New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-12
THE COLORADO DEsERTLAKE
ANOTHER MONTH WILL SEE IT DISAPPEAR.
no MORE WATER FLOWING IN FROM THE RIVER
-How FUTURE FLOODS NAY BE CHECKED

A VISIT TO THE SINGULAR SALToN SEA.
San Francisco, Nov. 3-Interest in the mysterious
saton Lake The Colorado Desert is still keen BE-
cause Of the contradictory reports OF those who nave
observed 1t, as well as by reason OF the cohncuhs
theories Of scientific men who have studied II at long
range. The flooding of this desert was the most
peculiar natural phenomenon that has occurred In this
country in many years, and most Of the Eastern maya
zines and illustrated weekly journals have had articles
on it, Three out of four Of these articles have been
worthless, because the authors knew nothing OF the
subject what they derived al second hand. Ihe
way in which the Colorado Desert has been DESCRIBED
would make old resident Of the cactus belt exhaust
his vocabulary In expressing disgust over these tenoe
foot fctions One imaginative syndicate writer rom
Washington who rejolces in the name of Rene Bache
pictured the desert strewn with rbies and other
precious stones and dwelt on the terrors OF THIS Spot
where beast could live in the midsummer
heats. Others described the lake as a permanent
feature Of the Colorado Desert and drew fancy pictures
of fleets Of white winged vessels coming up to san
Bernardno towns with oy sters from the Gulf 1t was
bonanza for the imaginative writers As the field was
fresh and large and the largest liar had room to spread
himself
But in spite of all the newspaper and magazine art-
cles that have been written SatOn Lake, IL Is diih
cult for any to get the facts in regard to the per-
maneDcy Of the lake, its present depth. or the pros
poets Of preventing Of the food from the
Colorado River This probably due to the fact that
few OF the men who have examined the lake or tne
break in the Colorado have had any scientific training
or possess instruments that enable them to make OBJ
servatiOns Of any value. II compass or aneroid ba-
romeer be out of Order then the observations OF the
| owner of these instruments worthless. Nearly
every one seems to be loaded with theories but the man
who has facts, and deduce logical theory from
these facts is difficult to find.
George W. Durbrow, the manager ID the salt WORKS
at Saltop, the earliest observer Of the desert LAKE,
and he has enjoyed excellent opportunities OF studying
it, The rising waters flooded his machinery ana
stopped the production OF salt but he has contended
from the that the water woud cease to How by
late autumn and that the salt beds would once more
be uncovered He has also held tenacously 10 the
theory tina; the break In the Colorado could be stopped
by dykes or levees. Recently he made visit TO the
source OF the food and examined the break carefully
and the result Of his observations is that he declares
positively that the break may be closed up at CON-
paratively small expense while the waters OF the lake
falling rapidly that he estimates the salt mills
will start up again in forty days.
Mr.. Durbrow's explanation Of the break in the Col
orado River and the flooding Of the desert is so clear
that it is given briefly. The Colorado River last June
registered thiry-three feet in height at tie Yuma
bridge, the greatest height known by white men
or Indians Twentyfour feet ordinary high water
and this year the river FIVE feet higher than any
previous record. The result Of this enormous volume
OF water sweeping down past Yuma was TO carry away
every thing on the lowlands. Below Yuma the Col
orado bends sharply to the west The north bank Is
heavily tmbered with cottonwood willows and mes
quite and is succession Of high bluffs No low land
reached that side until comes to Hall Hanlons
ranch about eight miles from Yuma. There the water
broke through Just above Hanlons house and took
everything before 1t. carrying away SOLID adobe ranch
dwelling Tie food water took with 1t immense
amount of earth and sand. which rapidly formed
great delta that spread down the river for nearly nine
ft,Ia. 40 fu llad
Hanlons Reach The food-water having partially
filed the bed OF the stream with this delta spread on
each side over all the surrounding country. but the
main stream stn powerful enough TO cut It's way
around tie great bend. seven miles below Yuma. ana
break through the point at the foot OF two large muo
islands There many small breaks all along TINS
bend but the main still 300 feet wide and
three feet deep. Beyond IL two smaller breaks winch
soon ion one of the branches Of the food stream when
the water entered the d., sert. II divided about
three miles from the big break. One stream
which Mr. Durbrow and Captain Melien called the
Carter River after the manager Of Hanl0n's ranch,
flowed northwesterly till IT reached ridge Of sand
hills from fmr FIVE feet high and forty-fve miles
lony Here a big lake formed. and when the
water had accumulated it broke through the ridge near
Seven Wells and thus opened the Way for the hoohng
OF the salton Basin. This point il Thirty miles IRON
the Colorado To-day this point where the ridge was
cut is high and dry water is lowing through it,
opd ,he lake at seven Wells Is rapidly filing up with
drfting~sand. IT will take only few weeks. with
sand and evaporation, to remove every trace OF TINS
great laae which few weeks ago stretched across ue
desert for miles.
The other branch of the stream which hows south
u-ast from the big break named the Iapscott
River II ioins rardy's Colorado that males It's way
TO the Gulf and it never cut any material hguie ID t
| acodlnr NJ the Saton Basin. Mr.. Dmbrow estimated
that the flow through the break when he was there
aoout fortnight ago was 2,1Oo cubic feet per second
| The water was three feet deep at the break
Mr.. Durbrow's theory Of stopping the flow Is very
| simnle and logical. At the end OF Hanion-
| Reach. lust where the Colorado makes the f's
| I'D IN the west around the Tud island
| 10 ,rond bmd a dyke of willow and cotton
wood throwing in brush 70 serve as iouehs PL''o
for the mud and sand that the water "ouiu @' '"
cast against this embankment. The timber may DC
secured right at hand. for the west bank Is hea'hS
| Hmhered This embankment wond force all the wafer
60 tb cast Of The second mud island, and by stopping
tho t,r eastern channel Of the river tile whole volume
NJ the Colorado would be forced straight through "
| oral large slouzhs thus extending han"n "es.'
bv several miles. The engineering umcu"es' m
| Durbrow says, will be slight, a. the current VI 'he
| ,syor will helm in the work. forming an embahhmehs
| tbat will soon withstand anything even sueh q
he,omenal food as that OF this year. II the dyke
r dam he well constructed it will grow stronger every
| veor as the river will pile up SILT against It, INC
| noln he'd Of the river has been Thoroughly scoufeN
, nv the great rush OF the water, and as The banks
are sharply defined each side, there would De 10
| dmcultv in keeping the Colorado in one course
1t formed part of the vacation plans OF the wri'ei
this wear 10 take a down TO the salton LAKE, d.
bu5ness led him within about sixty miles IL was 'he
middle of september but the heat on the desert "as
great At Indio which is the last big stauoh De'"e
southern California and Yuma, the mercury reeis'o''
10 degrees in the shade and the ground fairly burned
the feet as one walked 1t. The regular rsiuen''
Of the desert called cool day. but to one VINO came
from the winds and fogs OF San Francisco IL se'meo
| Like a bit OF the tropics. The railroad rae hon
| Tanning, in san Berdarno County, as lar ar INC
saon Lake is interesting only because OF the ghmpsee
| =. ,,es ~ this curious Colorado desert. From the