Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-30
WILL USE MOJAvE
RIVER UNDERFLOW
|. M. Holt Gives Outline of Plan
for Irrigating Tract of
10000 Acres
LAND IS GOOD FOR FARMING
Tract Is Ten Miles East of Dag
gett on the Salt Lake
Railway

According to l. M. Holt, originator
of the project for the reclamation of
a large acreage contiguous to the
Mojave river bed east of Daggett, nu-
merous errors crept into the reports
sent out from San Bernardino in re-
gard to the undertaking. Mr.. Holt has
sent to The Herald the following state
ment regarding the undertaking, going
into detail regarding the plans formed
and the expectations entertained:
editor Herald: l notice that your
correspondent at San Bernardino has
stretched the blanket somewhat in
giving to the public an account OF
great reclamation enterprise for utiliz-
ing the waters of the Mojave river for
use on the desert lands east of Dag
gett
"AlIow me to make an official state
ment SO far as 1t can be made at the
present time, for the enterprise Is as
yet in its infancy.
''W. r. Holt of Redlands and I'M
periai Is not connected with this en-
terprise. L. M. Holt of Los Angeles
and for six years advertising manager
of the Imperial Land company. is the
one who suggested the reclamation of
the lands in question.
10000 INCHES OF WATER
"The Tibbot-Holt company-J. w.
Tibbott and L. M. Holt-took the pre-
liminary steps for the formation of
this irrigation system by filing on TO-
COO inches of water to be taken from
the underflow of the Mojave river at
a point about ten miles east of the
town of Daggett. At this point the
river shows very little surface flow
during the summer months, but there
is an immense underfiow at all seasons
of the year, which II Is proposed to
utilize This water is unused, neither
is 1t claimed by anyone In a way to
interfere with its use for the purpose
herein suggested.
"F. C. Finkle, one of the most COM
petent hydraulic engineers in Southern
California, has made an exhaustive
study of the Mojave river for years
past and is now engaged in making
report on the water supply of that
river-especially at the point named
for the benefit of the Mojave River
Land and Water company, corpora
ton now in process of formation for
the purpose of utilizing the underfiow
waters of that stream. He is confident
that the available water supply at the
point named Is sufficient to irrigate
10000 acres of land, but the company
proposes to bring only about half that
acreage under the system until the
amount of the water supply is fully
demonstrated.
"It is proposed to pump the water
from the underfiow, lifting 1t about
twenty-five or thirty feet, after which
it can be conveyed in cement bitches
by gravity to the lands tn be reclaimed.
MUTUAL COMPANY
when the system Is completed 1t
will become the property of mutual
kto 1fn ne
corporation will be held by the owners
of the land to be irrigated Therefore
the land owners will get the water at
actual cost price, which will be about
one dollar per acre foot or four cents
an inch for the twenty-four-ho run.
'The lands to be reclaimed are among
the best in Southern California, located
along the Salt Lake railroad. COM
\ mencing at a point about ten miles
Aeast of Daggett. About $4,000 acres
NJ these lands have been already filed
Kpon under the desert act, with view
toA taking water from the proposed
system.
"The lands are well suited to the
growth of alfalfa and general farming
crops, also to deciduous fruits. AS the
elevation is nearly 1000 feet above sea
level. it is too cold for citrus fruits,
but it is believed that apples Will do
well.
"While the firm OF T1bDot-Holt COM
pany originated this enterprise, other
prominent business men are uniting
with them to perfect the organization
OF the necessary corporations.
1--WE did not consider 1t necessary to
present our plans to the general public
until they were more fully matured,
but the publication referred to makes
it desirable that the facts, so far as
nossible, should be given so that the
public may not be misled
'"This reclamation enterprise Will be
another Imperial valley IN quality, but
not in quantity. Still, 10000 acres make
a good-sized settlement-twice the size
of Riverside"