#CLIRWater Archives - Page 3 of 31

April 10, 2019September 14, 2021 by cgu-gitiz

Scanning Experience

I have now scanned many different types of documents. The books are easier to scan than many other forms of documents. For example, thinner papers are difficult
to position. Once the scanner door is shut they tend to move around.

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”,”serif”;}

April 9, 2019September 14, 2021 by swaminathanv

Telegrams and more letters….

This week I continued to work on the collections from the A.K. Smiley Public Library. The items I worked on mainly consisted of receipts, telegrams and letters. Most of the telegrams this week were sent to James T. Taylor, the engineer in-charge at the Bear Valley Company. The main subject that was discussed through these telegrams was the installation of telephone lines and the rates at which they were charged. What was surprising were the prices. The connections were given on a contract basis. The 6-month contract was worth a mere $17.50 and the annual contract was worth just $35.

Looking at the telephone per month prices now, we have come a long way (even excluding the 4G charges). Some of the items I scanned in the previous weeks had telegrams where information regarding the tapping of the telephone wires were discussed. Though I still haven’t found any items where the reason for tapping them was given, I am curious to find out why.

There were a few receipts that were sent from the Stroll & Thayer Company, which were known for selling books and stationary items. A lot of the articles that were listed in the receipt were mainly crayons and books.

Another set of telegrams contained information regarding shipment of instruments, raw materials required to build a ‘C’ shaped galvanized iron flume along with any additional raw materials. The constructions costs were also enclosed along with some of the telegrams. What was surprising to me was that James T. Taylor, the engineer-in-charge had to oversee all the above mentioned activities. Usually an engineer’s work is very specific and related only to a particular department such as civil, electrical or electronic. Whereas, in this case apart from doing his job as an engineer, he was managing the complete process.

April 5, 2019September 14, 2021 by swaminathanv

Padlocks, keys and pipes…

This week I continued working on the metadata for collections from the A.K. Smiley Public Library. Most of the items consisted of letters, telegraphs, receipts and memorandums. The main subjects that were discussed through the letters were the ordering of pipes, padlocks with keys for the factories and other raw materials required for building iron flumes. Once these iron flumes were built, they played a key role in developing cottonwood plants. As most of us know, cottonwood is used widely in the production of paper. Some of the letters also asked for confirmation from the recipients on the delivery of goods that were being shipped.

The receipts were dated between 1891 and 1892 where shipments took place from every 2 days up to every 2 months. They consisted of the list of items that were being billed along with their weights in pounds and the quantity of items.

The telegraphs mainly sent information regarding scheduling and arrival of goods that were being shipped. One of the key places where these shipments took place was from Wilmington. When I did a little bit of research on the history of Wilmington, it was stated that it is where the Port of Los Angeles District is located. Thus, it was through this port that iron flumes, pipes and other raw materials were shipped for the Bear Valley Irrigation Company. One of the chief engineers of the company, James T. Taylor, had handled all the shipment details.

April 4, 2019September 14, 2021 by vinht

The Tragedy of Expression 10000 XL the Wide

Did you ever hear the tragedy of Expression 10000 XL the Wide? It’s a CCEPS legend. Expression 10000 XL was a Scanner of the Epson, so fat and so wide it could use the Electrons to influence the Computers to create 600 dpi PDF and TIFF files… It had such a yuugggeeee scanning surface that it could even… scan some oversize items. It became so powerful… the only things it was afraid of were A3 or larger items, which, of course, we have plenty of. Unfortunately, the same scanning technology also exists in yuugggeeeer machines. Ironic. It could immortalize documents through digitization… but not itself.

April 4, 2019September 14, 2021 by cgu-gitiz

Flooding

Iran is hit with 3^rd major flood in 2 weeks and
some areas of the country are “completely submerged with residents stranded on
their rooftops.” According to the New York Times, “numerous rivers had burst
their banks and landslides blocked many roads.” If you google “Iran flood” you
will see an SOS Alert pop up in your search. Thus far, at least 62 people are dead
following major flood over much of the country. As I was scanning “An Historic and Hydrologic report of the
Flood of February – March 1938 in San Bernardino County, California,” I came
across accounts of people suffering from excess rainfall in Claremont,
CA. This is an excerpt from the report,

“Claremont, which
received the brunt of the storm runoff overflow from San Antonio Canyon Wash yesterday afternoon
and last night,
today surveyed damage from the worst flood in its history. The flood broke out of
the wash channel at Baseline Avenue and ran to Monte Vista Avenue. From there it rushed south
to Foothill
and along that highway into Claremont. Scripps College buildings were flooded
to the first floor. Basements of Pomona College buildings were flooded, as
were also basements
in the business and residential districts. Students of both institutions
were isolated in the buildings but were in no danger. Both Scripps and Pomona College were without
heat or light
last night.”

