Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-21
AQUEDUCT TO Be
FINISHED ON TIME
Chief Engineer MuIhoIIand Makes
Encouraging Report on
Conditions
LABOR IS HARDEST PROBLEM
New York Life Expected to Fin
ally Agree to Buy $780,
900 of Bonds Today
LABOR IS HARDEST PROBLEM

! William Mulholland, chief engineer Of
the aqueduct, in the annual report of
the aqueduct department, submitted
to the board of public works yesterday,
makes the cheering prediction that de-
| spite the delay experienced recently the
| aqueduct will be completed within the
time limit recently fixed and year
sooner than the date originally fixed.
Final word from the New York Life
Insurance company on the purchase Of
| $500, 900 of the aqueduct bonds is ex-
pected today. The insurance company
notified w. j. Washburn, chairman OF
the councils finance committee, yes
terday that the finance committee of
the insurance comany would consider
| the matter today.
| The Los Angeles authorities have no
doubt that the deal with the New
York Life will go through, for 1t can
| offer the company half a million of
the bonds without restriction, as the
bond syndicate has released its OPP
tion so that the New York Life and the
| Metropolitan can each take 100000 of
the bonds
HARD TO GET LABOR
Mr.. Mulholland in his report says:
up to the time of the interruption
of the work a month or two ago, by
reason OF Il6 lack OIL luuuS, Tie pIOS-
ress set out in the last annual report
was being everywhere realized and in
some instances surpassed, notwith-
standing the fact that last winter was
an unusually Skvere one on the des-
ert there being unprecedented periods
of extremely cold weather which in
terfered with the building of concrete
structures.
There were some instances where
TT, a c
to require it's removal This condition,
which involved a cessation of work,
resulted in temporary disorganization
of our forces and the delay afterward
in reassembling them.
TT is impossible to suspend work,
even for a short period. on the desert
and retain crews, as men will not stay
in unattractive camps when not on an
earning basis. The recent suspension
of work we'll illustrates this. The dis
persal of our forces has resulted not
alone in making the men we had TN
available at once, but the broadcast
announcement that the aqueduct work
was suspended deferred the usual drift
of labor from abroad.
at looks now as though the upbuild-
ing of the force to it's usual compile
ment will be the work of months. Our
seVerest loss is due to the scattering
Of many competent and we'll trained
foremen to whose energy ard trained
intelligence much of our progress in
the past has been due.
DIFFICULT WORK COMPLETED
Had we been able to keep up the
progress that was attained during the
months of March, April and May, 1910,
there would be no possible chance for
doubt of our ability to complete the
auueduct by the spring of 1912. There
is a bare possibility that this may be
done, but it will depend largely upon
the promptness with which the recent
calamity of the disorganization of our
forces may be amended.
1.-The present year being one of eX-
treme drouths in the Sierra Nevadas
gives us opportunity in our hydrolog-
iCal studies to fully gauge the suf-
ficiency of the water supply in the
Owens valley.
"The observations so far in that re-
spect are confrmatory of our past
confidence in the deductions of the
early published study of this subject.
"All the difficult work on the aque-
duct is at the present time nearly COM
pleted, the possibility of any contin-
gency intervening to prevent the fin
ishing of the aqueduct within the es-
Inmates is remote"