davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The San Francisco call., 1896-07-19

supply from Otay Creek, Jamul Creek and
other streams, and from the overflow OF
the dams higher up in the mountains.
Otay is only fifteen miles from the city
and 400 feet above sea-level, while Bar
rett's is forty-two miles east and 1900 feet
above sea-level. Morena is eight miles
further east and 3l00 feet altitude. The
great fall between Moreua and Barrett's
gives large horsepower, which will be
utilized by the city in developing electric
power. Enough will be furnished there
and at places nearer the city for running
every wheel in the county, with enough
to spare for lights and prospective fac
tories.
Barrett's dam is in rough and precipi-
tous country, almost entirely denuded OF
soil. In winter great torrents rush down
through the gorge at the dam site, carry
ing vast quantities OF valuable water TO
waste in the ocean. The dam site is the
second best in the county. that at Morena
being unexcelled in the State. Barrett's
dam site is situated about 5000 feet below
The San Francisco call., 1896-07-19

and that of the upper San Joaquin is in
the Kern and Tulare Sierras, the people
of the central portions of the State can do
no better than to camp somewhere in the
territory between Towles and Truekee,
along the line of the Central Pacific.
Cisco, the Summit, Tahoe, Donner, mul-
titude of Sierra lakes and trout-rivers, are
accessible from one or another inexpensive
camping grounds in this vast region.
l have put the comfortable economy
line for party OF three, buying all their
supplies, at $45 tat present cost OF gro
ceries): railroad fare for three persons from
San Francisco to Cisco and return is $3S 40,
which makes the total cost of the camp
$s3 40, or $27 so per capita. Raise this sum
to $50 apiece and the party can easily
lengthen their stay another week. Per-
sons driving to the mountains with theiI
own teams bringing barley and hobbling
their horses in these Alpine valleys, rich
with grass and living on palmer fare
more beans and bacon, less canned goods
can have their month or more in the
Sierras for lesE than it costs to stay al
home.
Where we are camping this year the
conditions are typical of good Sierri
camplng.gr ground. We are in grove o
about fifty large pines and frs inter
mingled with lesser trees, scattered over
The San Francisco call., 1896-07-19

would simply settle the dam more firmly
into the gorge.
Lower Otay dam will be 400 feet thick at
the base. A description of 1t will serve
for ali three. 1t has a boiier-steel core in
the center, riveted and calked to with
stand a pressure of 200 pounds to the
square inch. The pressure of the water
will be 56 pounds, so that a liberal factor
of safety is allowed. The core is treated
to a coat of asphaltum applied at tenn
perature of 800 degrees. then with cover
OF burlap, which in turn is covered with a
coat of boiling asphaltum, The core abb
soIutely prevents any leakage through the
dam and is intended for nothing else, No
strain will rest upon it, as it will be
backed by immense rock laid in place, and
before 1t will lie a tremendous body oi
smaller rock, faced to receive the first
pressure OF the water. The steel core is
anchored to the sides by bolts in solid
rock, with loaded ends in masonry 25 feet
wide and 35 feet thick.
Lower otay reservoir will receive its
The San Francisco call., 1896-07-19

CISCO. CAL, July Is, 1S96.-We Callfor-
mans have not vet learned to take outings
as a matter of course, every summer. our
bountifuI climate, which permits OF twelve
months of work without serious protest
from abused nature, is to blame IN part;
the rest of the trouble comes from the I'M
mense ignorance of thousands OF people
resnectine the ease. comfort and pro1t OF
outdoor life in California.
This brief article is not addressed to the
comnarativelv few who go yearly to the
admirably kept summer resorts OF the
mountain regions of the State; it is
Dlain. straightforward statement for the
beneft of those who do not visit the
mountains because they know nothing OF
the benefits thereto attached, or because
they think it must necessarily cost great
deal of money. There is yet time this
season for Sierra trip, and thousands OF
yallev-dwellers should turn their faces to
the snow peaks between now and the end
of September.
Some people camp in dirt and discom-
fort. have poor food and worse cooking,
drag themselves from place to place and
vote camp-life a failure. There was such
a party up here two years ago. They
nearly ruined a lovely camping-place by
the South Yuba in grove of tall pines,
frs and tamaracks, cutting down yodng
trees and chopping into the larger ones
like the vandals and barbarians that they
were.
On the other hand the arts of comfort
able camp-life are not difficult to acquire.
1t is not necessary to take along servants
and a cook. The actual work of a camp,
if we'll and properly distributed, will re-
qulre very little time, especially in the
Sierras. Hundreds and thousands oi
hard-working families living in the Sacra-
mento and San Joaquin valleys would be
better off in pocket and in health if they
spent a month up here five or six thou
sand feet above the sea among the snow
peaks, the lakes and the rushing rivers.
Equally large numbers of the city
dwellers, though more distant from the
camping ground, could reap as great re
suits at little more expense. Summer
camps should become as prominent 6
feature of California life as our flower
shows and carniyals. There is room along
these wild Sierra streams for Thousand
times as many camps as one finds at tht
present time. Our middle-class people ar
working too hard and have not learned
that the vacation is cheap and easy q
well as delightful.
The San Francisco call., 1896-07-19
Camp Life in the
California Siorras

