The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-07-17
LATEST WONDER OF THE GREAT WEST.
The Colorado River BuslIy at Work
Recon structlng the Map.
A Trip Through the Sig Lake II is
Forming In the Desert.
How an accommodating Cataract
Moved Itself Up Stream.

SAN FRANCISCO, July .16.-The source of
the Salton Lake is now settled. The water
comes from the Colorado River, and news
paper party has just come into Salton from
Yuma, having made the whole distance in a
boat. The start was made last Thursday
from Yuma, the mercury being at 112 in the
shade In the boat. The story of the trip Is as
follows:
About fifteen miles below Yuma the
water poured through many channels into
the desert. There was bar forming in the
river. and it seems probable that at this
point the Colorado will eventually change its
channels and throw an immense volume Of
water into the desert. We found the water
twelve feet deep in the channel running
from the river. There was water all over
spersed by innumerable islands covered with
mesquite trees This bottom is a great cat
tie country, but the vaquer0s now wear life
preservers, and hard by keep boat. Soon
the party came to the old Butterfield stage
road between Yuma and San Diego that
was covered with eighteen feet Of water, and
the stream was 200 yards wide. We trav-
elled westward, the stream changing in
width and depth, and frequently the whole
country being converted into a huge lake
where 1t was depressed. Finally. on Sunday
our boat entered New River. after going
through a succession of lakes, through which
the main current kept its course.
AT noon we found break in the Sandhill
banks OF our steam, and it turned abruptly
at right angles, flowing due north, while for
ten miles back we were running east. The
break was 200 yards wide; the stream was
seven feet deep, and flowing swiftly. This
Is the break that throws the water upon the
desert. After going short distance from
the erevasse. the water spread out over a
vast extent of country and was very swift
and shallow; but about three miles to the
north we came to point where all the water
in the country seemed to come together, and
rushed down into a thirty-foot channel
forming small falls. The water below the
falls was ten feet feet deep, and the current
six miles an hour Big streams now ran
into our channel every 200 yards. We then
passed numerous lakes, and finally struck
channel through the sandhills, where the
water was deep and swift. The banks were
from 80 to 400 feet high, perfectly perpendic-
nlar, and looked like the palisades on the
Hudson.
at was the old channel of the Colorado,
when 1t used to run into the desert. These
high banks caved off continually and created
swells, which filled our boat with water. At
one place piece of bank thirty feet high
aud 800 hundred yards long fell In minute
after we had passed alongside it. The noise
was like the reverberation of cannon.
don't believe this part Of the country was
ever Travelled by a white man before. For
miles we ran over rough water, where our
boat danced like cork. Here and there
were indications that the water had been
six feet higher than that below. We struck
a whirlpool that rolled our boat over few
times and spoiled all of our provisions ex.
cept some canned goods and beans. We had
everything tied in the boat On Monday we
ran into vast lake, probably twenty miles
square, and were sure that 1t was Salton
lake and that our journey was nearly over
In the midst of the lake was deep channel,
lined by half-submerged mesquite trees. We
ran twenty miles along this lake river and
Salt0n.
'After going about for miles down over
the last channel, the banks began to grow
higher and higher, and presently we heard
wtb sSssr ISasPs s n0se % Is feet was oGT cataract
out OF 1t seemed to be to make a portage
This was deferred until morning We nn-
loaded the boat and took it out Of the water
In the meantime, Providence intervened
The falls cut the bank below the rapids and
moved up stream, and in the morning we
found the falls half mile up. stream, and our
boat was opposite smooth water. We
hastily loaded up. and for just about 45
on anies at ran az speed such as l never want to
o'clack, we left the channel. and at last en-
tered the Salton Lake. Our boat was soon
stuck in the mud, and for several
hours under blazing sun we
worked In mud and water up to our arm
pits. moving 1t along. Finally we doated it.
and reached Salton. The Colorado river is
again reported to be rising, so there is little
prospect Of the Salton Lake drying up for
some time.
"Much Of the country we passed through
Is unexplored. The water is bringing down
an immense lot of seed, and excellent cattle
food Is spriDging up everywhere, and the
desert will soon be a good pasturage. We
found thousands Of carp all along the route.
think the channel, now that it is cut, will
lowest stages of the Colorado river; aud
there IS a strong probability that the Colo
RADIO will form a bar at the crevasse, and that
all It's water will run down here, and the
southern Pacific had better prepare to