The San Francisco call., 1908-03-20
BAY CITIES EXPERT
BECOMES TANGLED
Water Company Engineer Adj
mits Lack of Personal Kn0wl=
edge of Tevis' Scheme
Testifies Two Days in Libel
Suit and Then Reveals
Evidence Is Hearsay

Despite the fact that he had devoted
the greater part of two days to ex-
planning voluminous maps and data re-
lating to the alleged water proper
ties OF the Bay Cities company, Edwin
Duryea Jr. consulting engineer for the
Bay Cities company admitted on the
witness stand in the Tevis- Bulletin libel
suit yesterday afternoon that he prac-
, tically had no personal knowledge of
the matters which he had been explain
ing to the court and the jury.
When were you first in the Sierras
for the Bay Cities company? asked
Attorney Matt l. Sullivan
September 1905. l spent two weeks
there. going up in four horse team.
with an assistant and driver At
that time / examined the catchment
areas. sanitary conditions and dam sites
only" replied Duryea.
Did you have any hand in the max
ing of those drawings and maps which
YOU have been showing us?"
They were all made under my super
vision by my assistants, and some of
the maps I drew myself from the orig
inal rough sketches sent me by my
assistants in the field. l checked them
up carefully before I signed my name
to them in each instance"
What instruments did you take into
the Sierrss to gather data?" continued
Sullivan.
FLOATS ONLY ENGINEERING
Duryea replied that, aside from some
common hand instruments, he took
none with him. A few floats, placed
on one OF the canals, was the extent of
the engineering done at that time, said
Duryea.
Were you ever on the field when any
of the real surveys Of the Bay Cities
do Cnl-
livan.
NO" replied Duryea after consider
| able effort TO evade such a direct
answer.
Asked as to his personal knowledge
of the Hetch Hetchy valley and the
Lake Eleanor region Duryea admitted
he had never been in the Hetch Hetchy
region, Nand that all his reports and
drawings had been compiled from in
formation obtained otherwise.
At this point Juror Martin Hink
asked:
What was the object OF the Bay
Cities company in obtaining informa-
tion concerning the Tuolumne dis
/ trict?"
Il had attended the meeting last July
when Secretary of the Interior Garfield
was present and had refused to say
/ that the Hetch Hetchy system could
not be considered on the ground that II
! was reserved lands. 1t was at my sug-
gestion that engineers were sent to that
region to determine to what extent it
could be made into an adequate water
supply, in order to bring about COM
parison and show the superiority of the
! Bay Cities scheme"
During the morning Duryea stated
that should the Hetch Hetchy system
be adopted by the city and IL should
get the necessary amount OF water
from that source there would be none
! left for the irrigable districts.
From that, then, it appears that II
San Francisco doesn't take the Bay
Cities water we will get no water at
alS' interjected Juror Patrick Con-
nelly
t "Yes, I'm very much afraid that if
Mr.. Duryea is permitted to bring in
another portfolio he will demonstrate
that there is not another drop of water
| in the entire Yosemite valley" OBJ
served Attorney Hiram W Johnson, at
which the court joined in the laughter.
PREPARED OWN QUESTIONS
An interesting feature of the pro-
ceedinGs yesterday afternoon was an
admission on the part of Duryea that
he had prepared all Of the questions to
| be put to him by the prosecution,
which embraced some 40 or so type
written pages.
! Following this admonition Sullivan
asked Duryea if he was again in the
1 employ of the Bay Cities company. The
/ latter replied that since the beginning
| of the trial he had been re- employed
| as consulting engineer, although he re-
| signed that position last July. His re-
employment was at the instigation of
Manager Beal of the Bay Cities COM
pany about 10 days ago, said Duryea,
| and for the purpose of assisting in the
present suit.
! III behalf of the Bay Cities company.
whose properties had been pronounced
subject to pollution by Marsden Man
son, Duryea stated that 10 days stor-
age of the water would cause the
death of five-sixtbs OF the microbes
| according to data compiled by leading
| psychologists, and longer storage
| would cause death to a larger per-
| centage-
| In other matters relative to the SUI
! periority of the Hetch Hetchy system
| over that of the Bay Cities Duryea
said he differed widely from Marsden
Manson. Ore Of these points was that
| covering the purity of water Manson
stated that il the character of the wa
| ter sheds from which 1t came was
| good no amount of chemical ANALYSIS
could change his views. Duryea
claimed that chemical analysis was an
important part and for this reason
departments were maintained in all
I large cities which continually exam
| ined the water as to its purity Man
son also said that 54 900, 900. 900 gallons
| of water could be furnished San Fran
| cisco daily with a dam 200 feet high
| and still leave more tnan sufficient for
the irrigable districts. Duryea claimed
| the contrary is the fact.
The case will be resumed this morn
| ing at 10 o'clock when cross axamina
| tion of Duryea will continue.
BIG TELEPHONE PRorITs-New York.