Sacramento City sends yearly to this
place one or two families-no more-who
drive over excellent roads in three days to
the most picturesque OF camping sites,
beside the rivers. Any farmer or mer-
chant of the Sacramento or San Joaquin
valleys could take his family in wagon
and work back to these wild places to spend
a month there. The cost need not be
greater than the cost of living at home.
It is more difficult to reach the Sierras
from the bay counties, because the whole
interior valley must be crossed, but people
who have done 1t year after year ind the
whole journey a pleasant one.
I'VE started from Oakland" said one of
these campers to me, land we shipped our
horse and wagon to Stockton by boat,
going up ourselves by rail. Weleft Stock
ton early, by 6 A. NJ, and drove four hours.
Then we rested in the shade, had lunch,
and did not start again till o. clock in the
afternoon. Three hours driving left us
time to pitch our camp before dark Our
entire trip, even across the San Joaquin,
was pleasure"
But even If railroad fare must be paid,
| people who know how to camp can pitch
their tents among these granite crags and
great coniferous forests, without incurrinf
any prohihitory expense. Baggage can bt
reduced to 100 pounds per individual
groceries can be shipped by freight; frest
fruit can be had at the railroad station.
the party includes any disciples of Izaal
Walton your breakfast can include trou
| nearly every morning of the vacation.
doubt if there is q schoolteacher in Cali
fornia who could not manage to take {
share in such camping company. Ou
party of three has camped in the Sierra
for three successive years, making stays o
from three to four weeks each July.
Our total expenses, outside of railroad
fare, have averaged less than SIS apiec
and we have lived well and comfortably
One year we kept expenses down to les
than $40 per capita. If one lives on
farm, and can start with supply of beans
dried fruit and other ranch products,
have no doubt that party of three pei
sons can make three weeks camp at
total cost {oatside of railroad fare) of no
more than $25. Such a camp includes n
Injuries; but the bacon, coffee, tea al
all other articles of food are the best to b
} bought, are in sufficient variety an
, enough in quantity TO quell the mos
strenuous camp appetite.
While the natural camping field of th
upper Sacramento Is the Shasta regioI
The San Francisco call., 1896-07-19
ONE OF THE OLDEST LANDMARKS IN THE STATE.


to be hewed from solid rock. The country
becomes grander and more broken as Mo-
rena is approached. The gigantic noun
tains rearing above Morena dam site are
gaunt and steep, shining white and gray
in the fervent sun, that begins to show
signs OF the approach toward the desert.
The Laguna Mountains, skirting the des-
ert, are just to the east of Morena, and
furnish large part OF the water supply
that courses past the dam site both winter
and summer. It is the backbone of the
country. Over the Lagunas the summer
thunderstorms and winter rains break as
the ocean currents meet and wrestle with
the dry air of the desert.
In the center of this mass of granite,
with huge boulders lying thrown about as
If among the ruins of some American Kar-
max, Morena dam site is found. 1t is a
narrow gorge between the shoulders OF
precipices 5000 feet in height. The dis
tance across at the 150-foot contour, the
proposed height of the dam, is only 43S
feet.
The San Francisco call., 1896-07-19

