Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-09
Owens River Bonds
Ready for Vote
Los Angeles Has Already Spent
$1,5oo,ooo in Acquiring Lands--Fa-
vorable Vote Essential to
Further Progress

sion. The campaign for the city's
future prosperity and against the
greed o. corporate interests is almost
at it's end
With two and one-half years of labor
and at an expenditure of almost $780,
0t0 the city has made preparation tc
bring the waters of the owens valley
to the valley OF the San Fernando.
1t now remains for the people to say
whether this expenditure Of time ano
money has been of no avail or whether
the great project shall be rushed to
completion with all possible speed.
In the Owens valley, in this the flood
season of the year, more than 2OOOl
inches OF water are pouring down from
the high mountains of the Sierras into
the Owens river, to be carried into
Owens lake. The water belongs to Los
Angeles.
Water rights go with land ownership
The possession of this amount of water
is represented by titles to 10000 acres
OF land The titles belong to the city.
On the Mojave desert a corps of sew
enty engineers and surveyors, working
where the temperature is now 120 de-
grees in the shade, are mapping out
foot by foot the long straight line that
leads from the Hickey ranch south
ward for 225 miles. This is the line OF
Two of the most momentous years in
the history of Los Angeles have passed
since 1905, when the people by vote
OF more than 10000 to less than 500
voted to undertake the project.
All the attempts that have been made
to defeat the project are known only
to city officials and the greedy cor
porate interests that devised these at
tempts. They sought to file on the
claims which the city had already fled
they attempted to purchase tracts OF
land in the valley by which they could
harass, or delay, or defeat the under
taking; they went to Washington and
by every means possible worked to pre-
vent the passage of legislation favor
able to Los Angeles; they went to the
state legislature and sought to have
almost succeeded in having-the rate
wage on public work raised SO per cent
in order to kill the project because OF
excessive cost, and they have planned
and schemed at home.
That these efforts have failed is in
no small measure due to the vigilance
of the civic organizations and city Of
ficials.
City Increases Holdings
The two years have been momentous
in another way. Slowly but steadily
the city has increased its land and
water possessions in Owens valley. The
title to every acre of land and every
inch of water that has been purchased
has been gone over by tax title search
ers. Those who have been unable to
show GOOD title to their lands have been
unable to find a purchaser in the city.
Water gaugers have gone over the
mountains winter and summer, daily
measuring the flow of the mountain
streams that will pour their floods
into the aqueduct.
Government chemists at intervals and
then continuously for six months have
taken daily and weekly tests of the wa
ters of the Owens river at the point
where its waters will be diverted.
Through the long stretch of desert
and mountains south of the valley en-
gineers have been studying the condi-
tions and selecting the most feasible
route for the conduit. Reservoir sites
have been examined, study of soils
made, investigation of conditions un-
dertaken and preliminary lines for rail-
road and conduit laid out.
In every instance the aqueduct Off
cials have proceeded with the greatest
care. Having found by their own and
by government investigation that there
is no nearby adequate supply. in going
so far to obtain a supply that is ade-
quate they have been careful to make
no false step.
DESTROYS that the plans should be
found entirely satisfactory, a board of
engineers, consisting of three men at
the head of their profession, was called
upon to investigate all the conditions
under which the aqueduct is to be con-
structed, These engineers. fully ap-
proved the undertaking as feasible,
found the plans of the city's engineers
were good, and gave their unanimous
approval to the project
With the $1,50O000 which the people
authorized to be expended the aqueduct
officials have made every preparation
to get the great work under way soon
after the election of next Wednesday.
Practically all the water rights that the
city desires have been purchased or are
under contract for purchase. Machin-
cry for the Division creek power plant
has been purchased and part of it is
now being transported across the des-
ert. The dredge which is to clean and
straighten the river channel for twenty
miles above the intake is nearing COM
pletion; bids for the machinery for the
cement plant at Tehachapi have been
Of ened and will be awarded as soon as
the people make known their wish on
election day. The final grade of the
aqueduct has been determined and a
portion of the survey definitely located.
A thorough organization for the hand
ling of large bodies of men, and the
multitude of details attendant upon the
enterprise has been provided, and a
thorough system of auditing adopted
All this preparation gives assurance
that all diligence will be used in get
ting things under way at the earliest
possible moment.
Too Busy for Knockers
While giving to the public all the in
formation in their possession and MAX
ing known to the civic organizations
all the steps that were taken, the chief
engineers, because they We're engineers
have been too busy in their work To
tack cognizance Of the campaign of
misinformation which has been waged
by the opposition for the past year.
Four weeks ago the executive Off
GERS of the chamber of commerce and
Merchants and Manufacturers asso-
citation at separate meetings decided
that the question was of such great i'm
portance that an active campaign
should be waged by them in it's behalf.
They set to work Immediately by ap-
pointing committees which as a whole
make up the Owens river campaign
committee.
And Immediately began one of the
sfranRest camDaiPns that Los AnpaIes