Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-04
ABBOT KINNEY'S
SON IS GENIUS
SHOWS NATURAL KNOWLEDGE
OF ENGINEERING
Plants Weeds In Such a Way as to
Fill Up the Lot Of His Gov
ernness and Explains
Why
Special to The Herald.

bpttldi lu Ino Herald.
VENICE, Feb. at is generally ad-
mitted here that no more praiseworthy
feat Of civil engineering has been ac-
compllshed In this section than has
been brought to notice In the construc-
llon Dy innis Kinney, the 14-year-old
son OF Abbot Kinney, of q breastwork
OF sandweeds around the rear of the
residence of Mrs. IL. NJ. Guild of Al
Wavecrest avenue, which has had the
desired effect of counteracting the
fierce assaults of the occasional wind
storms which heretofore have blown
great fssures through the gravel sur
rounulng the house, causing consider
able annoyance to the owner of the
property. When young Kinney's at
tention was called to the matter Mrs
Guild, who is his private tutor had
about decided not to make any further
attempts to keep the lot filed in. The
morning after a heavy blow she could
by a stretch of the Imagination enioy
the beauties of the Grand canyon by
simply looking out of her north front
windows and the memories of travels
through Kansas were revived by the
nice little cyclone cellar that would
greet the vision on opening her back
door.
The young son of the founder of Ven
ice was not long in deciding on means
after he took the matter in hand he
was hard at work with a spade plant
ing wide rows of high weeds around
the devastated section of ground. His
work was watched with interest and
wonderment by those who paused to
figure out what he was doing, for the
lad, who is naturally modest. hasn't the
reputation of being any more COM
muncative than his distinguished
father in the matter of telling or ex-
planning things.
1t took him three days to complete
the job and then he soon brought wit
ness to bear than his work had not
been in vain. The next time there was
wind storm there was an abrupt
change in the old state of affairs. In
stead of sweeping through it's old path
and carrying all before it, the wind
only got as far as the weeds and there
deposited the clouds of sand that ii had
gathered up. In weeks time more
than foot of sand had filled in the
blown out section, and now at the end
of five weeks the land is on a normal
level with the house that 1t surrounds.
Young Kinney, who is justly proud of
his achievement, at the request of Mrs.
Guild, recently prepared a school paper
explaining the scientific principle of the
undertaking. In his composition, neatly
and plainly written. he says:
should the sand be blown out from
around your house or a ditch be dug
by the wind, the way to bring the sand
back and keep 1t there is as follows:
Set out rows of sand weeds, put them
in the space where the sand has been
blown from, placing the weeds in the
ditch and outside the ditch arrange
them in a semicircle bulkhead so that
the concave surface is toward the wind.
According to whether you want the
CO.. nd \, in1, 1r1xy l.yf fIa At, tt,4
sand weeds high or low. 1t is n good
plan to wet the weeds down at first
and also to spread a little sand over
them to give them purchase on the
ground"
The genius of the youth has on pre-
vious occasions been brought to notice
here, notably in his building of a one
story house at the rear of the family
residence on Park avenue, which he
utilizes as a study and in the con-
struction of a motor cycle that is the
wonder of those who have seen 1t.