The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-03-26
The Great Colorado Desert.
HOW 1T MAY BE RECLAIMED OR CoNVBR'
ED INTO A GREAT CHAIN OF LAKES.

HOW 1T MAY BE RECLAIMED OR CONVERT
ED INTO A GREAT CHAIN OF LAKES.
WASHINGTON. March S.-Senator Jone'
of Nevada. has received full reports OF ;
scientific exploration made at the expense
of himself and a private citizen of Califor
mia last summer for the purpose of aseer
tanning the practicability of retaining ol
submerging the great Colorado Desert by
turning into it the water of the Colorado
River or the Gulf of California. The re
port of Mr.. j. +. James, the engineer o
the expedition, and an elaborate cOmmen
/ tary upon it by MIR. II. K. Stretch, an emf
nent civil engineer of San Francisco, fur
nish the following very interesting infor
nation. much of which is entirely new:
The exploration shows that the greater
portion of the Colorado Desert, and the
Mojave Valley, and Death Valley. which
| lie north of it, are from forty TO one hun.
dred feet below the level of the sea, and
that this great desert, stretching from
Lower California to InyO county, in the
State of California, and from the base of the
| Coast Range mountains to the Colorado
River, comprising an area about 300 miles
long by 80 wide, may be converted into a
chain of lakes or irrigated by the method
! above mentioned and also that large
portion of this "desert" really consists Of
extremely fertile soil, being deep aluvium
susceptible of the highest cultivation. 1t is
further shown that the prevalence Of what
are known as sand-stOrms," and hot
desiccating winds and the deficient rain
| fall-the evils suffered by the surrounding
country and as far north rs the Tulare
valley of California-are directly traceable
to the existence of this desert, from which,
as from a great furnace, there constantly
rises in the summer time vast column OF
heated air without appreciable humidity.
Thus the moisture of the rain-bearing g
clouds, which are blown northwesterly
during the summer months from the Cult
of California, is dissipated as soon as they
reach the borders of this superheated re-
giOn, and prevented from reaching the dry
but fertile plains of California beyond.
The shells found ON the surface of this
desert prove that it has been at one time
the bed of a sea, and at a subsequent peri
cd the bed of a fresh water lake. The
shore lines of both sea and lake can still
be seen and recognized in many places
and Mr.. Stretch expressed the opinion that
the Aztec civilization of the adjacent re-
giOn in Arizona (Of which there are so
many traces) came to an end in cOnse-
quence of the climatic changes caused by
the evaporation of these vast lakes in
Southern California, after the Colorado
River had cut down its bed in the Great
Canon so deep that its course was diverted
at Colville to a southerly direc ion.
The question is suggested whether these
desert lands cannot be reclaimed by irriga-
ton, and thus saved instead of being to-
tally submerged, as it is considered certain
that covering them with vegetation would
tend to prevent the evaporation of moist
ure and at the same time act as a precipi-
tant for whatever moisture the atmosphere
may carry; or whether both plans might
not be combined.
Senator Jones expresses the opinion
that, although either course would involve
large expenditures of money, the matter
is of such public interest as to be worthy
of investigation by the Government,
which alone has the necessary resources
and appliances at command for a thor
ou2h investigation of the subject. If by
such an examination the feasibility of
the work should be demonstrated, private
capital might be found to bring the mat
ter to tht attention of Congress, with the
view to having survey made by the Gov
ernment.