148 IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 



Narrows, on the south side of the Yuba River. The cost of this ditch to date has 

 been $16,000. The Alabama Bar Ditch is being constructed as rapidly as possible, 

 and is to carry water from Alabama Bar to the Oregon House Reservoir. Tunnels 

 and concrete aqueducts are to be used on the ditch instead of flumes. The tunnel 

 which is to divert the water from the river and about 35 rods of the rock foundation 

 for the aqueduct had been constructed at the time of examination in July. 



Reservoirs. 



Besides the reservoir at Oregon House Valley, the company has 10 storage lakes 

 at the head of North Yuba River, which will hold water to the extent of 6,000 24-hour 

 inches for five months in the year. 



EXCELSIOR WATER AND MINING COMPANT. 



The first water brought into Smartsville, Sucker Flat, and Timbuctoo was 

 delivered in the spring of 1852 by the Union Ditch Company. The water was taken 

 from Squirrel Creek b}^ the Triunion Ditch, which was 7 or 8 miles in length and of 

 a capacity when first dug of not more than 300 inches. Its cost was about $25,000. 

 It was afterwards enlarged to a capacity of 1,000 inches, at an additional cost of $7,000. 

 The company used a service reservoir and stored the water that came down at night, 

 thus increasing the day supply. This was then regarded as quite an undertaking and 

 provided a suflicient volume of water to supply a number of mining claims. Claims 

 were then only about 100 by 120 feet, and required about 15 to 25 inches of water, 

 and worked only the surface of the hills and bars in the little ravines. The price of 

 water was about 50 cents per inch. The actual sales amounted to about $1,800 per 

 week in the rainy season. In the dry season there was no water. 



In the winter of 1852 other water was introduced to Sucker Flat in what was and 

 is still known as The Miners Ditch. It was started in opposition to the Union Ditch 

 Company, but the two companies consolidated before it was finished. This ditch 

 took water from Deer Creek, about 1 mile east of Squirrel Creek. It was 8 miles 

 long, with a grade of 15 feet to the mile, and cost $15,000. In 1858 it was enlarged 

 to a capacity of 1,000 inches. It was abandoned in 1866, but it could be used at the 

 the present time by cleaning it out and replacing the flumes. 



The same winter, 1852-53, another company finished a ditch, the Riflle Box. This 

 ditch was 15 miles long, 8 feet wide on top, and 4 feet wide on the bottomland 3.25 feet 

 deep, and had a capacity about the same as The Miners Ditch. It cost about $40,000. 

 Water was taken from Deer Creek, near the town of Rough and Ready. Soon after-, 

 wards this company consolidated with the Union Company and formed what was 

 known as the Triunion Water Company. They had at their disposal from 800 to 

 1,000 inches during the wet season. 



During the winter of 1854—55 the survey of the Excelsior Ditch was made and 

 work commenced. Water was delivered at Sucker Flat during the winter of 1856. 

 The ditch had a grade of 10 feet to the mile, was 6 feet wide on top, 4 feet wide on 

 the hotUmi, and 2 feet deep, and had a capacity of 800 inches. The ditch was 17 

 miles long, and also took water from Deer Creek between the Riifle Box and Miners 

 ditches, but owing to its being more circuitous was longer than either of the others. 



At the same time the Excelsior Canal Company commenced the South Yuba 



