THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



441 



in relation to their openings. Any flow of water through 

 the tube and into the pan tends to close the valve and 

 restrict the flow of water. A small hole in the bottom of 

 the pan allows this water to escape and a weight and 

 spring opens the valve again, thus keeping the flow over 

 the weir at a constant height. 



"The pumps were built to specifications. They are 

 all of the double-suction type, having the cases split hori- 

 zontally, both suction and discharge connections being in 

 the lower half of the case, allowing the removal of upper 



one to stations Nos. 3, 4 and 5, and to the town of Pat- 

 terson across the railroad. The circuits were designed to 

 have a loss of 5 per cent at maximum load. Each motor 

 has its own controlling panel with switch, starting com- 

 pensator, ammeter and overload release. Each station 

 further is provided with low voltage release. At the main 

 transformer station are provided wattmeters and record- 

 ing voltmeters." 



This large ranch, consisting of approximately 18,000 

 acres, lies in the heart of "Sunny Stanislaus," between the 





Digging Main Canal, Patterson Ranch, California. 



half of case, the runner and shaft, without disturbing pipe 

 connections. The 15-inch pumps are provided with a 24- 

 inch suction and 20-inch discharge, this 20-inch discharge 

 increasing to 24 inches within 4 feet after leaving the pump. 

 Each pump has a separate suction provided with a foot 

 valve having a clear area of 140 per cent of the connecting 

 pipe. The 20-inch pumps have 30-inch suction and 24- 

 inch discharge valves, increasing to 30-inch as above. In 

 the normal running of the plant, the water in the canal 

 ahead would serve to prime the pumps, but to obviate any 

 difficulty which might arise if the canal were empty, an 

 air compressor, driven by an individual motor, has been 

 installed in each station with a system of piping connected 

 to the pumps. These compressors used as air pumps soon 



San Joaquin river and the Southern Pacific Railroad, 108 

 miles southeast of San Francisco. The San Joaquin Val- 

 ley is one of the richest in the state; Stanislaus is one of 

 the richest counties in the valley; the Patterson ranch is 

 the best ranch in Stanislaus county, and probably in the 

 state of California. 



The soil, which is of an enormous depth and of al- 

 luvial sedimentary deposit in character, is exceedingly fer- 

 tile. It is of a grayish brown color, easily pulverized and 

 irrigated and responds readily to the good care of the 

 husbandman. Almost any product of California can be 

 successfully grown here. 



The San Joaquin river is navigable from the ranch to 

 San Francisco, and to Sacramento, the state capital. The 



San Joaquin River at Point Where Water Is Pumped for Patterson Irrigation System. 



discharge the main pump. Each pump is driven by an in- 

 ductive motor of proper size by means of a silent chain. 



"The motors are wound for 2,300-volt, 60-cycle alter- 

 nating current, and the power is supplied from a public 

 transmission line which brings the current 39 miles from 

 the main power line at 60,000 volts transforming- it to 

 the lower tension near station No. 2 of the irrigating sys- 

 tem. From this point three 2,300-volt circuits are taken off, 

 one to the river, or station No. 1; one to station No. 2, and 



many thousand bushels of grain that have been raised in 

 years past on this mammoth ranch have largely been 

 transported to the markets of the world on boats loaded 

 at the east side of this ranch. This fact and feature in- 

 sures cheap transportation. The San Joaquin river bounds 

 the tract on the east, and the San Francisco-Los Angeles 

 line of the Soutnern Pacific Company runs along the west 

 side of the ranch for its entire length, the ranch being 

 (Continued on page 476.) 



