The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-07
CLEAR LAKE POWER.


The residents of the Clear Lake region
have been lately exercised over some prop
osition to utilize the water-power of the
lake in manner which they have assumed
to mean a lowering of the level of the lake
and the consequent exposure OF vast areas
of swamps and mud banks. The news
papers published at Lakeport have been
admirably energetic in their protests
against the Inauguration of such a scheme.
Clearly they are right. All the invest
ments fronting on the lake have been
made on basis of the present level of the
water sheet. Any one who may have the
hardihood to interfere with that level
would be an unsafe risk with responsible
life insurance company. For, excepting
Lake Tahoe, which really by reason OF its
greater remoteness is less desirable for
villa sites, Clear Lake is the most beauti-
full, picturesque and inviting lake in the
State. 1t does not appear, however, that
the plan to utilize the power of the waste
water would in any way lower the level OF
the lake.
Many of its shore lots were bought long
ago, in the hope and belief that at some
time they would be made reasonably &C
cessible by the construction of a railroad
to the basin. There was every reason to
believe that such line would be built.
Big Valley and Scott Valley, large and
wonderfully productive areas, were suth-
cient ground for this belief, but in addi-
ton to them were the beauties of the lake
itself, its superb fishing, yachting and sail
ing attractions, and the numerous valu-
able mineral springs contributory to the
section, including Bartlett Springs, High
land Springs, Soda Springs, Saratoga
Springs and numerous others, to say moth
ing of the picturesque beauties of the Blue
Lakes, the noble grandeur OF Uncle Sam
Mountain, the splendid game-stocked
mountains reaching indefinitely to the
northward the charming rivers there
about, the gruesome marve,s of Borax
Lake and the Sulphur Bank, the whole
some elevation of 1900 to 1900 feet above
the level of the sea, the splendid vineyards
producing rich and heady wines, and the
indications of fine quicksilver deposits, OBJ
servable not only in the profitable working
of the Sulphur Bank mine, but also in YER
million groupings all the way from Uncle
Sam through Long Valley to Bartlett
Springs. These are some of the treasures
and attractions that are familiar to those
acquainted with the Clear Lake region.
For years the property-owners of that
section have been tantallzed with the hope
that they would have railroad. The
Donahue line, extending to Ukiah, made
surveys, one particularly by way of High
land Springs and Kelseyville at which
latter place, in Big Valley, near the
shore of the lake, there is a. wonderful
spring which spouts combustible gas and
mineral water in wasteful profusion. The
Donahue people did not build the line.
Meanwhile the Southern Pacific, which
runs to Calistoga on one side and Rumsey
on the other, had acquired the rights of
the Rutherford survey, which would have
taken the line past the beautiful ranches
that Freddy Gerhard and Mrs. Langtry
bought adjoining when they were good
friends. But the Southern Pacific never
built that road. Then the Southern Pa
cific created a mild sensation by investi-
eating the Cache Creek route from Rumsey.
That was years ago, and the line has never
been built, and the matchlessly charming
shores of Clear Lake have no picturesque
villas, except those built by Mr.. Bucking-
ham, Captain Floyd (the now dead presi-
dent of the Lick trust), Judge Hastings and
the Hammond brothers.
Thus one of the most splendid scenic
opportunities of Central California has
gone to waste. Although it lies just with
out the doors of San Francisco, and by rail
would be as easily and quickly accessible
as the Hotel del Monte, and incomparably
more varied and beautiful, the door has
been kept locked by the two railroad COM
panies which hold the keys.
new company steps into the field. 1t
proposes to take the waters of Cache
Greek, which is viriIe stream and the
only outlet of Clear Lake, and impound
them five miles below the outlet of the
lake for the purpose of Transforming their
energy into electricity for commercial use
in San Francisco, Benicia Mare Island,
Vallejo, Santa Rosa, Oakland and all the
intervening region. This is a very large
subject. Evidently it does not mean that
the level of Clear Lake is to be lowered,
for the distance of five miles below the
lake outlet leaves that matter out of con-
sideration. AS the scheme. besioes fur.
nishing electric power for all the area in
dicated, will fulfill its promise of running
an electric road up Cache Creek Canyon to
Clear Lake, it will prove one of the largest
and most beneficial ever undertaken in
California.