Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-24
FIND CREATE. POSSIBILITIES
THAN EXPECTED
Mayor Harper and others Give Their
Opinions of the Necessity for
Owens River and the
Conduit
ny HUGH K. HARTuNG

reacned THIS thriving Clly pTepdreu w
spend Sunday here-or at least remain
till word comes from Long valley that
the roads are passable. There have
been landslides, due to the heavy
SHOWS, and much of the road Is COW
cred by boulders. For that reason
ex-Mayor Fred Eaton went on ahead
this morning from Big Pine in fast
auto, picked up a force of men here
and will clear the roads so that Mayor
Harper and party can quickly reach
the owens river headwaters by Sun
day night or Monday at the latest.
Long valley is the key to the far
distant water supply for Los Angeles.
A storage reservoir will be built there
at an elevation of 1000 feet. When the
city reaches the million population
point 1t will be necessary, 1t Is thought,
to make even more elaborate prepara-
tions to furnish water and power, and
it is we'll at the early stage to con-
ceiVe future sources before the prices
of land go up. The Edison company
has already tried to take time by the
forelock by claiming water rights in
this valley ostensibly to develop power
to send to the Nevada goldfields and
elsewhere, but as others claim to him
der Los Angeles in building the aque-
duct. Auueduct construction would
put the city in competition with the
Edison company, as purveyors of power
derived from water and attaching
water rights is merely one of many OBJ
structive moves by the opposition.
Long valley will be the end of the
trip of the delegation. AS soon as this
has been inspected the return trip will
be made by quick stages. The creeks
are swelling so fast that the return
trip may be made over roundabout
roads via Keeler to the section below
Mojave. The aqueduct line below
Mojave is an important one, as the
five-mile tunnel, the costliest work on
the project, will be built there and so
far this strip has not been viewed by
the delegation. The ride would have
Leen an uphill one going north between
Los Angeles and Mojave, hence the
railroad cars were used. But downward
the ride will be easy for autos and
not much time will be lost.
AT the present rate of, progress the
party may get back to Los Angeles by
Wednesday,
Engineer J. H. Dockweiler's report
will be prepared after the return of
the party to Los Angeles and 1t will
probably consume a weeks figuring
there. Then Mayor Harper will make
public his official report
Bishop is the hotbed of opposition to
the aqueduct project in Owens valley.
1t is the only point so far encountered
at which any one has raised voice
in opposition to Los Angeles plans
The ranchers here have become i'm
bued with the idea that Los Angeles
will take all their water from them and
leave their neck of valley a waterless
desert. This is the alleged fear of
the old-timers. The fact is, as Mayor
!4arper's party has witnessed, that
enough water runs to waste in this
valley to irrigate all of Los Angeles
county.
The younger generation and the
merchants here do not take this dread
view. They believe that the aqueduct
will be the means of bringing rail-
road to Bishop and the entire valley,
which transportation problem they re-
gard as of equal Importance to the
water question. They argue that only
a gigantic project such as Los Angeles
wants to establish would induce the
Southern Pacific or any one else to
built.
Mayor Harper and his evangels had
been told some time ago that they
must do missionary work in Bishop,
and diplomacy was set into motion as
soon as the party got there. Even the
chauffeurs talked earnestly of the aque-
duct to those OF the citizens who asked
questions.
Saturday afternoon is ranchers day
to visit the city and hundreds of peo-
pie had fiocked into town to see the
invaders. Before bedtime yard after
yard of argument had been unreeled,
and it is safe to say the opposition had
been considerably battered down.
BIG PINE, Cal, April 20.-Council-
men Healy and Lyon will go from here
to San Francisco via Reno, New. Healy
made this Owens trip before and is
anxious to visit his son in Oakland.
He is committed in favor of the Owens
project. Councilman Healy also has
some business to look after there. Both
men, however, were attracted as much
by the fact that the loads in the auto
mobiles strained the machines as by
business elsewhere. The chauffeurs
have been complaining about the bad
roads. Mulholland's machine turned
back at Rickeys ranch with broken
spring. The rented machine (priVate-
the one 1 am in) also has a broken
spring. For four hours yesterday the
latter was in the local machine shop
and when the combined force of ma
chinists in Big Pine and the three
chautfeurS, plus Councilman Clampitt.
an experienced automobilist, got
through with dismembering it the ma
chine was all in parts. Fly wheel,
carburettors, engine, sparkling plugs
and many other parts were renewed
and replaced.
Coming through a sandy waste near
Charles Butte, the rented auto,
manned by Chauffeur Harry owens.
and carrying on this stretch Council
men Healy and Clampitt, and Report
ers Tribit of the News and Hartung of
The Herald, caused a passing team of
bronchos to buck, rear and run.
Charles Pugh, New York Sun writer,
en- route to the Eureka valley, was
driving the team in light wagon. The
snorting of the autos threw the horses
into a wild terror Pugh became en-
tangled in the lines and an all-around
smashup happened. The auto crowd
pulled the frantic horses, harness,
driver and wagon apart and after
patching up the breaks in the outfit
proceeded. Pugh was not seriously
hurt and refused to accept any COM
pensation
The auto carrying Carl Bell, chauf-
Ieur. COunRiIman EftU AtfOrpAW