Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-12
no improve Great Valleys

1OTHld IL pOSSluiS tle 1jVo IleeIlHS VI tIldL
body.
To Improve Great Valleys
The main efforts of the convention we're
centered in a discussion of the agricul-
tural and commercial development of the
Sacramento and the San Joaquin valleys
by drainage and waterways Improvement,
a work which the government has already
started
Former State Senator Marshal Diggs,
president of the Sacramento Valley I'm
provement association, presided over both
sessions.
Secretary A. r. Sprague of the Cali
fornia inland waterways commission out
lined the scope of that organization in
obtaining state and private ownership aid
in the work of cleansing California S in
ternal navigable streams of debris drain
ing overflow lands, stimulating waterways
transport ia tion, etc.
United States District Attorney Devlin
of this city urged the advisability of
asking the governor to incorporate in his
probable call for an extra session of the
legislature provision for such an increase
of the powers of the state drainage COM
mission as shall place within its control
all private reclamation so as to insure
one harmonious system and to prevent
the erection of works by private persons
which would interfere with the free out
flow of flood waters 10 tidewater and re-
tard the general plan of reclamation"
Formal resolutions to that effect, and
recommending the appropriation by the
federal and state governments of 100000,
leach contingent upon the other to be
used in dredging and otherwise restoring
and improving the navigation and drain
age of the Sacramento and San JOAQUIN
rivers and their tributaries" were
adopted.
Col. John B. IRISH speaking in behalf
of the owners of 100000 worth of re-
claimed lands in the deltas of the Sacra-
n1ento and San Joaquin" spoke lengthlly
for the creation, by legislative act, or a
normalizing scheme for all Improvement
work in those Valleys without which, he
said. nothing could be done in the way OF
getting federal aid.
Perkins Replies
Senator Perkins answered that geo
logical survey force, working on the OASIS
of the Dabney report, had been engaged
in the preparation of just such scheme
for four years and would present It's nnd-
ings to the next congress. Th1s announce
ment was greeted with applause.
On motion of Mr.. Devlin the chair ap-
uointed the following committee to wait
on the governor and present the resolu-
tions previously adopted: Robert L. Dew
lin. chairman; A H. Hewitt, PRESIDENT
George w. Peltier of the Sacramento
drainage commission, Peter Cook OF that
body and Marshal Diggs of Sacramento;
S. H. Wyckoff of Napa, representing the
north of the bay counties, spoke briefly
Ear the waterways of Marin, Sonoma,
Mana. Lake and Mondocino counties.
"rhe Orland unit of the Sacramento
valley proiect'' was discussed by w. A.
beard of Sacramento, member of the Ma
tional Irrigation congress he salo tne
Orlsnd reservoir, now building, is the
first in a series of twenty-four storage
works to be established in the Sacra-
mento valley by the reclamation service.
These. when completed will conserve A.
oO0. 600 of the 26.o0O,O0O acre feet Of water
represepting the total run Off at the
mouth of the Sacramento river, and will
materially lessen the annual menace of
flood waters to the 10O0O,00o acres or
arabic. irrigable and reclamable lands
comprised within the Sacramento and
San Joaquin valleys"
Mayor H. L. Kicks of Eureka drew a
map of the dreaded Humboldt bar,
where the steamship Corona was
wrecked, and he illustrated briefly the
need of government aid in restoring the
half ruined jetty built there at cost of
900 in order to create and maintain
n depth of 40 feet in the channel which
is Eureka's only highway to the world.
j. w. Webb of Modesto, secretary of
the Stanisaus board of trade, spoke for
an outlet from the Tuolumne river.
Bernard p. Miller, representing the
Oakland chamber of commerce. urged the
advisabilfty of all sections of the state
ioining in a delegation journey to the
rivers and harbors congress at Washing
ton. and announced a general invitation
20 the convention to go with Oakland's
delegation of sixteen, which starts
November q and will make stops at
Grand canyon, Galveston and New Or
leans.
Discusses Work at San Pedro
Capt. Amos A. Fries, in charge of
the army's engineering work at Los An
geles. his district extending from
Monterey to the Mexican line, sketched
in the outline harbor work accomplished
and under way at Port Hartford, San
Pedro and San Diego.
He pointed out the necessity of COM
pleting the San Pedro breakwater to the
shore. finishing solid line Of sea resist
ance 5000 feet long and thereby creating
a harbor adequate to commerce as well
as safe for shelter. The inner harbor
then, he said. should be deepened along
uresent lines to afford clearage Of
thirty feet. This would require the re-
moval Of 100000 cubic feet of bottom.
Fairfax Whelan of San Francisco pre-
senteds "by telegraphic request the