The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-07-06
WHERE WATER IS KING.
Irrigation bitches In Southern Gallo
fOrnin Are Widespread-Wealt
Follows Storage.


The water question in California is
an interesting one, especially to farm
| ers. Rainfall records are not available
here earlier than 1872, but from le-
| gends and memory it is evident that
southern California is not unlike other
countries. 1t has cycles of droughts
and then will come heavy rains; but
| that there was ever drought sufficient
to impair the country for term of
years is not probable, as the groves of
oaks and other trees are not over a
| hundred years old and are still grow
ing, says the New York Times.
The climate of California is, as rule,
not understood well. There are two
seasons, rainy season from November
to April or May, during which an av-
erage 16 inches falls, and dry sea-
son, from May until November, when
almost no rain falls. This is due to the
variation of the great air currents
which sweep across the United States.
There are two of these; one passes over
the country on the borderland of Cana
da, while the. other passes from the
West Indies in northwesterly direc-
ton, making current at the thirtieth
! parallel to the northwest. and, after
passing the Atlantic coast states,
joins the first mentioned current and
moves over the ocean. The regions on
this continent nearest these currents
are, in the main, the wettest, and vice
versa. At certain times-from Novem-
Der to May-this current, or cyclonic
belt, comes further to the south, bring
ing rain and storms; during the rest
of the year it is further north, and the
| dry seasons have been caused by the
fact that for some unknown reason the
cyclonic belt has not been DETECTED to
the south sufficiently to produce the
normal amount of rain in the so-called
winter months.
Another factor to be dealt with in
southern California is the japanese
current, which sweeps down the coast,
modifying the entire region. The win
! ter rains fall as snow upon the Sierra
Madres, producing picture of great
beauty. Standing in an orange. grove
or surrounded by roses in full bloom
and wealth of flowers, one faces the
great mountain wall, white with snow,
which almost encroaches upon the
poppy fields at the foot of the range.
This is the result, perhaps, of one or
two days storm; but by midday the
snow is confined to the highest peaks.
The rainfall of California is slowly dis
tributed, and seeps into the ground.
| Mr1oh Of 4 SC, lo1l i
brush until summer; the rest by thou
sands of channels finds it's way down
| the steep mountainside and converges
into one of the many great arteries Of
the range. There canyons are veritable
rivers of verdure and well-wooded
gulches cut down by the rains of
thousands of years into the very heart
of the mountains. These canyons, or
| gateways, in the future in many in
stances will be damned, and the water
which now to great extent flows on to
the sea will be stored to be used as a
reserve supply. This water in it's es-
cape flows for some distance on the
surface, and then for miles the river or
stream will be represented by gleam-
ing waste of rock and sand, giving rise
to the saying that the rivers of Cali
fornia run bottomside up, but the fact
is that the water is sweeping rapidly
along to enter the fowlands near the
sea, where it enriches the peatlands,
converts dry soil into alfalfa land, or
rises to the surface in the form of ar
tesian wells, irrigating large area Of
country.
To save as much as possible of this
water is the aim of the water compa-
MES. Sometimes they tap the canyon
high at its source, tunnel the sides at
advantageous points, leading the water
off into pipes, or taking it from springs
wherever it appears, so that there is
not a spring or water sign in all south
ern California that has not the respon-
sibility of a town, settlement or ranch
house depending on it.
First in Importance is the water for
irrigation, the first experiments of
which were made by the mission
fathers in ITO, while the original in
habitants of Arizona had elaborate ir-
| rigating bitches which are in use to-
day. 1t was perhaps the example Of
LombaSdy which encourages Califor-
mans, as half the rainfall is used
for irrigating purposes, distributed
through 4,5O0 mikes of bitches, reaching
100000 acres.
Nearly all the beautiful towns Of
southern California-Pasadena Red
lands, Pomona, Ontario and Riverside
with their wealth of citrus fruit. are
the direct result of irrigation, and wa
ter storage is well represented by the
Bear Valley reservoir, which is on the
head waters of Santa Ana river, 5000
feet above the sea. A dam was built at
the lower end of the valley where the
walls come together. The radius of
this fine arch is 333 feet, and the thick
ness at the base 20, tapering to three
feet at the top. The lake formed by
this enormous dam covers an area of
asia acres. In San Diego county is the
famous Sweetwater dam, which is in
tended to store up water for the ranch
es of that region, and is one of the most
remarkable engineering feats in CAL
isornia.