better taken care of than at present 1t
was here that Mark Twain, Bret Harte
and Prentiss Milford lived during their
stay in Tuolumne County.
Twain at that time was unknown to
fame as a writer and lived here while he
essayed to make stake at mining. 1t
was shortly before he left this place that
he began to write and attract attention as
humorist. Two-thirds of the stories
which go to make up his book called
"Roughing It." which treats mostly Of
life in California mining camps, were
founded on incidents which occurred on
this hill and were written while he was
staying in this house. The principal
characters, too, in that book were taken
from life, and many OF them live here to-
day. He made but slight changes in their
names.
As ghost story factory the old house
has no equal. A tenderfoot after listening
to one or two of the hair-raising yarns that
are located here would noG sleep a night
in the house for anything. Spooks of de-
parted miners come in regularly every
night and go through the work of weigh
ing their gold dust on pair of scales that
has stood in the same place on the same
table for forty-s1x years. The old resi-
dents pay no attention to little things like
! this, however. These scales have
The San Francisco call., 1896-07-19
San Diogo's Great
Irrigation Schema

San Diego is building one of the largest
irrigation systems in the United States.
1t is by far the largest in California. The
heart of the Southern California citrus
coun try-Riverside San Bernardiho and
ReGlands-has 35, 900 acres of trees. San
Diego's new irrigation system will cover
100000 acres. This is in addition to
a complete water supply for the city of
San Diego.
The city OF San Diego possesses about a
third the wealth of the entise county. On
account of the lack of water and the neces-
sity OF building gigantic works to get it
no system of irrigation could be put in for
the benefi. of the fruit lands without the
cooperation of the city. Capitalists could
not be found who would invest millions in
an enterprise dependent upon the settling
of the country to such an extent that in
terest would be returned upon the invest
ment. They knew that years would be
required to do this and they hesitated.
To secure the building of the great sys-
tenn now under way it was necessary 10
acquire new city system. Many Ameri-
can cities have been through the fight and
know what 1t means. The company con-
trolling the city's water supply-the San
Diego Water Company, allied with the
San Diego Flume Company-is power
fui concern, owned by British capital. II
realized that the oity's efforts to secure a
new system, if successful, meant death
blow to its business, and it expended
money accordingly in the endeavor to de-
feat the city's purpose
After q contest of four years. standing
in which every possible expedient was re
sorted to in the effortIo thwart the city, the
crisis came on June q last, when the
voters were called upon 10 decide whether
they would vote bonds IN the sum O.
81. 100000 for q new system. The result
was a safe majority over the necessary
two-thirds vote, in favor of the new sys
tenn. Work on the new system began i'm
mediately, and is now being pushed a
rapidly as possible.
The protector of the new system is e. s
Babcock. builder of Hotel del Coronado
He is associated with John D. Spreckels IL
the Spreckels Bros. Commercial Compan,
of this city, and with A. B. Spreckels il
the San Diego Electric Railway. Thes
corporations have the largest payroIls il
San Diego. Granting that Mr.. Babcocl
was working with selfish motive. tn
beneficial results to San Diego are as grea
as if he had been working solely for its in
terests. The system he is putting in viii
be owned absolutely by the city, and vii
The San Francisco call., 1896-07-19

How many citizens of California have
heard of the Highlands Railroad at San
Bernardino, which is competitor tor the
distinction of being the shortest line be-
tween California and Chicago In its
legal transactions 1t hides under the far
reaching name OF San Bernardino, Arrow
head and Waterman Railway Company,
but is better known to the inhabitants OF
the alfalfa belt as the "Springs road. In
many respects it is an interesting ana
unique railroad corporation. IL has no
bonded or floating debt, has never been
member of traffic association and as yet
has had no quarrel with the State Railroad
Commission. A legal department has not
been created, the road having failed so far
to kill single COW, though several anti
monopoly members of the horned tribe
have challenged it to combat, thereby ex-
tending invitations to their friends and
acouaintances to be present az their
funerals on the succeeding days; for,
though the motive power of the road is
small, it possesses a due idea OF It's own
dignity aud claims right of track against
the world.
That the road has no enemies may be
inferred from the fact that as yet no one
has ever referred to it as the octopus,
and there seems little prospect OF It's
keeping in fashion by securing a receiver.
In a few respects this model road re-
sembles the trunk lines. II is said that
some of it's employees can swear with the
ease and rapidity of old and experienced
railroaders, and it is also alleged that the
section boss is an Irishman.! 1t isoperateo
under standard rules, but as there is al
present only one train and one crew on
the road the management has wisely con-
cluded that a telegraph line and train
orders are not necessary to its operation.
When the stranger first views the unique
rolIing-stock that comprises the train he
is usually struck with astonishment, and
If of the equine race, with fear. The High
lands road lays claim, and probably justly
to having run the first vestibuled train in
California, for the newly painted and at
tractiye coach that forms its weekday
equipment is com bination of two first
class streetcars on a narrow-gauge passen
ger truck. The engine is miniature
| model of the smoke-breathing monsteri
| that climb around Cape Horn; but it car
whistle just as loud as its larger relatives
and, indeed, makes up in noise what i
lacks in size. That it has all the lates
improvements is sufficiently attested BY
the fact that it is an oil burner.
The San Francisco call., 1896-07-19

