﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  107 
  

  

  through 
  85 
  feet 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  clay, 
  struck 
  the 
  quicksand 
  at 
  that 
  depth, 
  through 
  

   which 
  it 
  was 
  continued 
  10 
  feet 
  further. 
  This 
  well 
  was 
  piped 
  up 
  12 
  feet 
  above 
  

   the 
  surface, 
  the 
  water 
  then 
  rose 
  four 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  pipe. 
  

  

  Other 
  wells 
  here 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  character, 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  be- 
  

   ing 
  between 
  64° 
  and 
  65° 
  Fahr., 
  and 
  presenting 
  the 
  same 
  characteristics 
  as 
  the 
  

   wells 
  at 
  Westminster. 
  

  

  Going 
  from 
  Compton 
  towards 
  Wilmington 
  a 
  ridge 
  is 
  passed, 
  beyond 
  which 
  

   no 
  water 
  has 
  been 
  struck, 
  although 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  Dominguez 
  Hill 
  several 
  nat- 
  

   ural 
  artesian 
  outflows 
  occur. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  settlement 
  of 
  Los 
  Nietos, 
  lying 
  between 
  Los 
  Angeles 
  and 
  Anaheim 
  , 
  

   flowing 
  wells 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  obtained. 
  The 
  borings 
  passed 
  through 
  the 
  same 
  

   strata 
  and 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  similar 
  in 
  character 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  wells 
  at 
  Compton 
  

   and 
  Westminster. 
  

  

  By 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  county 
  map, 
  you 
  will 
  see 
  that 
  this 
  artesian 
  water 
  has 
  

   been 
  struck 
  in 
  a 
  line 
  parallel 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  ranges 
  and 
  the 
  coast, 
  

   but 
  cutting 
  the 
  water 
  courses 
  at 
  right 
  angles. 
  

  

  The 
  question 
  is, 
  does 
  a 
  subterranean 
  basin 
  exist 
  under 
  these 
  plains, 
  fed 
  by 
  

   the 
  rainfall 
  in 
  the 
  mountains, 
  which 
  finds 
  its 
  way 
  in 
  through 
  crevices 
  in 
  the 
  

   foot-hills, 
  and 
  is 
  confined 
  in 
  place 
  by 
  the 
  strata 
  of 
  clay 
  and 
  cement, 
  dis- 
  

   charging 
  its 
  surplus 
  through 
  the 
  springs 
  or 
  natural 
  artesian 
  wells 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  ? 
  

   Or 
  is 
  there 
  a 
  subterranean 
  river, 
  running 
  through 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  quicksand, 
  filling 
  

   what 
  was 
  perhaps 
  an 
  old 
  canon 
  or 
  barranca, 
  and 
  having 
  spurs 
  or 
  offshoots 
  to 
  

   the 
  natural 
  springs 
  mentioned, 
  but 
  emptying 
  its 
  main 
  volume 
  of 
  water 
  under 
  the 
  

   sea? 
  

  

  Since 
  the 
  boring 
  of 
  these 
  wells 
  no 
  sensible 
  diminution 
  has 
  been 
  noticed 
  in 
  

   their 
  flow, 
  nor 
  has 
  the 
  volume 
  of 
  water 
  lessened 
  in 
  the 
  natural 
  springs. 
  

  

  Were 
  some 
  definite 
  idea 
  formed 
  of 
  the 
  character 
  and 
  extent 
  of 
  this 
  subterra- 
  

   nean 
  water, 
  so 
  that 
  boring 
  might 
  be 
  prevented 
  in 
  localities 
  where 
  no 
  water 
  will 
  

   be 
  found, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  of 
  great 
  benefit 
  to 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  these 
  counties. 
  

  

  If, 
  also, 
  a 
  careful 
  record 
  were 
  kept 
  of 
  the 
  number, 
  position 
  and 
  average 
  flow 
  

   of 
  the 
  wells 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  year, 
  it 
  would 
  go 
  far 
  towards 
  proving 
  whether 
  the 
  

   supply 
  could 
  be 
  diminished 
  by 
  an 
  increased 
  number 
  of 
  wells, 
  and 
  whether 
  this 
  

   means 
  of 
  obtaining 
  water 
  could 
  be 
  depended 
  on 
  for 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  

   on 
  a 
  large 
  scale. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  S. 
  C. 
  Hastings 
  read 
  a 
  paper 
  upon 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  frost 
  on 
  

   grape 
  vines, 
  and 
  certain 
  apparent 
  eccentricities 
  in 
  its 
  action, 
  in 
  in- 
  

   juring 
  vines 
  in 
  portions 
  of 
  Napa 
  county, 
  while 
  others 
  similarly 
  sit- 
  

   uated, 
  and 
  directly 
  adjoining, 
  were 
  comparatively 
  uninjured. 
  All 
  

   of 
  the 
  vines 
  were 
  of 
  foreign 
  varieties, 
  and 
  those 
  unaffected 
  by 
  the 
  

   frost 
  were 
  trained 
  to 
  willow-stakes 
  two 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  

   ground 
  ; 
  the 
  others 
  were 
  not 
  so 
  trained. 
  The 
  subject 
  was 
  further 
  

   discussed 
  by 
  Messrs. 
  Dameron 
  and 
  Hastings. 
  

  

  