The morning call., 1891-07-06
LAKE SAN DIEGO.

The water is still rising in the lake in the
Colorado Desert though the level OF the
Colorado River is falling. 1t Is inferred
from this that the water which is flowing
into the desert does not come from the
river. But this is probably a mistake.
The difference between the altitude of the
river surface at Yuma and the bottom of
the basin near Salton is 4C0 feet; the river
might fall many feet and its water still flow
into the desert. An overflow like the one
which has been in progress stree February
outs out a channel for itself, which it
deepens day by day; so long as the ere
vase in the river bank is not choked with
sand and dirt the overflow will continue,
even though the river level should recede
considerably.
1t is unfortunate that this phenomenal
occurrence should have taken place during
the recess of Congress; for in that body,
whatever may be the case elsewhere, there
are men who can appreciate its Importance
and the opportunity it offers. There are, it
is said, 4OC0 square miles Of land in the
Colorado Desert. The great bulk-nearly
all-of this is in the ownership of the Gov
eminent. 1t has never been surveyed be-
cause there was no prospect of its sale. No
waste on Witch nothing will grow and over
which the mercury rises to 145'. Surveyors
employed to trace lines in this desert have
thrown up their jobs throu gh fear of losing
their lives from the heat. The creation of a
permanent body of water in the heart of
this desert would revolutionize its climate.
A lake covering say five hundred square
miles would supply the air with moisture
pnpn,cb fp lDN ar n q bpur-
able degree, ard would render large poT-
tions of the desert fertile. Mr.. William S.
Chapman, who has made a life study of the
meteorOlogy of the region, declares that it
would reclaim large areas of arid land in
Arizona, Utah ard Nevada. 1t certainly
would convert portions Of San Diego County
into The finest fruit lard in the world
such land as is selling in this meridian al
$500 or $500 an acre.
Here is a piece OF property which is owned
by the Government and is practically with
out value. By keeping open the mouth of
the canal which nature has constructed,
this property might become worth millions.
1t would cost, according TO an engineer 5
estimate, less than 100000 10 construct
works which would insure a steady flow of
water from the river 10 the desert The sur
face Of the Bay Of California being 250 feet
above the bottom of the desert, the flow
from the former into the latter would be
continuous il the skill of the engineer pre-
vented it nom being arrested by bars of silt
and sand. Water is bound 10 run down hill,
unless it is arrested by an insupeTab!e dam.
The Imagination loses Itself in c0ntem-
plating the changes which the new lake
would cause. Instead IF 1900 square miles
If surface embraced in the desert, let us say
that there are but 5000, and from these let
500 be deducted for the site of the new
lake; that would leave 2500 square miles of
sand or 1900 acres. These acres are not
worth anything as they stand. III body-of
water changed the climate of tie desert
they would become cultivable, perhaps the
finest fruit land in the State, and if they
were only worth 500 an acre. the aggregate
would represent the enormous sum of $780,
O0oCC0-about as much money as was real
lied out of the Comstock mines.
Unfortunately it is not easy to discover
where the money could at this moment be
obtained to build the works requisite TO
keep the channel open. The Government.
which would be the chief gamer by the
OPERATION. could do nothing without an APP
preparation. No individual or syndicate
would spend S1,CC0,0C0 without seeing its
way to getting 1t back. The land laws
stand in tie way of purchase of large
tract OF Government lard through which a
canal company could hope to recoup itself.
1t will be December before Congress meets
again, and by that time the sand may have
stopped the overflow, as it has done more
than once in the past.