part OF the time in natural watercouTses
and part in cement-lined bitches, it will
be thoroughly aerated and purified.
The city of San Diego pays $727, ,57e for
the Morena dam, the conduit to the CITY.
and 1000 inches of water, perpetual flow.
For the distributing system in the city
it pays $767, ,42l, the two sums making the
total of 81, 500, 900, less $4,000 paid for rights
Of way. The payments for the distributing
system are made occasionally as work
progresses, in stipulated amounts. but
outside OF the city the company must
build, test, and turn over the system COM
plete, and with the approval of the CITY
Engineer, before AGENT is paid by the city,
In addition to this, the company must
t1rst have stored at Morena years supply
OF 1000 inches per day before the deal is
closed.
The distributing system inside the city
Is to be of the best castiron and three
reservoirs will regulate the pressure and
supply two or three days demands in case
OF emergency. The water enters the CITY
pipes at an elevation of 600 feet, thus Civ
ing strong pressure and being sufficiently
high to cover the tillable land within the
city limits. In this connection it should
~-oS VIC SAlg 4boS14 OWuS
o0OO to 1000 acres of public lands, which
with water would produce as fine lemons
as are grown in the world. The possibili-
ties in this branch of the subject have
been held secondary to the main issue of
getting water for the back country, but
many citizens believe the city will make
enough, from its lands 70 pay for the whole
system, with irrigation rates half the sum
now charged, leaving nothing to be raised
by taxation, and giving the dwellers in the
city water for domestic purposes at much
lower rate than at present. The matter of
electric power, also. has been secondary in
the discussion of the subject, but it will
prove of great profit to San Diego and
thus reduce the outlay for the new works.
That the Southern California Mountain
Water Company is amply able to carry
out its colossal enterprise is conceded bv
all who are aware that both John ID.
SpreckeIs and A. B. Spreckels have be-
come heavily interested in the enterprise.
and that the former gentleman has prom
ised to finance the city's bonds. A friendly
suit to test the validity of the bonds is
now in the courts, and though the old mo.
nopoly is attempting to obstruct work bv
!. litigation there is every reason to believe
, the bonds will be issued without a flaw.
] In the meantime work on the new system
, is going on with great energy.
The San Francisco call., 1896-07-19

supply 1000 miners inches, or $4,000, 600
gallons daily.
The source of the city's supply is the
Morena reservoir, fifty miles back in the
mountains. This reservoir will be owned
by the city, as well as the conduit to the
city. Morena reservoir, however, is capa-
able of impounding three times as much as
the city has purchased, and in the con-
tract between Mr.. Babcock's company and
the city it is specified that the CONF pany
may go ahead and build the dam to a
height sufficient to impound ali the water
the reservoir will hold. using the surplus
for the irrigation of the fruit lands adjoin-
ing the city.
The great irrigation system owned by
Mr.. Babcock's company, the Southern
California Mountain Water Company, was
early recognized as immensely valuab BILE.
Several corporations were formed for the
construction of the works. but no capital
could be secured, or the projectors did not
have the courage to carry the enterprise
through. Mr.. Babcock, looking into the
matter, perceived its possibilities for
wealth and development and secured all
| but nominal share of the stock. He then
set to work to secure a contract with the
city for a city water supply and distrib-
uting system. A man of less than iron
will would have been discouraged by the
repeated reverses and the failure of the
/ people to unite for their own good. But
by continual hammering the people were
convinced of the feasibility and potential
ity of the project, and they are now prac-
tically united and enthusiastic at the
prospect.
The system now building, inside and
outside of the city, will call for an ex
penditure of 100000. Three dams will
be constructed-one at Morens, another al
! Barrett's, and the third at Lower Otay
The latter is practically completed. The
total drainage area of the system is 37s
square miles, divided as follows: Lower
Otay 1f9 miles, Barrett's 121 miles, anc
Morena 135 miles. Lower Otay reservoir
will impound 13, 766, 32S, 500 gallons; Bar
rett's reservoir will impound Is. $50. 900 ,OOC
gallons; Morena will impound Is, 227 ,0O0
600. These figures of course are quite be
yond the grasp of the mind. Reduced Il
miners inches the three reservoirs viii
impound 9441 inches. Yet in all thre,
only 3305 acres will be flooded, showing
that the water will be In deep bodies.
While there has been some work done a
Barrett's and Morena, both in the way o
surveys and cleaning away preparatory I,
dam building. the bulk OF the work ha
The San Francisco call., 1896-07-19

