Letter from Walter R. Bracken (Las Vegas) to Frank Strong (Los Angeles), July 27, 1939

Las Vegas - July 27, 1939 W 23-3-5 W 18-1-13 Mr. Frank Strong, Manager Industrial Dev., Los Angeles, California. Sir: Referring to our telephone conversation regarding lack of water on Stewart burial plot, regarding which Mrs. Stewart called at your office a day or two ago. since the shortage of water first apparent in May. fact, on June 15th Mrs. Stewart and her sister Tiza instructed their attorney Mr. Hinman to bring suit against the Company for damage to the burial plot and failure to live up to the terms of contract contained in deed dated December 8, 1902 which covered the sale of the Stewart ranch to William A. Clark, at which time four inches of water was reserved. After several conferences with Mr. Hinman we convinced him that we could not deliver the water if we did not have it, and avoided this suit for the time being. Fortunately, on June 20th we picked up sufficient water in reserve to permit the supply to run over the spillway at the reservoir and a good sized stream of water ran down the creek and reached the burial plot for a period of three days, Since that time no water has been delivered to the burial plot, because there Mr. Frank Strong: July 27, 1939 was not suficient water in the reservoir to spill over and run down the Creek. Last Sunday a heavy rain in Las Vegas gave us another breathing spell and we now have a full tank of water with a portion running down the Creek. Each morning we have made inspection of the burial plot but so far no water has arrived at that point. This morning we met Mrs. Stewart at the because no water had been furnished her since the middle of June. She has had the irrigation ditch cleaned out in a first class manner between the four-inch weir and the burial plot, and the reason no water is flowing into the plot weeds, moss, and debris. There is a constant flow from the open spring of approximately 246 gallons per minute which should reach the burial plot at all times, without depending on the overflow from the reservoir, but all of this water is lost for it reaches the delivery point at the four-inch weir. ln August 1936, the Railroad Company placed a drag line in service cleaning out this ditch which worked out very successfully but since that time it has again become overgrown Mr. Frank Strong: #3. July 27, 1939 with roots, weeds, and grass. I understand the drag line is now located at Lovell and will soon be moved to Las Vegas for use on the work order covering installation of 16-inch iron line from Tonopah highway to Ogden Street. In order to avoid the possibility of a law suit I would recommend this drag line be promptly moved to Las Vegas and started on the work of clearing this ditch. The land from the reservoir spillway to North Main Street is owned by the Railroad Company; that from north Main Street to the 4-inch weir is owned by the Water Company, and therefore the latter portion of the work would be charged to the Water Company. Very truly yours, cc - Mr. W. M. Jeffers. cc - Mr. Leo A. McNamee.