150 REPORTS OF INVESTIGATIONS AND PROJECTS. 



Miscellaneous work on the mountain included the installation of an 

 underground electric-power line to replace the pole line damaged by the 

 great storm of January, 1907; the rebuilding of several miles of telephone 

 line also injured by the storm; the construction of a concrete storehouse near 

 the Monastery; repairs of buildings, etc. 



Mount Wilson Road and Transportation. — Work on the Mount Wilson road 

 was well advanced in December, but near the end of that month and early in 

 January a succession of heavy snowstorms made it necessary to discontinue 

 operations until the close of the rainy season. So far as can be judged from 

 the information available, these storms were almost without precedent here. 

 The snow on the summit of the mountain was over 5 feet deep on a level. 

 The destructive effect of the storms was enhanced by the fact that the snow 

 was preceded by rain, which froze on the telephone and power wires and poles 

 in great masses. Below the snow-line, which extended more than half way 

 down the mountain, the precipitation of rain was enormous, and the road 

 naturally suffered severely, both from washouts and from landslides. In 

 April, when work on the road was resumed under the superintendence of 

 Mr. Jones, the repairs of the damage done by the storms necessarily occupied 

 much time. However, these operations were pushed with such vigor and 

 success that the road was ready for use on May 21, 1907. On account of the 

 precipitous nature of the mountain slopes and the many difficulties experi- 

 enced from landslides, the construction of the road has proved to be a heavy 

 undertaking. 



The electric truck, for transporting 5-ton loads over the Mount Wilson 

 road, was delivered to us in November, 1906. As the date of delivery was 

 much later than had been agreed upon, there remained no opportunity to 

 test the truck before the rainy season. After a single trip, in which the 

 truck, without load, ascended the road to a point not far below Henniger's 

 Flats, further trials had to be made in Pasadena, where no certain conclu- 

 sions could be drawn as to the truck's performance. Five-ton loads were 

 successfully hauled, for short distances, over grades as high as 17 per cent, 

 but no endurance test could be made. Early in the spring, as soon as the 

 condition of the road permitted, the mountain tests were resumed. It then 

 appeared that the power was insufficient to meet the existing conditions. 

 For this reason it became necessary to reconstruct the motors. The long time 

 required for shipment to Grand Rapids prevented the work from being done 

 in the East, and it was accordingly carried out in our own shop. The four 

 motors are mounted in the four wheels of the truck, and the small clearance 

 permitted but few changes to be made. Nevertheless, the reconstruction was 

 so successful that the power of each motor was nearly doubled. A Brennan 

 engine of 45 H. P., together with a 17 K. W. generator, were then substi- 

 tuted for the 25 H. P. Continental engine and 12 K. W. generator previously 

 employed. As thus reconstructed the truck carried 3-ton loads to the summit 



