The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-03-11
THE LAKE ELSINORE FEUD
Many Objections Against Damming Its
Waters
Land Owners on Its Borders Will Take
Their Grievance Into Court
at Once

The trouble between property owners on
the shores of Lake Elsnore and the South
Riverside Land and Water Company ap-
pears to have reached an acute stage, says
the Riverside Enterprise The ranchers
complain that the company by damming
up the outlet of the lake has caused it to
rise ten feet higher than usual, the result
being that hundreds of acres which it is
desired to cult ate are under water and
consequently worthless to their owners
Indications are that before the matter is
finally ended the rights of the respective
parties will be settled in the courts.
George W. Hohenshell, who is one of the
land owners by the lake, has engaged
Messrs. Collier e. Evans of this city to
bring an action to compel the South River
side Land and Water Company to remove
the dam and allow the river to flow from
the Lake SO that he can cultivate his land.
In his complaint which will be filed in a
day or two. Mr.. Hohenshell AYERS that
there are large number of persons whose
lands are damaged by the lake being
dam ed up, that it is impracticable to
make them parties to the suit, but his
action is taken for the benefit of all as
well as of himself.
The complaint then sets forth the situa-
ton as follows:
That said lake or pond has no well de-
fined high water mark or line; that there
has been at all times herein mentioned a
possible outlet for the water of said lake
through which the water therefrom would
flow down through what is known as
Warm Spring Valley and the Temescal
Greek to the Santa Ana River; that said
lake or pond is largely supplied from a
stream known as the San JacintO River
and which drains large area of mountain
and plain; that during the winter season
and during times of heavy rains and
heavy snowfall on the mountains a large
flow of water through said San Jacinto
River finds its way to said lake, and
at times the said river carries an i'm
mense flow of water into said lake; that
at times when the waters flow out of the
lake through said Warm Spring Valley the
waters flow in a sluggish stream with
little fall for number of miles, and at
times by reason of the immense volume
of water flowing into the lake the same
will continue to rise, either until the out
let will relieve the lake of the amount
flowing into it or until the flow of water
into it through the San Jacinto River is
greatly diminished; that thereafter by
reason of the continued flow through the
outlet and by reason of evaporation and
percolation the lake level will and does
fall away to the lowest level of the outlet
and by evaporation continues to fall much
lower than said outlet"
The boundaries of plaintiffs land,
which includes a part of the bed of the
lake, are next set forth, and the state
ment is made that the portion which is
permanent beyond the flow of the lake
is capable at all times of producing large
crops OF fruits and vegetation, and as the
lake recedes from the land the plaintiff
cultivates it, and if the lake is left in the
natural condition in which it was when
Mr. Hohenshell purchased his land he can
cultivate a large part of it which is at
times overflowed.
The complaint refers to agreements made
with the parties from whom Hohenshell
bought the land as to bitches, etc, for drain
ing off the water and reclaiming the land
adding that by such bitches large area
of land has been reclaimed. The work of
the South Riverside Land and Water COM
pany in drawing off water from the lake
Is next detailed, and then comes the fol-
lowing statement of Hohenshells griev-
ance:
THAT the excessive rainfall of Deem
Der, 1894, and January and February,
1895, has caused a large flow of water into
said lake bed through and by the San
Jacinto River and other streams, and the
same has caused said lake to rise rapidly
and that said lake at this date is still rs-
ing, and plaintiff further says that within
a few weeks last. past the defendant has
constructed in the outlet, Of
said lake a. certain bulkhead
or dam and has thereby damned