quite a history in
themselves. They
were the first gold
scales brous ht to that
part of California in
early days. Three
prospectors goin g
!. through the country.
in tS49 had a burro
train, and among
their effects brought
this pair of scales.
In a guich back
of Tuttletown they
found so much gold
that they were able
to load their entire
train OF donkeys with
the precious metal,
and it was this that
dubbed the place
Jackass Hill. The
scales passed from
their hands to those
of one Walters, who
set them up in his
house. Jackass Hill
and the entire sur
rounding country
proved to be very
rich, and the mine S
for miles around
from near Coulter
vile to Angels Ca m r
weighed their dust
on the scales. Ii
would be a hard mat.
ter to make a guess
at the mum Der of mil
lions that have beer
weighed on the
scales. They are il
as good order to-da.
as when first put up
J. J. McDAID.
The San Francisco call., 1896-07-19

small valley, walled
in by great granite
pinnacles. Firewood
in abundance, ready
broken for use and
piles OF logs for the
nightly campfire, are
within a stones
throw.
The deep clear
river is fifty feet from
our tents. From
smooth rocks one
can dip bucketsiun
of water. Through
the camping ground
by the edge of a
thicket of young
pines extends a hol-
low, wherein are ice
cold springs and here
in sunken boxes the
camp keeps its milk,
butter, fresh meat,
etc. The rest of the
camping ground is as
dry as a bone" un-
derfoot, covered with
needles of pine and
fir, and green with
blossoming plants in
the open spaces. We
have a rope across
one of the calm
reaches of the river
and cross it with e
raft so as to climb
the mountain sides
beyond. On each
side of the river,
within easy walking
distance, are more
beautiful lakes, can
yons and waterfalls.
CHARLES 81. SHINN.
The San Francisco call., 1896-07-19

been done at Lower
Otay dam. The
method of construc-
tion is quite we'll
shown in the accom-
panying cut. The
material is handled
by a Ledgerwood
cable with aerial
dumps. 1t ia a mar
vel of mechanical
skill, handling vast
bodies of rock and
dumping it where
wanted with auto
matte accuracy, An
So horsepower en-
CINE drives the troll
ley along at the rate
of 500 feet per minute,
handling 600 tons of
rock per day with a
small force of men.
Another cable, like
the one shown, is
now being put in
place so as to hurry
the completion of the
dam. Then both
cables will be re-
moved to Morena
and by next summer
that great work will
be near completion.
All the dams OF
the Southern Cali
fornia M o u n tain
Water Company will
be OF the rock filled
pattern approved in
mining countries.
After thorough in
vestigation it was de-
cided to use this
style of dam in
preference to the
solid masonry struc-
lures, on account of
the disaster that
might be wrought By
earthquakes. With a
rock-flled dam the
n1nkinn nf thn narth
The San Francisco call., 1896-07-19

the junction of Pine
and Cotton wood
creeks, the head
waters of the Tia
Juana River, one of
the largest streams
in the county. The
hills on either side
OF the dam site are
simply masses of
granite. The canyon
is narrow, with good
abutments for build
ing a dam that would
be immovable.
Considerable time
and money was spent
at Barrett's locating
bedrock and build
ing the preliminary
structure, as shown
in the cut. Bedrock
was found at a depth
OF 80 feet, and the
dam has been built
above the surface %
feet, or 81 from bed
rock. The outlet OF
this dam will be 80
feet above the datum
plane of the reser-
voir, leaving the
space below the level
of the outlet for a
settling basin. The
reservoir is an ideal
one, being surround.
ed by high noun
tains forming a mar.
row, deep canyon.
This places an i'm
mense body of water
in small compass, in
suring purity ant
greater immunity
from loss by eyapora
tion.
The widest, mos
inaccessible portion
OF San Diego Count!
is between Barre TT
and Morena. A wag