The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-05-11
INVESTIGATION OF WATER.
TRUSTEES VISIT NORTH FORK
DITCH RESERVOIR.
Manager Buchanan Shows Them
His Experimental Gravity
Filter.

In response to an invitation extended
to the Board of Trustees and Mayor by
a N. Buchanan most of the board, with
number of invited guests, took ride
yesterday to the distributing reservoir
OF the company which owns the north
FORK ditch, running from the north fork
OF the American River, near Auburn,
TO the reservoir near Folsom and above
Orangevale
Those composing the party were
Trustees, Mckay, Paine, Douglas, Teb-
bets, Devine and Kent Clerk Desmond,
City Surveyor Mulleney, A P. Booth,
A. J. Rhoads, Max Hornlein. j. Carroll,
w. ]. Hall, - May and representa-
tlves of the daily papers
They passed out over the grant,
through fields of waving grain, the rich,
dark color of which showed it to be
healthy and strong, even that of the
late sown grain, which, although short,
promises to head out and yield a fair
crop. 1t was generally remarked by
the members of the party that the
country had never looked better at this
time of year, or given promise of a
more bounteous yield on the whole.
Leaving the Haggin Grant behind, the
party proceeded and soon arrived at
the outskirts of the thriving town of
Fair Oaks. Several of the party had
never been there and We're astonished
to find what three years of persistent,
intelligent work had done for what had
originally been part of a large grant,
covered with virgin forest and unre-
claimed.
Fields had been cleared. houses built
M Of
cherry, olive and orange trees set out
on the various tracts 1t seemed mar
velous that in so short a time the land
could have been cleared and SO COM
pletely metamorphosed. The trees made
fine showing with their green leaves
and healthy appearance, and bid fair
in a very few years to become an i'm
portant factor in the fruit crop of the
county. Many hundreds of acres have
thus been changed to thriving farms,
and with the fields of green alfalfa gave
evidence of what thorough cultivation
and irrigation will do for the hills and
dales of this county. Houses, more or
less pretentious, have been erected on
most of the tracts and all the people
seemed cheerful and contented with the
land of sunshine and flowers for which
they had left the bleak East.
For several miles the party rode over
we'll made roads through the settlement
and on leaving it came to the borders of
Orangevale, where the magnificent or
chards and vineyards are several years
older. Here was found an indication of
what Fair Oaks viii be a few years
from now. Fine oranges, peach, plum,
prune and almond orchards in full bear
ing line the road side for miles, and
the houses show that the owners are
reaping the recompense of their past
years of labor and patience. Here.
among others. are the fine homes of
William Calder and Fred Sanford, we'll
known to theatrical fame, and often
visited by members of troupes who
come to Sacramento.
Several of the party made the remark
that if Eastern people who came here
would take the time and trouble to
stop and look around few days they
would never go to Los Angeles and
Southern California and pay 81 900 an
acre for land that is certainly not SUI
perior, when in this county they could
find thousands of acres that could be
purchased for one tenth or less and
that viii produce as fine oranges and
fruit of all kinds as any land in South
ern California
Leaving the alluring picture behind
the party found, two miles further on,
the distributing reservoir and filter they
had come to inspect. The reservoir
which is only a small one intended for
distribution of the water through the
pipes, Isl at an altitude of 49, feet above
this city. 1t has at the dam three wells
into which the water can be let to con-
meet with pipes for distribution One
OF these pipes now supplies water for
domestic purposes and irrigation to the
residents of Fair Oaks.
The company proposes to pass the
water taken from the north fork OF
the American River near Auburn and
conveyed to this reservoir in covered
cemented ditch, through gravity filters
and deliver it in this city through So
inch steel pipes after leaving the filter
with a pressure of 20 pounds. which
would throw it 100 feet high through a
212-inch hose, thus saving the cost OF
pumping
Two experimental filters had been
erected by Mr.. Buchanan about twenty
five feet lower than the reservoir. the
water being conducted to them by a
pipe. They We're thirty-six inches ir
diameter, one being six feet high and
the other eight. The water was con-
Quoted to the shorter one by pipe con-
Meeting at the bottom and flowed into
the other at the top. They were filled
about three-quarters fun with sand anC
gravel, there being first a layer of fine
sand, then one of coarse sand, then one
of fine gravel and finally one of coarse
gravel. Through these layers in one
case, the muddy water was forced by
gravity pressure upward and came ou
nearly clear. In the one in which il
flowed in at the top it came out at the
bottom as clear as spring water and il
both cases it was of excellent quality
as regarded taste. Mr.. Buchanan.
plan is to have a large number of fl
tiers, or, preferably, a large filter bed o.
sand and gravel. into which the waite,
could flow and after being filtered pas.
into the water pipes for delivery to the
city.
After inspecting the filters, the party
sat down to- al bountiful lunch prepared
by their host. and to which their appe
titles, sharpened by their long ride, en-
oh led +1<,, - 10 ff111 ffQp