Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1891-07-11
Weeklg Citizen
rur p,,0oD IN Tus DEssur

attention, aud which ~ increasing ~
volume every day. The water was iirst
aeen ~ be coming ITO the desert about
week ago, aud Tnt CirizLN had al e,ll
totiAl on the subject Immediately after
ward, IN which u was stated that there
was possibility ~ the desert becoming
an inland sen. VIVA, WAS then consider
eel u possibility may nuw bc regarded ns
n probability, aud every additional re-
port seems To- make IT more and more
probable,
Those VINO have carefully examined
the geological features ~ this great dcs
ert valley are unanimously - tho opu.
ion that II wAs once covered 10y the
waters Of the Gull ~ California, but that
the shifting sands u the mouth ~ the
Colorado river, which gradually extend
ell sou,hsarh, formed IA liar Which shut
oil the main body ~ the gulf, and The
waters % the inland sea thus created
were speedily eNapnrated 10y the intense
heat ~ that sectlun. This theory IN
tNIFNkNllFi''l ~ VIM ~ ktNiff
ally known ~ New river. which Was iirs,
seen 10y Capt. Aulh IN l11i, and 10y all
others who have crossed tho deeett after
hls time
thu New river ~ caused 10y the over
flow ot the Colorado river at point u
good many miles below Yuma and runs
back on the desert some eighty miles,
bending around like big iish hook. 1t
il seldom that the food waters get AZ
far ~ they have u; present. The bore"
nj the present mouth ~ the Colorado
river IL about thirty feet IA height. Ala
the waters ~ this "bnre' To- H." annual
overflow ~ the Colorado river, Il they
should happen at the same time, and
there ~ a possibility that the grrat bar
would be- washed out 30 az to prtmli the
gulf waters 10 get back INTO the valley
again, and I'LL at least that portion ~ It
which ~ nov below sea level, Bore" ~
the term applied t. u tidal rls" rcs"mbl
Ing tidal wave, Which Gomez pcriodi
cally
That section ~ the desert below sea
level ~ about u hundred and twenty five
miles long, with m average width -
about thirty miles. Hallway surveys
made when the Pacific roads were being
built sho" that at the point ~ greatest
depression II IL three hundred and sixty
feet below sea level, aud at Snlton, the
point from which the first reports ~ the
present Hood were received, II IL II little
over two hundred and fifty feet below.
II the great basin shall be- TILED up with
water, as now seems not Improbable, 1t
will form lake l2j miles long, thirty
miles wide, and with II maximum depth
~ no feet The effect that such u large
body uf water would have upon the eli.
mate - southcra California and western
Arizona IL an interesting question Tor
speculation.
At last accounts the water covered
almost forty square miles Of the desert
and WAS steadily rising aud spreading.
At one point IN the desert there nre n
number ~ mud volcanoes" like the
gcyscrs IN the Yellowstone park. but
The country IN the vicinity ~ theee has
never been explored because the crust
of the earth rs so thin and WePk that Il
will not bear the weight o. man, and n
former state geologlst Of California came
near losing his life in u frul,less sttemp t
10 approach them. The surface through
out the entire lower part oi the basin ID
very uncertain. Even at Saltop, tiity
miles from the mud springs, the earth IN
not strong enough 10 bear the weight Of
locomotive, gnd aspur u the Southern
Pacific that runs IN there 10 carry away
the salt has 10 use very light
dummy"
One OF the theorles 10 account Tor the
present flood II thht the water IL coming
up through theSe wells and this IL
strengthened 10y the fact that the water
IN said Ia be much warmer than the All
In that vicinity. Another IL that the
Colorado river, which, for many miles il
tbc tc1rit W u INV
saud bank, has broken through thu
barrier and il pouring it's waters into the
basin, and still another theory IN that
subterranean passage has been opened
between the desert and the Gulf uf Cab
fornIa, and the water IL coming ~ from
the Gulf Those who hold 10 the last
theory claim that salt water fish hav,
already been found in the hew lake.
but FROM whatever source the Watei
may come, il IL to he hc;'sd that It vii
continue To come TIL the entire desert
basin shall be- filled up. A lake ~ such
Dimensions at that place would undoubt
eddy have n highly beneficial inilucnc,
upon the climate ~ all the surrounding
country, while the basin as II exists nov
il Of no value whatever except for H.,
little glt obtained from 1t and is no,
habitabls for either man or boast
Nothing viii grow out oi tie soil and n,
air, over the greater part Of the district
10 81 intolsrably hot that nothing car
live in Il,
HEADING FOR ALBl Qg Ehql
In the railway column u the Denye
News OF Friday morning last We find b,
:olNwing: mir. l.. n. Fonts, formcrl,
superintendent Of the Burlington in THU