Bisbee daily review., 1903-01-29
TOOK TRIP DOWN
 COLORADO RIVER
PHOTOGRAPHERS NEWELL HIVES
 TIoATEs IRRIGATION
Work Will Require Vast ExPendi-
 ture of Money, but Scheme is Con siderable, Says irrigation Expert


 hington-FrederlcK H. Newen, chief hydrographsr of the united States government. has just returned to Washington from a four weeks trip in California and Arizona, in the course o{ which he hoated 400 miles down the colorado river in small row boat. The purpose of his trip was to investigate the possibilities Of that section of the southwestern desert country in the line of irrigation and to get a preliminary idea Of the feasibil- ity Of conserving the great floods of water which at certain seasons of the year pass down the Colorado river to the Gulf of California
 To carry out to it's full possibilities this great project on the Colorado river would require an expenditure of from sl5. .OO0 GOO 10 $2o 900 900, which would give in return an irrigated area of over 1000 0U0 acres of extremely fertile land. When asked in regard to his trip, Mir. Newell said:
 T first went to the Needles in Cal ifornia and there secured a wagon outfit and drove up the Colorado river as far as possible to what is known as Bowies Head. one of the highest sites for 8 proposed reservoir on the river We then came back through the agricultural lands near Camp Mo have. where the Indian school is situ, ated and where large areas can be brought under irrigation by a high line canal from the Colorado river Then We went back to the Needles and in company with J. B. Lippincott consulting engineer, E. T. Perkins district engineer, Arthur P Davis principal engineer, and E. c. Bernard topograpter. I started on my triI down the river.
 We were five days in an open boat camping along the banks of the stream at night. We then struck 2 little river steamer, the St. Barrier which was on the point of starting from Ehrenberg to Yuma. All naviga tion on the river is suspended at dark and in fact is also often suspended in day time while the crew is engaged in getting the boat off the sand bars There is a decided current which runs about three miles an hour and carrie: the boat from one side to the ~othel of the channel, the water spreading out in many places over a wide area
 It is easy travelling along these channels until one reaches a place where the river widens out, then the water becomes so shallow that the boats frequently get stuck. The little stern wheel steamers, which occasion ally use this river, when they get stuck on sand bar turn around anC the revolution of the wheel moves enough of the said so that the boa can drift on down.
 We went down the river about 40( miles in all The country back iron the river is arid and desolate and ha! very scanty vegetation except for al occasional thorn basin. It is geneT ally considered to be a highly miner alized country and there is an almos infinite number of prospect holes an, a few mines, but very little if any or is nov being shipped. This is proh ably largely due to the difficulties o ransportatioD.
 We saw very few people along tn river An occasional Indian was me in his boat going. up stream, carryin goods to the mining camps or to tn Indian school These are the Mohay Indians They all use punts or fla bottom boats. There seemed to be n white settlers along the river excep a few prospectors. We found no mos quitoes at this time of year and tn nights were frosty. The country l semi-tropical, having hot days an cold nights, especially on the lowe levels"