File:Pacific service magazine (1918) (14760319666).jpg

Identifier: pacificservicema1019paci (find matches)
Title: Pacific service magazine
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Subjects: Pacific Gas and Electric Company Electric utilities Electrical engineering Public utilities
Publisher: San Francisco : Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Contributing Library: San Francisco Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: San Francisco Public Library

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clam-shell (and, incidentally,with the growth of theState, a greater demandfor good land) a greatimpetus was given toreclamation in the Deltaterritory, and since thattime it has progressedso rapidly that practic-ally all of the availableland in that extensiveregion is now well reclaimed and undercultivation. In the earlier history of the reclama-tion no particular attention was paid todrainage; no canals were put in andin very few instances were even smallditches put in. Pumping plants did notexist, but with the advent of the dredgersand the resulting safer levees that wereconstructed, the reclamationists came torealize that it was quite as important toput in a drainage system as to constructa levee system. The necessity of this,however, was not forcibly driven homeuntil well into the nineties, and althoughprevious to that time some pumpingplants had been installed—all of which, ■^■^V^T*^ -^1^^ s^mmn P tm m. r*- Caterpillar carrying hemp to the mill. 38 Pacific Service Mag.\zine
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Hemp mill on the Rindge tract. by the way, were steam-driven—but verylittle was done toward the developmentof a canal and ditch system to supplyWaaler to the pump, and in no instancewas anywhere near an adequate pump-ing capacity installed. In some of theearlier small reclamations, attempts wereeven made to pump the surplus water bymeans of windmills. In these early days of reclamation, theonly power that was available for pump-ing purposes was steam, and it was notuntil about 1900 that gas engines came tobe used, and these, in the stage of theirdevelopment at that time, were very un-satisfactory. The installation of a steamplant was very expen-sive; fuel oil had notcome into general useand the steaming wasdone with coal whichhad to be shipped andreshipped to get it to itsdestination; all of whichmade it very difficult andexpensive to maintainsatisfactory pumpingfacilities sufficient forthe necessities of the rec-lamations. The advent of electric-ity revolutionized thedrainage syste

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