Los Angeles herald., 1892-08-02
ON THE COLORADO DESERT.
The Water at Salton Said to.
Be Rapidly Receding.
A Heretofore Arid Region Now Lush
With Vegetation.
No Danger of the saiton Basin Filling
Up This Sesson-Indians Making
Plantations Where the High
Water Has Been.


lake on the 9th inst, through two
streams, says the Yuma Sentinel. The
east one, which Patton, Garter and Con-
verse vent down last year, is made up
from Carter river and Riley slough,
which flow past Cooks Wells, Seven
Wells, Gardner's and Alamo, and from
the water that gathers in the Alamo
basin from other sources. The
other, or west stream, down
which Charlie Thiesen hoated
few days ago, derives its sup
ply of water from the Indian Wells
basin, which is supplied from Lake
Julullu and TIE two south branches OF
New river, both of which, from Black
Butte and Lake Julullu, run northwest
into the basin. The mouths OF these
two streams are about five miles apart,
while their sources are 25 miles from
each other. As soon as the
rim of sand which divides the
Indian Wells and the Alamo basins
from that at Salton, was cut through,
the vast area of water lying to the
south fell three feet in two days, show
ing that it had found an outlet and was
using it. Since then the water in Salton
lake has been gradually rising. For the
past week the rise has amounted
to only about an inch in twenty-four
hours. The water in the great
basins has fallen to the present
date about four feet. There is no
danger of Salton lake 6lling up this
season, although gentleman who has
Just been across the country from Vol
cano springs to the southwest informs
the Sentinel that large volumes of
water were pouring down both streams
as late as Monday last. As the surface
of the lake to be filed, increases in area
daily, it requires aconstantly increasing
supply of water to raise it even its one
inch per day. AS the supply is rapidly
decreasing, the water at Saltoa will
soon begin to grow less and less.
FROM BELOW THE LINE.
j. s. Carter writes to the Yuma SEN
tinel from Algodenes, under date of July
25th, as follows:
Since my last letter Will McLabron
and have been down again to Portage
rapids, and from there across to the
Colorado river. The large amount of
driftwood, brush, roots and grass which
have come down the river, in many
places have damned the sources of
the small streams and stopped the
flow of water into them, and as result
many of them will be dry as soon as the
water fecedes in the Colorado and no
longer seeps through the drift into
their channels. Fully one-half, if not
more, of the water in the Colorado still
runs through the crevasse and off to the
west, cutting out deep wide channel
down towards the Padrones, following
the ancient bed of the old
| Colorado when it run into
Lake Julallu and thence into New
river. The big bend from which the
crevasse cut its channel last year, has
cut fully two miles further to the west.
A large sandbar has formed on the east
eide OF the Colorado which is forcing
its waters OF to the west. What the
river, which is falling three inches
per day, may do as its waters recede
cannot tell. From present indica-
tions both the Carter river and Riley
slough will be dry in another month,
and no water will be running into Sal
ton frotn this end of the great Alamo
basln. The aaeavy east winds of the I'd
anu 0u Giieu hue bOufceSQ' 'bQeS6 bCreaMS
with drift, which is now banking UP
sand. These two streams furnish the
water which runs into Salton lake
through it's east river. 1 shall
not regret when these streams
close. The high water causes mr
cattle to roam far and wide, and this
makes sls a great deal of extra work. [
have at present no means of knowing
just how much water is running into
Salton lake from the west river which
flows from the Indian Wells basin. The
wild hemp is aast coming up. The wild
grass is abundant and fully seven feet
high.
The Indians are following up the
receding waters and putting in an inn
mense crop of corn, beans, melons and
sauashes. Indians, squaws and chill
.dren are all busy at work. sOur cattle
and horses are in fine condition and the
prospects are bhat the fall and winter
will be the best that they have seen for
years.
Not word has been heard Srom E. G.
Converse and son Willie, since they
lefthere more than two months ago.
The water here has fallen more than
Sour feet. am afraid that if de is out
toward Indian Wells that be will be
left high and dry on the desert.
Lone Ri.4a NJ, Cunuhax1r