Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-05
THE DESERT IS DRY.
Very Little Water in the Sal
ton Basin.
The Report Deceived From Returned
Prospectors.
Tho New River Country Very Dry--No
Water Flowing Into the Sal
ton Basip-Lng gunAs
Drying.

A correspondent at Salton, of the San
francisco Chronicle, under date OF May
31st, writes to that paper as follows:
John Doyle ard B. M. Lawrence, both
OF San Bernardino, who have been out
prospecting since May 24th around
Julian, Warmers rancho and Carrisse
creek, came into Salton last Sunday,
and ridiculed the idea that there would
again be Lake at Salton this year
They say the telegram published on
Sunday from Phoenix was erroneous
and that the writer could have nc
knowledge of the country. They give
an amusing account of how the good
people of Yuma get news of the New
river country. An Indian comes in from
that section, and is at once pestered
with questions. An Indian is naturally
mentally lazy, and will say "si'' to
everything. When asked whether there
is . good deal of water going toward
Salton he will calmly say, Isl, mucho
aqua" or anything else to be agreeable
and avoid discussion.
Mr.. Doyle, to prove how untrue was
this telegram from Phoenix, gives the
itinerary of his journey. He speaka.l IN
glowing terms of the richness OF the
land around Flowing Wells, and Gays
that the soil is like fertilizing material,
owing to the decayed fieh which have
been enriching it for several years. He
thinks that one day this will be great
agricultural country.
"We left San Bernardino," he says,
ION March. 24th and arrived at Indian
Wells on May 7th, and left there on the
10Th bound for Yuma via Alamo Mucho
and Seven Wells, arriving at Yuma on
May 10th. At Indian Wells the lagunaH
which are usually supplied by the New
river, are very low, go that the fish are
dying and divided into small pools.
"The water in many of them was stag.
nant and Shiny, which conclusively
proves that there has been no supply by
the New river to this laguna since last
summer, and many of them would have
been dry today had it not been for the
rains last winter.
''Mr. Lang, who is few miles from
Indian Wells with some cattle, with
his son, two colored men and q Mexican,
was fearful that he would have to move
south and west to laguna four miles
from Indian Wells, on account OF the
laguna drying up SO rapidly. The
abundance of rain last winter has pro-
duced q great deal of feed for cattle, and
if the lagunas do not dry Mr.. Lang pro-
poses to bring another band Of cattle
here and make stock ranch. These
lagunas for many years have been sup
piled by the back water of the New
river, assisted by the winter rains, but
as yet there has been no back water
from the New river. After leaving In
dian Wells we travelled twelve miles to
the east and found pool of water on
the line OF the old Butterfield stage
road, which had been very large lake.
the banks showing that the water had
pool there were thousands of fish, and
unless a supply Of water is furnished to
this pool the fish must all perish within
two weeks.
1.-THE next camp we made was at
Seven Wells, and found setanding and
very stale water. This evidently was
rainwater. Our next camp was at q
place known as Cottonwoods, formerly
an old stage station, about twenty-six
miles from Yuma by the road. This
was the first place we found running
water. having come dry shod all the way
from Indian Wells and having camped
in gthe bottoms of what evidently had
been lakes. Leaving Cotton woods we
arrived at Yuma on May 9Oth.
A year ago last February the water
gauge at Yuma bridge showed thirty
three feet, twelve feet higher than any
time during last February (which, how
ever, was not sufficiently high to over
flow the banks of the Colorado below
Yuma, as was the case in February,
1891, for distance of fifteen miles,
when the water did go over the west
side 'Of the banks at depth of two and
half feet, with a current of from four to
five miles. per hour. and faled up all
these depressions spoken of by me, and
made large lakes that are today only
smalt pools, and in many instances en-
tirely dry. This goes, to prove conclu-
sively that the volume of water passing
through the crevasee on the west side
Of the river, about fifteen miles below
Yuma, is not sufficient in volnme, and
it will require repetition of the phe-
nomenon Of February, 1901, for the de-
preston to ever become lakes again, 80
that they will flow from one to another
through channels and reach the, Salton
basin. The prophecy of Banning ever
becoming port of entry, as was ex-
pected BY the worthy editor of the
Herald, will not be fulfilled, and
products will continue to be shipped ont
by rail-"