Imperial Valley press., 1912-03-11

oi< 'H''cS. NUSoIOtS OCSeTt CoHo'tio Hs
rds of the desert route is without roac
tions in Imperial and Orange counties.
The facts in regard to the two routes
are these:
On the desert route from Yuma to
Los Angeles, by way of the Salton
sink, the total distance is 3O1 g miles.
Of this POI miles, lying between Yuma
and Indio, runs through a country that
is practically all desert, with the ex-
ception of a few miles adjacent to the
town of Brawley, in Imperial county,
and in order to cross this cultivated
section the proposed desert route
makes a wide detour, adding many
miles to the distance. The best data
secured by the San Diego-ImperialYu
ma Highway Association maintains
that 176 miles of the proposed Yuma
to Los Angeles desert route is across
an absolute desert, where no fresh wa
ter, no supplies and no comforts can
be procured, and that in many places
shifting sand dunes, long stretches of
Washes fearful arroyos and deep
white sands are encountered. The
fact that ocean to ocean travel by all
tOmObile or wagon would be subjected
to these terrible conditions if the ma
, tional highway were to be built over
the desert route from Yuma to Los
Angeles is enough, in the estimation of
the people of Imperial, San Diego
and Orange counties, to deter the high
way commissions of the state of Cali
fornia and of the United States from
selecting this route.
Shortest Route to Coast
Over the San Diego route the dis
tance from Yuma to San Diego is 1901
miles, a difference of more than 10
miles in reaching the coast. Not
to exceed 40 miles of this route is
characterized by what might be termed
desert and semi-desert conditions, and
the balance is through the rich irrigat-
ed regions Of Imperial county and
the delightful hill districts of San Di-
ego county. Here are beautiful val
leys, well watered, with frequent
towns, resorts, springs, lakes, a fine,
soil for road building, and a mild and
delightful climate. From San Diego
on to Los Angeles is but 1872 miles
further, making the difference from
Yuma to Los Angeles by way of San
Diego but ten miles further than that
from Yuma to | .oS Angeles by way OF
the desert.
The route by way of San Diego of
fers great scenic attractions; delight
full climate at all times of the year, a
natural soil perfectly adapted to road
building, and much less of a grade.
/ The contrast between the two routes
/ from any point OF view is greatly i'll
! favor of the San Diego route.
Take the question of elevations. for
a comparison.
Los Angeles has an elevation of
300 feet. Banning, at the beginning
of the desert. is 23l4 feet. This is Sc
miles from Los Angeles. In the six
miles to Beaumont the climb is to an
elevation of 255S. Then, at IndiO, 1870
miles from Los Angeles, the altitude
) is but % feet, and at Mecca it is
| 1876 feet below sea level.
Through Hills and Sand
On this route, coming from Yuma
to Los Angeles, there is climb of
$3.50 feet on one fifty-mile stretch, AMI
this is in the very heart of the des
ert, where the fine white sand makes
road building almost impossible, if not
an utter impossibility
! The highest elevation on the route
from Yuma to San Diego is 1927 feet.
There is no grade that would be more
than per cent. This elevation OF
1927 feet is reached over a long, easy
grade and on a road that is hard
and firm, and where there are no
conditions that would make the main
tenance of roadway at all difficult
A. L. Westqard's Endorsement
A. L. Westgard of the American Au-
article in the American Motorist, says
OF the proposed routes:
The distance by way of the Goa
chella valley route to Los Angeles
is about 3O2 miles, of which about 1870
offer absolute desert conditions. With
the exception of a part of the route
between BraWley and Mecca, the bal
ance of the route is shown on the
Trail to Sunset" trip maps. The
choosing of this route, leaving as II
does the Imperial valley from it's most
Inortherly town, leaves the prosperous
towns of Imperial, Ell Centre, Holtville