Imperial Valley press., 1915-01-14
Times Tries to
Capture Road


went into low speed once during the
whole trip, and a less powerful car
could have made the trip without diff
flculty or danger.
Zone of the reasons assigned for
rebuilding this road into a state bou
levard is that it is too dangerous for
ordinary travel Mr.. Hanshue told
me that in one of the Phoenix races
his automobile lighting system went
out of commission at San Diego AID
he made the whole trip over the noun
tain road at racing speed at night
This would indicate that il IS not very
| terrible.
"The road was built b. San Diego
county and is in excellent condition
1t seems rather tough taat Los An
geles should go without any road
while the state highway money goes
to reinforce a road that is already
amply sufficient for all needs.
However, the die is cast and the
state boulevard is already under con
struction. 1t will follow the present
highway from the Imperial Valley
entrance to a point about ten miles
east of Campo. From this point, the
projected state highway will branch
off to Descanso; thence through AL
pine, Ell Cajon, La Mesa and into Sar
Diego. This will give San Diego two
ends of the Ocean to Ocean highway
In other words, the highway will b,
picked up at Yuma; carried to E
Centro over the proposed sandhills
road. From Ell Centre this highway
will be connected with the new stat,
highway through the mountains.
In order to seize upon the nationa
boulevard and twist it toward Sal
Diego when it leaves Yuma, the Sal
Diego people have been obliged to re
sort to some extraordinary and freal
road building. This is the sandhill.
route, by which they hope to elimi
nate the Mammoth Wash route te
Los Angeles.
"These sandhills are enormous
heaps of drifting sand that have beer
shifting to and fro for centuries with
out number. The shifting sands OBJ
literate roads as fast as they are
tullt. The proposal is to make a sole
roadbed of wooden planks, fastened
together at the ends. In other words
the traffic over this part of the des
ert between Yuma and Holtville will
cross big raft for a distance OF
about five miles. Lieutenant Cover
nor Eshleman has promised to boos
through the legislature an appropri
alton of 100000 for the construction
of this raft road.
I'm the meantime, realizing the ne
cesslty of immediate action, the Sar
Diego business men, under the leader
ship of Colonel Ed S. Fletcher, have
guaranteed the lumber bills, and the
planks have been ordered. In orde,
to insure the building of this section
of the San Diego Yuma road. the pro
moters thereof have proposed appeal.
ing to the legislature, to Congress ano
to Imperial county for an appropria.
ton of 100000. 1t is evident that
the sandhills road will be built and
paid for somehow or other.
Due to their enterprise, it is GER
tain that San Diego will succeed in
bringing one end of the Ocean-t tn
Ocean boulevard into that city. II
remains to be seen whether Los An.
geles will stir up enough action to
trlng another fork of the terminu
here or whether we are to be left ont
altogether on the Ocean to Ocean bon
levard project
The Los Angeles route lies fror,
Yuma, through Ogilby, Glamis, Nam
moth and Mammoth Wash. In the
opinion of Mr.. Herrick and Mr.. Han
Shue, who have driven over botn
routes many times, in races and out.
there is no comparison between the
two roads. The Mammoth Wash
route is immeasurably the better
Mr.. Herrick states that a whole for
est of planks will never be able TO
keep the road clear; that the San
Diego people will come out some dav
to find their raft under a chain of
SAND mountains. A good road could
easily be made through the wash.
ut goes without saying that the
southern Imperial Valley towns favor