El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-02-20

D =
necessity and practicability of a com
mercial highway for interchange OF
| business and commodities between Los
Angeles and Imperial valley, the CON-
mittee finds:
"A good highway is being built by
Riverside county through the towns OF
Beaumont Banning and Mecca to the
Riyerside-lmperial county line, 13 miles
south of Mecca.
From that point the road in Ques-
ton proceeds along the west side OF
Salton Sea to and through the prin-
cipal cities of Imperial valley. The
undeYeloped desert portion of the road
covers a distance Of only "a miles, this
/ portion lying between the Riverside
county line and the already developed
| agricultural section and good roads
I system Of the valley This desert pOr-
1 ton, however, has already been i'm
! proved to a more or less degree, which
! viii be covered in detail later in this
I report.
zone of the most striking features in
connection with the road west Of the
4 Salton Sea, a feature which indi .ates
| the entire feasibility Of this route as
an all the year round commercial high
I way. is the excellent condition of the
| rOadbed which, during the past year
has been almost entirely reconstructed,
I regarded and graVeled by the super
| visor of that districs of Imperial val
! ley. This roadbed is in such an eX-
| cellent condition that, with adequate
! bridges spanning the arrOyOs and
| washes but little work will be needed
] to put the road itself in most excel
lent condition for all the year round
/ travel.
Good Road Materials.
Closely adjacent to the road there
are large quantities of natural good
roads materials in the shape of gravel,
| concrete materials and sandstone for
culVerts and abutment With adequate
machinery, such as gravel assorters,
concrete mixers and road graders,
roadbed can be easily and economically
constructed all the way from the RiV-
erside county line to the city Of Draw
Riverside county has already let the
contract for a concrete road from Beau
mont to Banning, has provided the
funds for the construction Of the bal
ance of the road from Banning through
IndiO and Mecca to the county line,
and Los Angeles merchants would I'M
questionably derive a tremendous bene-
fit from the completion Of the ex-
tension of the road from the Riverside
county line to the city of Brawley.
'One of the interesting features
brought out by the investigation just
made is to the effect that water can
be obtained every few miles along the
desert portion OF the road. This water,
in almost every instance, can be con-
Quoted by gravity from springs at dis
tances not greater than two miles from
the road. In one instance, notably that
al Fish Springs, just south of the RlV-
erside county line, it will be nece ssary
to lift the water by windmill from the
well to a tank. flowing from the tank
by gravity to the road, only one and
One-half miles distant
I'VE later continued the trip from
Brawley to FL Centre and on to san
Diego, then returning to Los Angeles"
This was over the Borderland road.
State Asked to Aid.
All Of the southern California coun-
ties interested in an ocean-to- ocean
highway have been invited to send rep
resentatives to Sacramento next month,
when the entire matter of the two op-
posing routes viii be threshed out be-
fore the senate and assembly commit
tees on highways.
The meeting will be held March is
in the assembly chamber. 1t is eN-
pected that San Diego, Imperial, Riv-
erside, San BernadiHo and Los Angeles
counties viii all be well represented at
this meeting.
Assemblyman Alvey is sponsor for a
bill which asks the state to apprO-
PIRATE the sum Of 100000 to build the
road by way of Pomona, Ontario, Col
ton, Banning, Palm Springs, Indio,
Thermal Mecca, thence around the
western edge Of SaltOn Sea to Draw
ley and thence on to Yuma. In addi-
ton to the amount asked from the
the sum of 100000 and san BernadinO
county $780, 600 if the highway is built
along this route. This would make a
fund of 100000 available, or 100000
if the state makes the appropriation.
The other route suggested for the
highway is embodied in a bill intro
duced by assent Iyman Wills, of Inn
perial county. This calls for the con-
sruction of the road through Orange
county to San Diego. thence across the
San Diego mountains to FL Centre, to
Holtvillc and across TO Yuma.
Battle For Road.
Several preliminary skirmishes over
the two cOntesting routes were held at
Sacramento during the recent legisla-
tive session, but the big battle VIII be
fought when the legislators convene
again and the committees Of the two
houses are called upon to decide which
route should be given their sanction in
recommending an appropriation.
The state board of control in its re-
port to the legislature recommended
an appropriation by the state of $780,
00C to complete the highway by the
San DiegO-El Centric route, upon the
condition that similar sum is re-
ceived from the federal government
The bill introduced by wills however,
makes no provision for government
aid, and merely asks for 100000 from
the state to build the road.
The people of Riverside and San Ber-
nadine counties are so earnest in their
desires to have the road follow the
route provided in Avey's bill that they
have not only pledged themselves to
contribute 100000 for that purpose
but they have declared that if this
route is not chosen to be the object Of
state aid they viii FORM new county
in the south by taking a portion Of I'M
perial county and join it with a sec
tion Of Riverside county, and then build
the road with money provided by the
three counties.
The representatives of San Diego and
Orange counties, in the senate and
assembly. have Joined issues with as
semblyman Wills in support of his
bill, while those from Riverside. San
Bernadino and Los Angeles are stand
ing by Alvey in favor Of the state