Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-11-05
BY TELEGRAPH.
The COLORADO DESERT LAKE.
Lenr and Expensive bikes Necessary ID
Keep Out the Water.


Keep Out the Water.
ANGELES, Cal, Nov. "A survey
Of iha rev fresh water lake hat f'fmsd IN
tie Colombo Desert this year has bsen
coupls,eS BY the salt manufacturing com
p.ny Of Sslios. whose property hiss been
uessly dsu.gsd BY III. wster- This CEN.
pany. with stref ,ud-frrs, il dtsirous Of
cutting Cd she irf,w OF vatsr from the
Col9r.do River, thus restoring the desert to
its sotmsr ndition, and the survey vss
made for tie purpose Of Determining the
fss.ihiiity of constructing ie-ee between
the river 4 thu psssess lake bed.
kxnxssf Durbrow Of the ssls company
SAYS tie "a sin b,esk through vhica 9 large
hoiy OF Va. er Is constantly f,vinz il Is
Mills below Yuma. The ether openings
ia the river bank are about IS miles down
the river from Yuma, and tnsctualty to
son the f,os Of wste, il would be necessary
% extend the proposed dixie for some miles
b..sesn these two sections. Tie depth of
the usio crevss.e WIS found 10 be a. great
a, the depth Of the river itself, aud there.
fore. all hope that the waters OF the lake
vot Ia subside when the river became lover
In sis.sr-.ns s're&m berg highest when
fed in summer bg the melting snow Of the
rounssins--as necessarily abandoned.
careful massu-ement showed that
ISGO cubic feet of was-r hows through this
large crsvssse every second. sithough the
water Of the river is now much l5~er than
i, ~as in mid u INNER and ys. tie total
smouaf OF water pouring into the lake is
rot quail to thu rapid evaporation caused
By the intensely hot SUI OF tie desert re-
sion. TIE present greatest depth of the
lake lie "a i5ches ard the water 10 filling
At the rate Of a q larter OF al inch per day
tu, even should the evs ration BE- con-
o etc the rise OF the Colorado r;vef VIII re-
q he Ike
Il 1873 DR. j P widney Of this eli
wrote an sr.ie about tn dssert that has
since been partially Il ,od.d He esss' ID
| t. show that the desert which is from 2O
| TO $50 feet below the sFs level, was tor
meriy q portion OF the Gulf OF Calfo.nts,
| snd that il wss separated from tie lover
section, or the present gllf, by the alluvisl
| deposits from tas Colorado river. The
upper seciif cf the gulf dried up because
| he 70 n tall, though greater then than st
the presenr Tina, vas rot 81 fiji siart 70 Offset
the vap5rstiou R-iics Of dead races of
| C tmrsraiively enlightened natives. traces
of forsss that could not no~ e1ist there,
| AID CO 7dti n. of thu TO 'mer beach Of the
uprer gulf were wi ences to DR.. Whitney
| tat the tran sfoTniHen OF the u noer porti IN
! OF the gulf 10 bu- niDg desert 200 miles IN
| ien2th took place within 9 historical rs her
than 'olngieal era
| Dr.. w daey argued that there must ALEC
have been a great change in the climate OF
| the region with the creation Of the desert
| TIE remsins Of tbs forests that could no.
exist in the desert re gioo proved 70 him that
| thsre had been g'est climatic change
" hin few centuries, and in the absence
| of Any other apparent Cause. he maintained
that The change Of climate must have been
| contemporsneous with the creation OF the
desert ard caused by il,
| Reasoning from this appsrant csuse OF
the climate change, DR.. Widrey argued
| that, in ordir TO res'ore the former and
milder climate of the region, it would be
niece sssYy only TO remove the desert by
getting the water back into it, The sliuv
ial d, posts which had separated the two
Sc ctions Of the ancient gulf had become 8
bar more thsn thirty IN les in wid h and too
extepsive to remove, but DR. Witney sug-
shat the result might BE- obtained b. turn
iog the Colorado river into the desert basin.
He held that the evsp ration of the water
as 1t came cold from III ; mou atsius in sum
mer would make the stmosph5fe in the
desert region moisture-lsden ard cooler,
o. that the diff rerce in the climate would
BE- marked ihroughou; Southern California
The winds from the ocean, he thought
would be made less violent, hecsuss the sill
OF the desert re gion would be less no. and
rsrefi fed, ard then tho rain cur'eI Is would
not have 30 much diff Guilty in getting ovei
the land Of San Bernsrii1o, Los Anga
and San Diego coucties in summer. Thu
the climate OF all Southern California voulc
be modified, while the Colorado deser
r. gion would be rendered hsbitsble arc
pleasant
No action to restore the desert to III
ancient condition has ever been tsken b,
the government or by individuals, anC
strange as may seem in the light Of DR.
Widney's scientific ress iripg. b people o
this region are iaclined 10 cepinTe tn
possibility Of such e change When nature
clmpl-tirg her tbo~ scFt me ID gradusil
cut { f. 200 miles O. The s.lt later glif ADJ
tfsr sf Jrn II into irisrd body of fresl
water, forced the CJlo ado river through
is banks 10 the desert on just the l.n tbs
had been anticipated b. msn, fssrs wer
entertained thatthe CsliforDis climate woul
be injured By increased humidity. Blu
there has been 70 change noted in tn
fru t.grorirgsec ions and right ct the Ssltol
district the humidity has increased onl
few points. IL may be assumed
however, that az the presso. lake is onl.
thirty mile. lorg and ten miles vide, tn
feet of the change would b. proper tomato
IL greater If the like were enlarged to i,
possible siz of $50 By 30 miles. A. j: i
now, there is TO- water enough TO over
come the torrid heat that day and nigh
pervades the desert. Ia any event, tn
modifying process would undoubtedly b
slow, and the greatest change woul
be brought about by the cxusing Of period
cal rains than do now exist.
A considerable amount Of property wa
damaged or destroyed BY the formation o
the SaIton Lake, but it is probable that nj
attempt to reclaim it will be mad
at present by the expensive method o
building an immense d Ike along the rive
bank, ard natures course will not be inter
feIei with unless greater interests are en-
dsngered.