Los Angeles herald., 1891-08-26
The Engineers Report to the
Southern Pacific.
What He Thinks About the
SaltOn Flood.
More Points Which He Thinks Should
Be Determined.
The Amount of Water on the Desert
Sea-Where it Comes From-His
ConcIusions-Recomm
sdatiOns.


pany, has made the following report o
his expeditions to the Salton sea region
to the company:
While submitting report of my last
expedition to the Colorado desert will
go over the ground Of my former trip, sc
as to make this final and complete re-
port, and will make few corrections in
figures, as on my last trip | obtained
more data to work from in obtaining the
altitude OF different places.
The first expedition was made from
July 18th to 10th (starting from Flowing
Well and returning to same point), the
party consisting OF myself and two Mex
leans, with four-mule team, we'll sup
piled with provisions, water and feed.
Our general course from Flowing Well
was south 20 degrees, west. We had
heavy pulling through the sand for two
miles, when we found adobe soil and
much better travelling. We crossed a
number OF dry arroyos from four to ten
feet deep, and when eight and six-tenths
miles from Flowing Well found dry
arroyo one hundred feet wide by twelve
feet deep. The former came from the
direction of the sandhills near the rail-
road, while the course of the last one
wasemore from the south.
Continuing on, l found very large
arroyo 10 8 10 miles south, 20 degrees
west from Flowing Well, with flow OF
water toward the Salton basin 1856 feet
wide by four feet deep with an average
velocity of 5.6 feet per second, or total
discharge OF 300 cubic feet per second.
The course, Of the arroyo was north SO
degrees west. Before the entrance of
this water the arroyo was twelve feet
deep, but now the water is cutting away
the light adobe soil, widening the chan
mel and deepening it to twenty-four feet
below the general surface of the country,
which latter is 215 feet below the sea.
The river was full of small fish, carp
from the Colorado, and as the river low
cred itself by cutting away its bed the
fish were lett on dry ground. The water
was found to be fresh by the salimome-
ter, and apparently the same as that of
the Colorado river.
l followed up the stream, and at
point four miles south, 80 degrees east,
the water was 400 feet wide by four feet
deep, with an average velocity of "a feet
per second, making the total discharge
3S40 cubic feet per second. On my Sec
-ond trip found the depth of water given
in my former report to be too small,
there being a deep channel on the west
side of the river which did not discover
on my first trip.
When about twenty-three miles from
Flowing Well, as travelled by us, the
river was found to come from a large
lake apparently about six miles long and
two to four miles vide. ] could not get
to the lake on account Of the mud, but
travelled along quarter OF mile from
it until we reached stream entering,
somewhat smaller than the other, and
about four miles from it. 1t was 200 feet
wide and about two feet deep, with an
average velocity Of 56-l0 feet per second,
making total discharge of 2240 cubic
feet per second, the surface of the water
being one foot below the general country
and the elevation 124 feet.
Three and half miles up stream from
where this river entered the lake found
the ground higher, and small hills ex-
tending toward the southwest. The bank
was nine feet above the water, and ap-
parently new channel had been here
made by the stream. The elevation OF
the general surface there is 100 feet. So
l also followed the river from where I
first discovered it down to opposite the
buttes, near the mud volcanoes, where
the ground was very soft and salty, so
that we could 60 no further. The river
here was 180 feet wide by three and a
half feet deep, with an average velocity
OF six and six-tenths feet per second,
giving total discharge OF ALSO cubic
feet per second; elevation, 247 feet. The
salimometer showed the water to be one
per cent. salt. M
The object OF my second trip was to
ascertain if there was any other stream
flowing into the Salton basin, and to
measure the total discharge of all water
into the basin. M
1 started from Flowing Well with the
same outfit on July 25th, and was out
four days. attempted to cross the
river discovered on my first expedition
at a point fifteen and eight-tenths miles
from Flowing Well, where l found the
water much lower than before. How
ever, it was ten feet deep in one place.
The measurement of the river was 15O
feet wide by five feet deep, with an av-
erage velocity of two and one-tenth feet
per second, giving total discharge Of
1875 cubic feet per second. The water
has been four feet higher. The eleva-
tion OF the general surface Of the coun-
try is 189 feet.
After many attempts we finally sue
ceeded in getting a rope across the
stream and secure on each bank, so
that we we're able to swim across with
out danger. Our clothes, instruments,
etc., were carried over in boat made
of two empty air-tight kegs and the end
gate of the wagon fastened together with
ropes.
After crossing we walked westward
eleven miles. About three miles from
the crossing, l found much larger
arroyo, but with less water flowing
through it. The water some years ago
had been eight feet higher, three feet
higher this year, and the banks are
seventeen feet above the water. The
arroyo is from 200 to 400 feet wide. The
river at this time was $50 feet wide by
two feet deep, with an average velocity
Of four and eight-tenths feet per second,
giving total discharge of l ,440 cubic
feet per second. The elevation of the