Los Angeles herald., 1905-08-05
GIVEN GREAT CREDIT FOR HIS
WORK
SAYS PLAN is PRACTICABLE
Former Mayor Originated Big Propo-
sition Thirteen Years Ago-eave
Up Private Gain for
the City

geles yesterday.
Former Mayor Fred Eaton, who orig
mated the owens river water project,
arrived from San Francisco at noon.
He had peen detained by illness in the
northern city for a couple Of days, but
his enthusiasm for the scheme was not
in the least dampened.
Immediately upon arriving in the city
he went to the California club and all
afternoon held an informal reception,
as members of the water department
and many citizens called to congratu-
late the former mayor upon the success
of his efforts in securing the water
rights in the valley for Los Angeles.
81 first began the study of the wa
ter situation in the owens valley about
thirteen years ago." said Mr.. Eaton,
with a view to colonizing the valley.
After a careful investigation I was
forced to give up the colonization idea,
as I became convinced that 1t was i'm
practicable.
To Bring Water to City
"It was then that the idea of bring
ing the water to Los Angeles occurred
to me. 1 knew then what everybody
knows now, that there is no source in
Southern California from which Los
Angeles can get water in sufficient
quantities after the valley became set
tied and developed.
eat that time 1 had preliminary sur
veys made at my own expense which
demonstrated that the water of the
valley could be brought into Los An
geles and Furthermore this could be
accomplished without digging tunnel,
though this latter route would be much
longer, but the topography of the des-
erts and mountains was such that it
could be accomplished.
"This shows that there are no great
engineering difficulties in the way. I
do not consider this the best way to
bring the water into the city, as it
would be preferable to do some tunnel
work, but under any circumstances the
waters of the Owens river can be
brought into the city totally by gray
ity.
strong company to develop the power
to be obtained from the creeks, to bring
the water to the San Fernando valley
and thus develop more power and by
the sale of electricity and water to Los
Angeles and tributary lands 1 was
satisfied the scheme could be made tc
pay dividends.
"I knew the government was plan
ming to put in an irrigation system, re-
lying on the Owens river for the water,
and that if anything was to be done
it must be done quickly. If we had not
acted when we did it would have cost
between one and two million dollars
more for the water, and this would
have killed the project.
Gives Plan to City
'T talked the proposition over here
in Los Angeles with City Attorney
Mathews and Superintendent Mulhol-
land. Later in New York, where L went
to interest capital. 1 met City Attor-
ney Mathews. He urged me to turn the
proposition over to the city and let
the municipality develop the water.
This 1 disliked to do for the simple
reason that had been working for a
dozen years with the intention of maxi
ing some money out of my holdings in
the valley.
$50 strong was Mr.. Mathews plea for
the city, however, that I decided to let
go the profits which would come to
the middlemen in the deal I had for
mulated and confer with the water
board.
"The result of this conference was
an agreement by which I was to sell
to the city all of my holdings in the
valley at the price paid for them, with
the exception that l was TO keep the
cattle 1 had been forced to buy and was
to get all of the land the city did not
want. This consists of a mountain
pasture land good for nothing but
grazing. 1t was part of my written
agreement that should the city decide
not to take advantage of the opportu-
nifty it was to sell back to me the
whole valley at the same price paid
for it within six months. l will not be
in the least disappointed if the land
comes back to me- for can easily cap
italize a company to carry out my
original plan.
1.-THE mean output of the owens river
is about $4,000 inches and of that we
have secured all the city will have use
for. The minimum flow of water from
the rights of the city will be about
$4,000 inches.
"The drainage area OF the Owens
valley stretches for 12O miles along
the highest mountain chain in the
United States and the system will give
all the water that is needed in the sar
Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, botf
for irrigating and municipal use.
'I have made careful estimate Of
the cost of delivering the water to this
area and think that IT viii come wei
inside OF $25 10000 600.
"This is not the greatest thing tha
could be done to build up Los Angeles
but in my opinion ii is the one thinl
that is absolutely necessary If the citl
is to continue to grow and prosper al