The Arizona sentinel., 1878-01-26
Irrigation of the San Diego Desert
 from the Colorado River.

This scheme has long been a hobby of Dr. Wozencraft, of San Bernardino. Several bills prepar- ed by him have been introduced in Congress for securing govern ment aid to the project. The area, not only below the level of the river, but actually below the level of the sea, has been carefully sur veyed and computed at 1900 square miles, or 1,O24,OO0 acres. This tract lies wholly within the United States and is already traversed by the Southern Pacific railroad. An other immense area of the same level adjoins it, on Mexican soil. Its fertility is amply demonstrat- ed, wherever water saturates the soil. At intervals of years occur heavy rains, which are followed by rank growths of weeds and flowers, even on spots that appear most sterile when dry. Unusually high tides, occurring when the Colorado is swollen by summer thaws of snows at its sources, set back its waters and cause them to flow over it's banks and for miles upon the desert. The course of this occasional stream is called New river. Groves of huge, dry weeds, inches in diameter, attest the fertility of the desert soil, wherever watered from this New river. Unfortunately the easiest points of overflow lie below the boundary and in Mexico. No gov ernment aid can be given for cut ting a canal on foreign soil. Above the Pot Holes, F miles above Yu- ma, it is idle to think of taking from the river canals for reclaim ing the California desert; the mountains are too high. Below the Pot Holes Lieut.. Wheeler re- ports that:
 There are no formidable mountain ranges on the west side of the river, except a short detached range called the Carga Muchacho and Pilot Knob. The divide between these mountains is about PTS feet, while the alti- tude of the wate- surface at Fort Yuma is l2O feet A canal through this opening would therefore require acutting of nearly 16O feet, and besides would have to cut through the sand ridge west of Pilot Kno5 in order to gain lower ground more rapidly than by keeping to the north of the sand hills. Even in this case the length of the canal, from Fort Yuma to the point where the surface of the ground is of the same altitude of the water surface at the latter place, would be at least thirty miles long. These conclusions are arrived at from data obtained from the Texas Pacific railroad survey, and also by levels run by my party from Hanlon's ferry over the divide north of Pilot Knob. In order that the canal should be entirely within the California boundary, it must cross the divide to the north of Pilot Knob. This, as has already been shown, would necessitate long, deer cutting, partly through rock, and pas sage through the sand ridge. This passage could only be effected by means of Hume or tunnel, to protect it from filling III with sand 4 canal from some point below the boundary would be more practicable and less expensive in construction anC maintainance. Surveys show that there il
 a steady descent. with but few breaks, iron the altitude of 127S9 feet, at Fort Yuma, tC 3S.8 feet below the sea level at point 6. miles west of Indian Wells. From this coint the rise is rapid and constant up tt to the mountains which border the deser on the west.
 A flow of one cubic foot per sec
 ond is ample for the irrigation O.
 200 acres. The flow of water a Yuma, III March, 1876, was ascer
 tained to be 7658 cubic feet pel second; but at other seasons, par ticularly in May and June, tht
 quantity of water is estimated tt be double this amount or more