REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON OBSERVATORIES 73 



constructed just in front of the Observatory and a few feet below. 

 The water from the spring is piped into this, but not into the Observ- 

 atory, the elevation of the spring being insufficient for this purpose. 



Judging by surface indications, Mount Lowe as a whole is not 

 well supplied with water. Nevertheless, in its canyons, even well 

 up toward the top, one may find clumps of bay and sycamore trees, 

 and these are known to require a fairly constant supply of water. 

 It is possible, therefore, that by judiciously tunneling in the vicinity 

 of these trees water could be developed in places where none is now 

 visible on the surface except immediately after rains. 



It soon became apparent that the prevailing level of the fog in the 

 Los Angeles region is higher than that for the corresponding season 

 in the neighborhood of San Francisco. It also happened to be the 

 season of maximum drift, namely, April and May. I was there- 

 fore detained at Echo mountain beyond the time limit first set for 

 my stay, the fog being around or above me fully two thirds of the 

 time. 



For this and other reasons, the suggestion to make tests at two 

 other stations on Mount Lowe was modified, and only one was 

 chosen. This was Inspiration point, at about 4,500 feet altitude, 

 and accessible from Alpine Tavern. Here fog did not trouble, and 

 tests were soon completed, several runs being made by the electric 

 road down to Lowe Observatory for comparative tests with the 

 16-inch. On the 13th of May the 9-inch was finally dismounted, 

 and the equipment was packed and sent to Los Angeles for ship- 

 ment to San Diego. 



My stay at Mount Lowe had shown that an elevation of 2,500 feet 

 would in this section be entirely insufficient to escape the prevailing 

 height of either the fog or the dust. It had also impressed upon me 

 the enormous advantage of quick and ready communication with 

 prosperous communities, such as the electric road made possible with 

 Pasadena and Los Angeles, and of the electric power which that 

 brought to hand for mechanical work. 



I have spoken of the abruptness of the San Gabriel range. The 

 usual mountain masses, however lofty, have a low altitude compared 

 with the measure of their bases. Perhaps an average proportion in 

 the California coast ranges would be that a mountain with an alti- 

 tude of 1 mile would run a base line 15 miles to reach the last of its 

 foothills. Mount Lowe has no foothills, and falls to the mesa's edge 

 in 2^ miles. Mount Wilson, adjacent on the east, higher and 

 broader, holds all its southern spurs well within a sweep of 4 miles 

 6 



