York attorney look ed
into the question he came TO the opinion that
the point lie had raised was not covered at ali
by The Russian law.
And so the matter OF the loan dropped en-
tirely. We had already lost a good deal OF
money In the water company and as none of us
could afford 10 get luriher involved In 1t the
whole lining fell through"
In 1857 John Bensley. A. W. Won Schmidt
ana mG A. Ghaoot organzed the San francisco
| Water Works. Their plan was 10 run off lie
water from Mountain Lake through LobDs
Greek ana carry The waller down TO The city Ill
wooden fumes.
Lake. which is the outlet OF a deep spring,
they found it inadequate to the demands, and
tDs PRINCIPAL supply for tile wafer system came
from Lobos Creek. To this day The system
may follow the course OF their wooden fumes
along the coast line from Lobos Crerk till IL
iasses Fort Point and Is lost under the hill
several miles from Its source.
IN 1865 Spring Valley became the successor
oil tile San Francisco " aier Works. but it still
employs the Lobos Creek fumes and system.
The Mountain Lake Wafer Comnany's pro-
ject met with less favor from succeeding water
| supply companies, and even It's costly brick
aqneduct has never been turned 10 account.
THIS fact alone seems 10 argue the folly of
the scheme, The civil engineers OF To-day
smile dpiisiyelv when asked for an opinion as
10 lie utility OF that tunnel or the practicable
| ity OF using the Mountain Lake spring as a wa
ter supply.
or course, the Latkin-street end OF the big
aqueduet has been covered up long sine. ana
| the only sign left now OF the p.etentous water