The San Francisco call., 1897-06-06

the valley people were gone into In discuss
ing the future the mining men said that the
construction of restraining dams Tor the moun-
tain debris and the dredging imp. ovement of
the lower portions of the river should go hand
In hand and that in the efforts to secure Con.
gressional appropriations 1or these purposes
the miners and the valley people should go
hand in hand.
Mr.. Devin seemed filled with this same
spirit, and urged that a committee of the
miners should be present at the next meetinc,
of the managing board of the Anti-pebris As
sociation, which viii occur a week from nert
Tuesday at Sacramento. AT that meeting tits
holed that a concerted plan for the improve.
ment of the rivers for the common benefit of
the miners and the valley peoDle may be ar.
rived at. The mining interests want still fur
ther Congressional appropriations for re-
straning dams, etc, and the valley people arc
interested in appropriations for the improve
ment of the navigable por tions OF the Sacra-
mento and S}n Joaquin rivers, on general
plan for which the Federal and State engineers
are now engaged.
1t seems likely that the circumstances which
threaten a new ou break of the ancient war
between the miners and the valley peoDle
w II result in a still better harmony between
the two elements, and tnat the conferences
which are pc nding will develop united plan
for river improvement, which wi enlist the
support of all interests concerned, and which
will accelerate rather than interrupt the re-
sumption of good feeling and co-opera ton be-
tween the business in terests of the noun
teins and the valleys, which are so closely
allied.
w. L. Watts is hard at work on the petro-
leum and asphalt fields of Southern Califor-
mia. The magnificent work which Mr.. Watts
has done in this field in the past few years as
assistant in 10 service of the State Mining
Bureau h as placed him first in rank among
the experts in this State. Mr. Watts has spent
the past few weeks making further explora-
lons in the great Sesquoc fields, in the north
central part OF Santa Barbara County. These
nelds are practically unworked and as yet
largely unknown because they lie too far from
peasant lines OF trans pOrtation. But the Ses-
quoc country contains the largest deposits of
bitumfnous rock yet discovered IN California,
ana some day it will be 8 rich and famous
field This was one of the first discovered
fields OF bituminous rock in California but its
remo'ene from transp sportatiou facilities has
made 1t one Of The east developed The pre-
hminary surveys which have Leen made re-
veal 140, 100000 tons of bitumtnous rock
in sight, within a circle six miles
in diameter. Ten per cent OF this deposft-con-
sits OF pure bitum II, which gives IA 600 900
tons OF pure bitumen awaiting development
in this one field. There are no asphalt de-
posits in the world which equal those of Cali
fornia either in extent or quality, and some
day the now comparatively int ccessible Ses-
quoc fields will become famous. Mr.. Watts
report will be OF in terest The Alcatraz AS
phalt Company, which appears to be taking
the lead in introducing California asphalt
in New York, Glasgow and Paris is planning
some large operations IN this field. This i'm
mense deposit, which through the lapse of
time has been robbed OF its free oil, is one of
the many promises that immense subterra-
mean deposits of OF, await discovery in South
ern California. MI Watts is in great demand
all over Southern California by people who are
interes ted in he development of the oil and as
phalt resources of that region, and he is now
working in Los Angeles County.