Arizona weekly citizen., 1891-08-08
.Vt:E.nLY CITIZEN.
SATURDAY AUGUST s, 1891
THE COLORADO DESERT LAKE

THE COLORADO DESERT LAKE
Acting Secretary Chandler of the lie
terror Department recently received
letter from Wood Mcknight, at River
side. Cal, calling attention TO a repcr
that the Southern Pacific Railroad 20
is about to attempt to stop the overflow
of the Colorado river, which has formed
a new lake Ii the Colorado desert, tn,
property Of tha company beiEg placed
in jeopardy, and requesting that the de
partment intervene in the interest o
the people of southern California, whom
it is presumed the new body OF watel
will greatly benefit. Mr.. Cha dler ha'
replied that the matters referred 10 art
not within the jurisdiction OF the de
partment, and that the remedy OF the
people against any actual or anticipated
injury from the operations of the rail
road company in protecting its property
lies in the courts.
Major John w. Powell, director Of the
United States geological suevey, who
wss in New York on the 2lst inst, gave
reporter. OF the Times some interesting
facts about the new lake.
"The traditions OF the Indians are by
no means the only evidence that this
basin has been filed, wholly or partially,
before" said Major Powell. "Sincs the
delta was formed and that portion OF
the Gulf of California was cut off and
left to evaporate under the terrific heat
OF the sun, the Colorado has been play
ing pranks OF this sort on several occa-
sions. Along the hills which form the
sides Of this basin there are shore marks
which indicate that at different times
the basin has been flooded to diff
ferent heights, and then when the
river cut back through the old channel
evaporation has again changed the lake
to parched desert. Along these shores
lines shells have been found which con
firm this theory. The action OF the
Colorado in cutting Rew mouths for
itself and then stopping them up is com
paratively rapid because OF the quantity
OF silt which the stream carries. 1t i.
not unlikely that the supposed tradi-
tions OF the Indians are facts within th,
memory of some Of the older ones of The
scattering bands that live on the hill
sides along the basin, for indicate ar,
that the valley has been inundated with
in so years, and certainly it has been az
least once or twice since the continent
was discovered.
L "There is no immediate danger of the
basin being filled, because it requires
large volume OF water to fill it to the
rIver level. and the evaporation is some
thing wonderful. At the present time,
according to reports, only fraction Of
the water in the Colorado is flowing
through this new outlet. 1t is possible
that the channel NAV be enlarged as
the stream continues to flow through it,
30 that Rll the water OF the river will
pour into the basin. Even if that were
to happen the evaporation is great
enough to take up fully one-half of the
Colorado as it spreads over the basin,
and it would probably require from two
to three years for the balance to fill the
hole up to level At such times as the
river filed the basin to its level the flow
of the Gulf OF California has teen
through a channel which begins at the
lower end Of the basin, and makes a
short cut directly south to the salt
water. This is called Hardy's Colorado,
and it is usually simply a dry channel
or ditch. 1t may have been formed un-
der circumstances similar to those ex-
listing at present. 1t is large enough to
accommodate the entire volume of the
Colorado after the evaporation which is
sure to take place while the water is
spread over the basin.
"Sone idea OF the terrible heat may
be had from the evaporation which takes
place. II the basin were filled to the
river level, the lake would present
surface OF about 1000 square miles.
This would be lowered at the rate OF six
yeet year by evaporation. The salt
which is now being mined at Salton was
deposited in the valley by previous
evaporations. The original salt deposit
from the water which was a part of the
Gulf of California is not responsible for
all that is found there. The waters OF
the Colorado are saline, for the river
flows through beds of rock salt at places
many miles up from its mouth, and the
successive deposits from the waters of
this river az they have flooded the val
ley and then dried up have added largely
to the original deposit"