The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-04-19
MAKING THE DESERT BLOOM.
RECL4IMING THE WASTES OF
CALIFORNIA.

An Enterprise to Create an Inland Saa
and Make Southern California and
Arizona Blossom Like Rose.-A Re-
gion of Great Mineral Wealth and
Resources. ...
General Fremont, Governor of
Arizona. has submitted to the prop
CT authorities at Washington a plan
for b,in ging tho waters of tho Gulf
of California back to what is sun
posed to be their old basin in
Southern California. This basin,
which is now a dry apd sandy
desert, is 200 miles long, 80 miles
wide and in it's central part is $50
feet below the level Of the sea. It
les between Southern California
! aud Arizona, and is unfit for the
susterance Of man or boast. Gen~
eral Fremont said to Now York
Uerold reporter, in answer to the
questi, as to how he proposed
creating this inland sea :--"It is
perfectly feasible. Between the
upper end Of tho Gulf Of California
and the basin or valley in question
n ridge Of land interposes, through
which it is proposed to cut canal
for a distance of ten miles to p lake
about twenty miles long, and at the
other end Of the lake continue the
canal some fifteen miles more. The
cost might be $1.0OO,OOo and the
time necessary for the work perhaps
six months, but the benefits to the
two States Of California and Arizona
would be incalculable. The great
wants of Southern California and
the adjoining region Of Arizona are
water and moisture. On the eastern
slope Of the low range of mountains
that separates this basin from Ari.
zona all is dry and barren as in the
basin itself. The heat is intolerable
and no vegetation is possible. The
Introduction of this groat body OF
water would change the whole fece
of things. It would induce cool and
tempeling winds to blow over and
form clouds to moistep tho parche,l
arid plains. In short, it would
make the whole surrounding coun ,
try to blossom like rose"
Have you an idea that this
desert basin was once filed with
water"
"Certainly; oil the evidence goes
TO show that such was the case.
Number]ess sea shells may be OBJ
, served on it's surface, and the gen
eral soil and formation is that OF the
bed Of a dried up sea-"
! 'How is the project regarded out
there?"
sit is quite popular. It would
be the means of redeeming South
eastern California and Southwestern
Arizona. Sonora, to the South of
Arizona, is very fertile because it
has water, and thers is no reason
why these other regions should not
be the same" l.... =
"How far has the undertaking
progressed 2"
We'll, the plan, briefly drawn, is
in Washington, where T intend pro-
oeeding this week and having it
submitted to tho President. If
approved, as T feel pretty we'll as
sured it will be, surveys Of the land
through which the course of tho
canal will be laid, must be made byI
officers detailed by the government,
and pfter that Congress will bel
asked to make the necessary appro-
priation for what will be national
work. 1t has been very favorably
thought of by all the gentlemen in
Washington with whom conversed.
The canal should, T think, be made
deep and wide enough to admit
such vessels aid steamers as sail
the Pacific. Another result of
creating this inland sea would be to
develop settlements around it's
border, whore there is nothing to
be seen now but the barren sand
and sage brush. The great object,
however, of forming this vast Sheet
Of water is to temper the heat Of the
climate and Introduce 4 moisture in
the atmosphere, to which it is now a
stranger The one grand disidera-
tum is rain that will make vegeta a
tion and life possible, and this I
am satisfied cap only be obtained by
flooding this vast basin with the
waters. of the Gulf Of California" y
AR1zoNA's ADVANTAGES. So