The herald., 1898-04-24
AS RICH AS THE NILE
LAND AWAITING DEVELOPMENT
ON THE DESERT
Capable of Supporting Thousands Of
People-An Interesting Talk
With a Recent Visitor

SAN DIEGO, April Zo.-Roseoe ~"
ard. who was one of the party OF san
Diego men who went to The desert some
three weeks ago to explore the country
in that vicinity, returned home last hlght
by train, the remainder OF the party re-
turning, as they went, overland by teams.
Speaking of his trip this morning, MT.
Howard said: "Our first nights stop IN
the vicinity of the desert was at Coyote
wells, a most miserable place, where
pool of filthy water served as liquid re-
freshment. All next day we Travelled
over the hot desert, and about p. m.
a miraculous change took place. FROM
the barren sand and volcanic scoria OF
The desert we entered a country of fine
dark soil, covered partially with mes
quite trees. We were then on the west
ern border of the irrigable lands. For
centuries the overflow Of the Colorado
river has inundated this part of the des-
ert until it has buried it deep with the
fat black silt of a more fertile region,
and built vast section of great prom
se The overflow Of the river commences
about twenty-five miles below the line
in Lower California, from an enormous
and shallow lake, called Volcano lake,
lying about forty miles west of the Colo
rado river. This lake is filled by the
Padermes river, which flows out of the
Colorado some twenty miles south of
Yuma. When the freshet of the Colo
rado is at it's highest point, about July,
this lake fills up and overf1ows into New
river. This river is very small, and mere
ly forms a definite channel to drain the
overflow, which spreads over many miles
when backing up from Volcano lake. 1t
could be stopped entirely by low levee,
in case the land should be used for farm
ing purposes. 1t Is safe to say there are
half million acres of the finest conceiv-
able land, almost as level as a barn
floor, lying waiting the day for some one
to divert a part of the Colorado river
to irrigate it. 1t will be big undertake
ing, but the results will justify the out
lay. Some years ago a company was
formed to irrigate these lands, and a
start was made at the Potholes, about
twenty miles above Yuma. 1t was pro-
posed to carry ditch one hundred feet
wide and ten feet deep down into Lower
California, in a southwesterly direction,
to the edge Of the land. and then north
west into the United States. This land
seems to be entirely free from alkali,
anu III Tie uTdluS tucIe are uO cNlucHCCS
Of salty deposits. If the Colorado river
could be depended upon to overflow every
year. it would be unnecessary to irrigate,
as on our visit there we found water
standing from last years overflow in sew
eral places. Blue lake, Laguna and Cam
eron lakes each have large amount of
overflow yet incorporated. The scheme
to irrigate these lands is, in my opinion,
sure and legitimate. There is plenty of
water in the Colorado The soil through
which the ditch would be dug is mostly
alluvial silt, as fine as flour, and there
would be little or no seepage. The lands
are certainly as fertile as those of the
Nile valley, as is shown by the alfalfa,
wheat, fruit trees, cotton, corn, ETC.,
grown on similar lands around Yuma.
They will grow anything but citrus
fruits, it being too cold, in my opinion,
for the trees to prosper. On these lands
thousands of people could support them
selves, and a great and prosperous state
could be established. 1t would be too
great monopoly for private individual
or corporation to assume, and the devel-
opment of these lands should be in the
hands of the national government. After
spending several days exploring this
wonderfully rich land, we visited the sui
phur mines. These are in the southern
part of the Cocopah mountains. vol
canic range extending about seventy-five
miles north and south in the center of
the desert. The company has opened up
large quantity Of sulphur which av-
erages so per cent purity 1t seems to
be anywhere and everywhere. The COM
pany has almost completed the survey
of railroad that will. when built, con-
meet the mines by rail with Yuma