Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-07-27
NOTED EASTERN
WRITERS ARRIVE
CORRESPONDENTS ON TOUR OF
INSPECTION
INVESTIGATING IRRIGATION AND
FOREST QUESTIONS
Federal Authorities Have Sent Experts
to Accompany Them and Assist in
Their Efforts to Obtain
Information

A party of prominent Washington
CORE spondents from six leading east
ern newspapers, accompanied by two
representatives of the government, ar
rived in Los Angeles yesterday and are
registered at the Angelus. The party
consists of Captain ]. V. Adams of the
! United States forestry service. 9. j.
Blanchard of the United States re-
| clamation service; j. y. Baker, editor
of The Detroit News; Arthur Ruhl,
Washington correspondent for Collier s
Weekly; Jewell Aubere, Washington
correspondent for the st. Louis Globe
Democrat; H. NJ. Crist, Washington
correspondent of the Brooklyn Eagle;
A. w. Dunn, Washington correspond
ent Of the National Woman's Daily of
st. Louis, and T. w. Brahany, Wash
ington correspondent of the Milwaukee
Sentinel.
These men are making a trip through
the forests of the Pacific coast for the
purpose of writing about the timber
and irrigation problems with Wnlch
the country is confronted. In Los An
geles the Owens river project will re-
ceive their special attention, particu-
larly as to its relation to irrigation.
The party attended the Democratic
convention at Denver,
The delegates were not appointed by
the government, although the govern
ment is helping them as much as it can
and the reclamation service has dele
gated C. ]. Blanchard and Captain
Adams to accompany the party to
direct and aid them technically as far
as possible.
Members of the party were last night
closeted with Joseph B. Iippincot as
sistant chief engineer of the Los An
geles aqueduct, and when interviewed
regarding the trip one Of the party
80 tn
tional reclamation act of 1902, which
provides for the reclamation of vast
areas of irrigible arid land under the
auspices of the federal government tho
watersheds of the region have taken
first place in its economic resources, for
here water not land is the measure or
the value of the farm.
''All the industries of this region
hang with peculiar dependence upon
the forests. The distance from which
supplies Of timber for mining, rail-
road and domestic purposes must come
IL Rocky mountain forests are once
exhausted makes their preservation an
imperative necessity. while the exist
ence of summer ranges in the forests
for herds of cattle, sheep and horses
gives value to immense areas of winter
ranges which without 1t would be OF
little use, and thus maintains one of
region.
Forests Easily Destroyed
Because of the aridity of the conn-
try the forests Of the Rocky mountain
region are destroyed with peculiar ia
cility by fire, by overgrazing and by
overcutting. The reproduction is less
rapid and abundant than on the east
ern coast, while the preservation Of the
forests, of vast importance everywhere
throughout the United States, Is here
more peculiarly and Immediately es-
sential to the well-being of the people
than is the case elsewhere.
"In this state also the forests of
the Sierras, characterized by the big
tree, the sugar pine and numerous
other frs, are perhaps the most beau
tiful and attractive in existence, while
the forests OF coast redwood, which
we have Just been through, have a
larger stand of merchantable timber
per acre than any similar area of
which we have knowledge"
After few days passed in minute
investigation of the irrigation problem
of Southern California from the Los
Angeles standpoint the party will go
north into Washington and Oregon.
The members say they have every
where met with the kindest considera-
ton and everybody has seemed intent
upon helping them. Another project
which will engage the attention of the
party will be the various power plants
of the coast in connection with the
pumping of water on to the arid lands
which have been marked by the gov
eminent and the general conservation
of the forests.
water" said Captain Adams last
night, sis the most important product
of the Sierra forest, and wood of the
redwood belt and coast forests of
Washington and Oregon. The cut of
redwood in 1900 was $50, 100000 feet. the
lumber product of Oregon 740,000,60O
feet and that of Washington 1890, 000,-
900 feet. During the year 1902 the loss
by fire in the state of Washington is
said to have been twice the cut"
--.e-e--a