The Courier. (Genoa, Nev.) 1899-1904, 1903-11-06
ris place.


your correspondent became very much
interested in the question of water
storage There is no more enthusiast
tic gentleman on this topic to be found
than District Attorney VIM. NJ. Thorn
burg, a veritable statistician in every
respect on everything concerning his
county.
By way of preliminaries, Alpine en-
joys the distinction of being the only
county in California, if not in the
United States, where six rivers claim
their headwaters in the main range of
the high Sierras within a radius of II
miles.
The Stanislaus and the Mokelumne
head in the southern part of the coun-
ty, flowing west. The American has
its source in Caples lakes and also
flows west The Little Truckee rises
in a number of small lakes near Hope
Valley. The East Carson heads four
teen miles south of Markleeville near
the source of the Stanislaus. The
West Carson springs from Red lake in
The south end of Hope Valley.
The Carson Valley Water Storage,
Irrigation and Canal Company, which
absorbed the Alpine Land and Reser-
voir Company, has the possibility in
sight, by proper surveying, to COM
mand greater storage for the benefit
of Carson Valley than the already es-
tablished sites of the Blue Lakes do for
California, and thereby set at rest the
question of water supply for irrigation
in the driest years.
Now let us discuss the capabilities OF
a bevy of lakes called collectively the
Blue Lakes:
The old Blue Lakes company over
thirty years ago, commenced the cree
ton of a water storage plant. Some
years later the concern passed into the
hands of the Standard Electric Com
pany, with headquarters in San Fran
cisco. The temporary dams, construct
ed by the old company, were convert
ed into permanent ones ofsolid stone
and cement.
To-day we find four of those great
dams. Upper Blue Lake has surface
area of 300 acres, while Lower Blue
Lake has somewhat less. Twin Lakes
cover an area ofabout 500 acres. Then
comes Meadow Lake with the giant
dam, 70 feet high, 800 feet long on top
and 1870 feet thick.
The waters, so stored, are at the
proper time, conveyed to the Mo-
kelumne river, taken out into canal
near Bear river, where the Standard
Company has another large dam. The
electric plant is situated about six
miles east of Mokelumne Hill in Gala
veras county.
1t supplies electric power for San
Francisco, San Jose and Stockton, be-
sides furnishing water for mining, irri-
CATION and domestic purposes through
Amador clear into Sacramento county.
During the summer months of the
last four years an average working
force of 30o men has been employed at
Blue Lakes.
In 1902 ten powerful engines were
employed in handling the huge masses
of rock utilized in the strengthening
of the dams. This year VIM. Bennett
and j. Nunez, both from Woodfords,
will take care of the company's prop
erty during the dreary winter months.
Now, as stated before, the sites for
storage at the head of the Carson are
so opportune, that without fear of con-
tradiction, the writer's assertion will
hold good, that the possibilities OF
those sites will compare fayorably
with, if not exceed the established ca
pacity in this line of the Blue Lakes
reservoirs.
By the kindness of Frank p. Lord,
for the past five years with Colonel F.
NJ. Hickey, your readers may be pleas
ed to learn the several attitudes of
neighboring mountain peaks in feet
as taken from the latest geodetie sur
veys:
Highlands, 1890,
Silver Mountain, 10,955,
Freels, 10000,
Jobs Twin Sisters, 1882
Round Top, 10,430,
Raymond, l0,075,
Hawkins, 10000.
Round Top served some time ago as
an observatory.
The lowest point in Alpine county
is Young's crossing on the East Car
son at an altitude of 4,s0l feet.
AS previously promised, here follows
a combined assessment and tax roll of
Alpine county, kindly furnished by
Auditor Frank Smith.
This county has population of about
900 people, and it will subsequent
" be seen. that the style of assessing