Los Angeles herald., 1891-08-16

duce this time. This does not take
into account any help that might come
from the gulf in case connection
should be opened through the New
river.
Every year the floods of the Colorado
change the line of its bed from one to
four miles east or west. 1t is among the
possibilities that the next winters flood
! might entirely undo the work of the
last food and cut off the supply of the
Salton sea. So changeable is the bed of
the river that the map of one year will
not answer for the year following. For
instance, last year the town OF Lerdo,
| sixty-five miles below Yuma, was on
the river bank; this year it is three
miles away to the east from the river
The breaks in the west bank of the
Colorado begin thirteen miles below
Yuma. At that point, about 1888
feet above Salton, there are ten
breaks, from thirty to sixty feet
wide. through which the water
flows from the river out to the
desert with current of about four miles
per hour. The main break is 200 feet
wide, and has depth of sixteen feet.
These unite in one stream, and flow
westward by Alamo Mocho' about sixty
|
from New river, and winding around
snake-like on the desert, discharges into
the Salton basin.
Further down the Colorado river is
another river, an old one through which
the water has always flowed during
floods into Lake Pascualitas. Bordering
on the west shore of this lake, and be-
tween the lake and the Cocopah noun
tains on the west, is the region of the
mud volcanoes, which number several
hundred, within an area of a few square
miles. The lake is connected with New
river and the Alamo Mocho stream by
different sloughs.
New river leaves the Colorado twenty
five miles above the gulf. One branch
runs out around west of the Cocopah
mountains, and empties into Lake Ma
quata. Another branch runs into Lake
Pascualitas. The main stream con-
tinues northerly to the desert, and runs
into the Indian Wells region.
Last Sunday corps OF engineers re-
turned to Yuma. They had gone west
from Flowing Wells and crossed the
stream through which j. s. Carter and
his party entered the Salton basin, and
ten miles further west they found an
other stream entering the Salton basin
200 feet wide and eight feet deep, with a
current of seven miles per hour.
Still further west of this stream Car
ter saw the water coming into the Salton
lake through the Carrisso creek. So
that makes three large streams that
| furnish the Salton basin from the In
dian Wells basin Salton basin is 225
feet below the Indian Wells basin,
which in turn is thirty-eight feet below
sea-level and tifty-eight feet below the
Colorado river at the mouth of the New
river. This explains why the water,
having filled the Indian Wells basin,
flows so rapidly into the Salton basin
after having broken through the slight
sand ridge that divided them. 1t also
shows that there is only rise of
eighteen feet between the gulf and the
Indian Wells basin, and this in the
short distance of fifty miles. AS the In
dian Wells basin is drained by the flood
towards, Salton, and the tides OF the
| gulf and the river floods continue to
come in, under the present favorable
conditions, it is reasonable to suppose
that the channel of the New river will
be enlarged, and this rise of eighteen
feet reduced until at last it is entirely
removed. This done, and the gulf again
would have permanent access to the
desert.
This is the situation as it stands to-
day: The Indian Wells basin was filed
from the floods of last February, the
highest ever known, and OF June. They
broke over into the Salton basin, into
which they are now flowing, in at least
three large streams. Over half of the
water in the Colorado river is now flow
ing into the Indian Wells basin direct,
which keeps it filled, go that it loses
nothing by what runs over to Salton.
The next river floods will throw their
surplus of waters into the Indian Wells
basin, which in turn will enlarge the
streams into the Salton basin, and still
further increase its lake.
Last Tuesday evening an exploring
party went down the river. From them
it is learned that the channel in the
main break below Yuma has cut down
to the hard pan, tough clay shale, and
that even this is wearing, but that the
force OF the current is widen
ing the banks. The water
at Yuma is ductuating around the
19-foot mark. Average low water for
thirteen years last pact has been IA feet,
and the lowest ever known was IL feet.
If the water should go down to IL feet,
water WOulQ HClll run OUT CnrOuRn Cne
main break at a depth of not less than
seven feet. This amount of water flow
ing into the desert will more than coun-
teract the loss by evaporation, and will
keep the lake intact until the next
| winters rise in the river.
Take today as a sample on the desert.
| A run made ON the train as far as Salton
showed from the cars lake at least 30
miles wide and 80 miles long. A stiff
breeze was blowing from the west. There
was no possibility of having mistaken a
mirage for the lake, for the sky was
wholly clouded. Eight different thun-
der-storms at one time were counted of
to the south and west, lowering over the
lake, the rain pouring down in torrents,
like so many water-spouts. The amount
of evaporation was nil; whatever had
been evaporated was being fast returned
to the lake. The precipitation was
heavy in the direction of Campo. The
cool winds from the lake make the air
very pleasant, and railroading agreea-
BILE. Such is the state OF affairs upon
the desert today. B. A. STEPHENS.
| Great Progress.
"How are you progressing with your
Frenoh?"
"Well am getting SO that can mako