Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-08-23
Nav River Cnnmnr

The San Diego World gives a description of
the country where sulphur is found so album
dainty, in the northern part of Lower California.
The New River country begins in San Diego
county, at the Indian Wells, on the road from
San Diego to Fort Yuma, and extends in a
southerly direction to the Colorado river, dis
lance of about eighty miles, and varying in
width from ten to twenty miles. The land is all
made from sediments settled during the foods
which occur usually each year. The soil is rich
very ricll-and vegetation springs from it with
luXurance unequaled except in the most fa-
yored climes. The valley having been made of
sedmentary deposits during overfows, is almost
perfectly level, except in the immediate vicinity
OF the channel or bed of the river, and therefore
can be easily irrigated and worked by side
streams, bitches or canals from the Colorado
river.
The stream of water comes from the Colorado
river, at point where the sand has accumu-
lated to such an extent that the river departing
from the old bed, wanders off into and over this
great plain. 1t is side stream, with no outlet,
running nearly north, and gradually sinking as
it wanders, until it is finally lost in the desert
When the snow melts at the head of the Colorado
river the whole of this vast country becomes
flooded and forms a lake of fresh water eighty
miles or more in length and from ten to twenty
miles broad. The inundation, however, is never
TO great depth, on account of the great extent
of level country lying on the Colorado river at
the point from which New River debouches, the
necessary rise being but few feet above the
sand bank or bar through which the Colorado
flows at this point. 1t is said that at this place
but little labor would be required to make canals
and bitches by which the supply of water from
the Colorado could be so regulated and con-
trolled that miles of the land could be flooded
and drained with more perfect system and GER
tainty than the best rice lands OF the Carolinas.
Hundreds Of miles Of this land could be SUBJ
jected to the best system of irrigation, and thou
sands of homes could be opened up to the most
lucrative branches Of agriculture.
The climate is semi-tr0pical, and rice, sugar
cotton, the orange, olive and banana can be
grown to perfection. On the west side the
CocOpah mountains protect the valley from the
winds from the Pacific. They gradually rise
out Of the sO-caled desert, near the Indian
Wells, and disappear in the mud fats and sand
banks near the mouth of the Colorado. BY a
similar outlet to the Colorado the west side of
this range Of hills-the Cocopah-is also flooded,
but of the character of the country our inform
ant could give us no description.
There are no settlements in this valley of
which Mr. Tannahill has any knowledge. He
saw nOne in fact he saw nothing but Indians
with a few horses, but no cattle. They were
friendly accepted gifts of flour and provisions,
and seemed pleased at their presence. Many OF
them had never seen wagon before, and
showed much wonder at this simple piece of
mechanism.
On each side of the river the grass grows
luxurianty-the green grass spreading out two
and half miles at the narrowest point on each
side the whole length Of the valley. Near the
Indian Wells, some parties are now busily en-
gagged in making hay; and they intend getting
machines for cutting very large quantity.
Though there had never been wagon through
the country before, Mr.. Tannahl had no diff
fcuty in making good road, and reaching
the mine in little over days drive from the
Fort Yuma road. Deer, antelope and quail are
found in abundance, and millions Of car
cases of little fish are scattered over the
ground, having been left by the retreating or
sinking waters. The mime" rises abruptly to
the hight of fifteen or twenty feet and then
gradually rises into hill-the face now exposed
being about $50 feet in length-the top is COW
cred with n light substance resembling fine
ashes. The hill of sulphur is so solid and en-
tire that it is picked off with some difficulty
with picks and crow-bars. The sulphur looks
almost exactly like the ordinary rolls of sulphnr
| purchased in stores-a shade lighter in color
and an analysis shows it to be sulphur and
| alum. We have seen large quantities of il. rbe
| mine is owned by Capt. A. II. Wilcox of this
| city, Ben, llartshon of San Francisco, James
| Tobin, George Tannahill-our informant's
| tather-and two Others, whose names we did not
learn, and they propose working the mine, as
| soon rs their title papers thereto are returned
| from La Paz, Lower California, and the grant IS
legally surveyed and judicial possession Is had,
| The mine is situated in Lower California. abont
| fifty miles below the boundary line between the
United States and Mexico, and about eight miles
west Of New River.
The Texas, and Pacific railroad will run d.
| fecly through the northern portion Of this val.
ley, or may be- just little north of il. Az no
dlsuinl DAY the whole Of il will be easy of nc
| cess from the Pacific We call the attention of
capitalists and agriculturists to the spot, and
promise that they will find the above description
IL nowse an eXaggeration.