﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  105 
  

  

  of 
  its 
  area, 
  slope 
  gradually 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  coast 
  northward 
  to 
  the 
  foot-hills 
  of 
  the 
  

   Sierra 
  Madre. 
  This 
  mountain 
  range 
  rises 
  abruptly 
  from 
  the 
  plain 
  to 
  a 
  

   height 
  approximating 
  10,000 
  feet; 
  and 
  is 
  distant 
  about 
  forty 
  miles 
  from 
  San 
  

   Pedro 
  Bay. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  trend 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  line, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  the 
  Sierra, 
  is 
  east 
  and 
  west. 
  

   During 
  the 
  winter 
  season 
  the 
  highest 
  points 
  of 
  the 
  Sierra 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  

   snow. 
  

  

  Even 
  during 
  a 
  dry 
  season, 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  water 
  brought 
  down 
  from 
  this 
  ex- 
  

   tensive 
  water-shed 
  is 
  great 
  ; 
  the 
  three 
  principal 
  rivers 
  which 
  carry 
  it 
  off, 
  viz 
  : 
  

   the 
  New 
  and 
  Old 
  San 
  Gabriel, 
  and 
  the 
  Santa 
  Ana, 
  being 
  swollen 
  into 
  torrents- 
  

   During 
  the 
  summer, 
  however, 
  these 
  streams 
  dwindle 
  into 
  rivulets, 
  frequently 
  

   sinking 
  in 
  their 
  sandy 
  beds 
  and 
  becoming 
  lost 
  before 
  reaching 
  the 
  sea. 
  

  

  The 
  gardens 
  and 
  orchards 
  of 
  Los 
  Angeles 
  are 
  watered 
  from 
  a 
  ditch 
  cut 
  from 
  

   the 
  Los 
  Angeles 
  river, 
  a 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Gabriel 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  vineyards 
  of 
  An- 
  

   naheim 
  derive 
  their 
  supply 
  in 
  a 
  similar 
  manner 
  from 
  the 
  Santa 
  Ana. 
  This 
  

   supply 
  is, 
  however, 
  even 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  limited, 
  and 
  should 
  these 
  towns 
  

   grow 
  to 
  any 
  considerable 
  size, 
  other 
  means 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  devised. 
  

  

  Artesian 
  well 
  borings 
  were 
  commenced 
  some 
  years 
  since. 
  They 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  

   success, 
  according 
  to 
  my 
  observation, 
  only 
  in 
  a 
  narrow 
  belt 
  extending 
  across 
  the 
  

   plain 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  parallel 
  with 
  the 
  coast 
  line 
  and 
  the 
  mountain 
  range. 
  

  

  In 
  presenting 
  the 
  few 
  facts 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  gathered, 
  I 
  wish 
  more 
  particularly 
  

   to 
  invite 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  by 
  others 
  better 
  informed, 
  than 
  to 
  present 
  any 
  

   theory 
  of 
  my 
  own. 
  

  

  Lying 
  immediately 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  line 
  of 
  Los 
  Angeles 
  county 
  are 
  a 
  succession 
  

   of 
  isolated 
  hills. 
  The 
  principal 
  of 
  these, 
  San 
  Pedro 
  Hill, 
  lies 
  west 
  of 
  Wilming- 
  

   ton, 
  and 
  attains 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  1,473 
  feet. 
  The 
  first 
  east 
  of 
  Wilmington, 
  and 
  

   down 
  the 
  coast, 
  is 
  Los 
  Cerritos, 
  355 
  feet 
  ; 
  the 
  second. 
  Landing 
  Hill, 
  63 
  feet 
  ; 
  

   the 
  third, 
  the 
  Bolsas 
  Chica, 
  61 
  feet, 
  and 
  the 
  fourth, 
  the 
  Bolsas 
  Grande, 
  119 
  

   feet. 
  At 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  these 
  hills, 
  east 
  of 
  Wilmington, 
  are 
  strong 
  springs 
  of 
  

   soft 
  water, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  called 
  natural 
  artesian 
  wells. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  remarkable 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  at 
  the 
  rancho 
  or 
  farm 
  house 
  of 
  the 
  Alami- 
  

   tos. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  circular 
  opening, 
  about 
  five 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter. 
  The 
  water 
  comes 
  up 
  

   in 
  considerable 
  force, 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  spring 
  being 
  at 
  times 
  several 
  inches 
  

   above 
  the 
  edges. 
  

  

  The 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  64° 
  Fahr., 
  being 
  almost 
  undrinkable 
  when 
  

   taken 
  from 
  the 
  spring. 
  It 
  brings 
  up 
  in 
  suspension 
  particles 
  of 
  mica 
  and 
  sand. 
  

  

  Similar 
  springs 
  are 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  Bolsas 
  Chica 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  small 
  hills, 
  the 
  

   temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  being 
  the 
  same 
  in 
  all, 
  and 
  corresponding 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  

   the 
  artesian 
  wells. 
  

  

  Thirteen 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  coast 
  is 
  located 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Anaheim. 
  Here 
  an 
  

   artesian 
  well 
  was 
  sunk 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  200 
  feet 
  through 
  sand 
  and 
  clay, 
  finally 
  en- 
  

   countering 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  boulders. 
  Here 
  the 
  work 
  was 
  stopped, 
  no 
  water 
  having 
  

   been 
  obtained. 
  A 
  well 
  was 
  sunk 
  near 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Wilmington, 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  

   over 
  400 
  feet, 
  without 
  success. 
  Half 
  way 
  between 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Anaheim 
  and 
  

   the 
  sea 
  coast, 
  lies 
  the 
  hamlet 
  or 
  town 
  of 
  Westminster. 
  Here 
  some 
  34 
  artesian 
  

  

  