Reference

Iran Hit With 3rd Major Flood in 2 Weeks: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/01/world/middleeast/iran-flood.html

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE

April 1, 2019September 14, 2021 by cgu-gitiz

Flood Control and Water Conservation in San Bernardino County

Today
I was going through the history of the San Bernardino County Flood Control
District and some of the people to whom it owes its success. John Andreson,
Jr., Supervisor, Fifth District, 1926-1940, is one of those people. His father,
Mr. Andreson, Sr., was a native of Schleswig–Holstein, which is Germany’s
northernmost state. During the 12,900 acre mountain fire in 1911, which raged
from July to August Mr. Andreson made 46 trips to the fire lines and fought it
-along many others – before finally overcoming it. He was also a pioneer in the
valley’s citrus fruit industry and owned vast citrus acreage in the county.
Further, he was an avid motion picture fan which is something close to my
heart.

On
the day he died, flags on all city and county buildings and offices in San
Bernardino and nearby communities were lowered to half-mast out of deep respect
to his memory.You
can read more about him in “Some History and Biographical Sketches of People
who have been influential in Flood Control and Water Conservation in San
Bernardino County, 1939-1977.”

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE

March 27, 2019September 14, 2021 by swaminathanv

Receipts, letters and postcards…

This week I continued digitizing collections from the A. K. Smiley Public Library. The materials consisted of a mixture of postcards, letters, invoices and receipts. Most of the materials were sent to James. T. Taylor (sometimes also referred to as Jas T. Taylor). James T. Taylor of Pomona was one of the investigators who was selected by a board of committee members to investigate and ascertain the most reliable and at the same time the cheapest water supply to the City of Perris. Thus, he examined all known water sites around the San Jacinto Mountains.

The receipts were from the Southern California Coal and Clay Co. and the invoices were from the Pacific Clay Manufacturing Co. The content of the receipts and the invoices were mainly raw materials that were required such as pipes, tubes, etc. in order to conduct an inspection and determine possible pipeline routes that could be built. The postcards were sent on the purpose of notifying James T. Taylor about the shipping of materials, sometimes asking for measurements and dimensions of the materials that were required.

The letters were exchanged between James T. Taylor and the committee members regarding the progress of the investigation and some of the letters gave updates on any possible solutions that could be implemented immediately.

March 21, 2019September 14, 2021 by cgu-gitiz

Tif Files

This
week I have been mainly scanning documents. In my opinion, tif files require
special care as completing the excel file is by far a more daunting task. But
of course one learns from experience.

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE

March 20, 2019September 14, 2021 by vinht

Computers of Yesteryear, Epilogue: Organ Harvesting

At the end of their painful journey, the aging machines will not shut off gently and surrounded by 8-bit lovers, rather, a more gruesome fate awaits them. Their plastic shells will be shattered, components ripped apart from their motherboards; then, chips and wires will be melted in the smoldering flame for metals, from the common to the rare. At the end of the conveyor belts, elements are recycled and again put together for newer, better electronic parts. When they are finally connected in a new casing and the power button pressed, a new unit is born; the cycle continues.

March 15, 2019September 14, 2021 by swaminathanv

Irrigation on the Bear Valley…

This week I started working on a collection from the A. K. Smiley Public Library. The items that were present here so far consisted mainly of letters that were exchanged between Jas T. Taylor, who was then the engineer in-charge at the Bear Valley Irrigation Company and the various suppliers to the company. Some of the key elements that I noticed in these exchanges were the quick implementation of proposed developments. Due to this, apart from letters, some of the exchanges took place through telegrams where a majority of them had only a day’s difference.
The key companies that I have seen so far were the California Marble and Building Stone Co., Union Lime Co. (which was mainly involved in mining activities) and the Spreckels Bros. Commercial Co. When I did a little research, I found out that the Spreckels Bros. Commercial Co. mainly dealt in establishing a trade between the mainland United States and the Hawaiian Islands. As I begin to work further on the items, I am curious to find out the nature and purpose of these exchanges and what the outcomes were. As we can see, even though the broader topic mainly connects to the Bear Valley Irrigation Company, there were other major companies as mentioned above that also played a key role in the irrigation process.