The Arizona sentinel., 1892-08-20
Changes in River and Desert.

The Colorado river is constantly
changing it's bed and course from
two miles above, at, and below the
great break made by the flood of
last year.
The main stream is still taking
to the west, cutting through the
great cottonwoods, part of it flows
back into the old river near the
easterly end of the big bend. From
there up to the crevasse the old
channels are entirely closed up
with sand and driftwood. All of
the small streams supplying Car
ter river near its source are nearly
closed by drift and sand, although
the late rise cut under the drift and
let more water into Carter river
than before. At one time there
was not more than three inches of
water on the bar. Below the Gre
vase there are immense piles of
drift, which stops the flow of water
and forces it over to the east bank.
Only for this the old channel of the
Colorado would close up entirely.
There is not fall enough in the
Carter river for the first 80 miles to
keep it clear from the drift, brush,
and grass. The west bank above
the great break in the Colorodo is
composed of a very hard clay.
Only for this, the river would cut
in to the west for miles and the en-
tire stream would go of towards
Indians Wells. What chance to
irrigate all of that country. There
is hardly a square foot in the great
desert that cannot be reached by
the water that even now flows
through the great crevasse in the
river. Why not? The fall
is 106 feet in sixty-five
miles in a direct line. Those who
say to the contrary, talk through
their "hats," in fact are ignorant
of the fact and know nothing about
what they write or talk. 1 say
that every foot almost of the desert
can be fully irrigated and that too
by the Colorado during the year.
It carries water enough to water
four such deserts and than have
enough to carry any steamer ever
built at Yuma or the shipyards
from the Grand Canon to the gulf.
The Indians are putting in an
immense crop for them, but the
rats and cottontails keep them
busy. The Indians put the entrails
of FISH, stick traps, build walls of
clay and then are up all night
beating tin cans, coal oil cans
and anything else to make noise
and yet the pests come and de-
stroy the corn which the Indians
keep replanting. Since the flood
the Indians are well supplied with
boats which they picked up. All
of the Indians live on fish, which
are very plentiful.
There should be a good well dug
at Indians Wells and we'll curbed
up as there was years ago. Then
large white posts 20 feet high and
plank sign boards we'll fastened to
them should be put up on the high
est point near the springs, wells,
water-holes and other places where
water can be found, and the Breed
love tradgedy will not be repeated.
The Government should do this
work. I understand that Cover
nor Torres will cooperate on the
part af the Mexican Government.
l never saw such a growth of
grass. The old Indians say that
they never saw anything like it.
1t is from four to seven feet high
and thick as it can stand. The
wild hemp which was just coming
up two weeks ago is from ten to
twelve feet high and almost as
thick as the grass. All of the bar
rem places which for years have
been like beds Of ashes, or caked
hard as an adobe, are covered with |
grass and calite, even the few sand
hills here and there in that which
was desert two years ago are now
hidden by an immense growth of
grass, weeds and brush, IN fact the
desert is transformed and today |
IL ,.aoro l;l1o n oorIoo or Ho11 |