Los Angeles herald., 1908-07-13
DAZED BY GLORY
OF OWENS RIVER
TERRITORY BOASTS WEALTH
YET UEREcOGNIzED
EXPERT ENGINEER ExPLoDEs
Braekish Waters of Lake Can Never
by Any Possibility contamlnate
Supply intended for
Los Angeles
EXPERT ENGINEER ExPLoDEs
By LIEUT.. HELGE s. F. THENBERG

mapping the cOuIS6 OL the OWcnS T1NCT
aqueduct that such large percentage
of the people has had the impression
that the brackish waters of Owens lake
are intended to be a part of the sup
ply. Printed and oral statements to
this effect are all wrong, for several
good reasons.
The original and finally determined
plans never considered the lake as a
feeder. The line of the aqueduct runs
some two miles west of and much
above the level of the lake at that
point The water of the lake is wholly
unfit for domestic uses. and, of more
importance than all else,. it is not need
ed to furnish a supply
The watershed which centers in the
Owens river valley north of the lake
drains the vast mountainous territory
of the Sierra Nevadas, including the
forty great peaks, of which Mt Whit
ney 14,500 feet in height, is chief.
BY no possible combination of cir
cumstances can any water other than
pure melted snow and ice enter the
intake. and the real guarantee of per-
nlanence and purity in the supply Is
found in the fact that the higher alti-
tudes of the range are glacial terri
tory and are the actual sources of the
supply.
Rich Revenues from Tourists
My observations while engaged In the
field department along the line of the
aqueduct led me to believe that the
people of Los Angeles do not realize
the great benefits to accrue to them
from this undertaking outside of the
blessing of abundant pure water. The
railroad now being built to connect
Mojave with Keeler will open up to
this city source of revenue from tour
ist travel as great as that now CEN
tered in the Grand canyon of the Col
orado, for 1 who have been In all parts
of the world have never seen a more
haaI1fif1IiIU SQeDin O.
ply.
The vast watershed of Mono county
and as far south as the intake in that
county may be said to be a continue
tion of the Yosemite valley park, and
the grandeur of the forty sentinel
peaks which hedge it make of the
Owens river valley a veritable para
disc for tourists. There is no equal
area of territory in the world SO gar
landed with ragged scenic beauty and
so well supplied with all the allure
ments of hunting, fishing and camping.
There are many fine sites for tourist
hotels, and / have no doubt some of
our enterprising capitalists will see
the opening and reap the great f1nan-
cial benefits.
The whole territory may be said to
be new to the world at large, as, until
the enterprising Los Angelans pre-
empted it, only the struggling cattle
man and the wandering Indian tribes
knew of its beauties. The wondrous
geological formations to be seen there;
the great prehistoric upheavals; the
remarkable lava torrents Of bygone
ages; the majesty and might of great
subterTanean volcanoes, that cut the
vast surfaces as a plow cuts the mea-
dow, are in evidence everywhere, and
a solitary grandeur brods over all.
The warning earthquakes of past
ages have not only left sublimity and
beauty In their tracks, but pleasures
for tourists also. All over this vast
area are scores of trout streams, fed
from the icy Businesses, in which the
several types of mountain trout are
plentiful, especially the golden trout,
@ fish as large, beautiful and sweet to
the palate as any yet known. To leave
the city and land in this lovely valley
within tw, nty-four hours, which Will
be possible in the near future, and to
land a string of thirty trout before
breakfast, will be a bait for thousands
who now are tired OF the beaten paths
of tourists travel.
The climate of the Owens valley,
north of the lake, is especially good
for invalids, and thousands Will yet
bear me out in this statement. Shell
tered from the desert and the cold of
the Nevada hills, the air is pure and
bracing, and the constantly sunny at
mosphere is a warrant of good health.
OF course, it is all wild territory, and
bears, wildcats. mountain lions and
coyotes are to be found there. Snakes,
= too are there, especially rattlesnakes
of the diamond" and "sidewinder" va
rteties, common to all mountainous ter
ritory The diamond" snake is found
near the forest line, and the side
winder' near and on the desert south
of owens lake. The latter is nocturnal
In it's habits and is the dread of the
pedestrian.
Apart from the few cattle ranges peo-
pied by Americans, the only inhabitants
of all the vast northern stretch OF coun-
try are the Plute Indians, who have
roamed the hills and valleys for CEN
turtles. Their sign-manual is met with
in inscriptions on the rocks, especially
around the springs and camping places,
and some of these hieroglyphics are of
great historic Importance.
Old Indian backgrounds are scat
tered about, as evidenced by the ar
rowheads. made Of lava glass, and the
bones of men killed in action. There
is a specially fine Inscription on the
rocks near Little lake. and the whole
adjacent country tells by its mute
memorials of the past greatness and
power of this dwindling tribe.
Nearly all the Indians now to be
found on the line of the aqueduct are
halfbreeds and they eke out an ex-
istence by herding cattle, angora goats
and sheep. Even at this day they sub
sist largely on the food roots and
pine seeds which supported their pro-
genitors.
The sectien of country north Of Little
lake and east of Keeler abounds In
craters of extinct volcanoes and sui
phur. hot springs, and In the line OF
the Old bed OF the Owens river there
are massive walls of lava of remark.
able size. These walls are on both
sides of what was once the bed of the
river, and seem to have been formed
by the flow of lava from the craters.
Veritable Paradise of Flowers
Speaking of the great desert region,
il one could see 1t In the months of
April and May 1t would be difficult to
believe 1t barren. In these months
the whole desert waste is rolling
fiower-covered plain, only to be trans
formed into barren, sandy wastes by
the excessive heat during the remain
der OF the year The possibilities of
getting water on these desert areas
are being tested. and some day human
ingenuity VIII cover that sad land with
people and homes.
There are some $50 miles of aoueduct
to be built between the intake AZ
Owens valley and the San Fernando
reservoirs, most Of which is plain sail
ing. but the tunneling of hills and
placing Of siphons in deep CANYONS will
test the resources Of the engineers. The