Bisbee daily review., 1903-02-05
RICH RIVER IS
 MUDDY COLORADO
STREAM THAT IS RICH IN FER
 FLEEING MATTER.
Government photographers Studying
 River With Regard to Irrigation
 Possibilities Along Fertile Banks.

Possibilities Along Fertile Banks.
 The greatest opportunity for the re- Clamation of arid lands in California, and perhaps in the entire Southwest, has been found to lie in the utiliza- ton of the waters of the Colorado river on its adjactent lands in Cali fornia and Southern Arizona. As result of an investigation along this river, made in January, 1902, by the Photographic branch of the United States geological survey, the extent of the alluvivial bottom land between Camp MOhave and Yuma was found 10 be from 100000 to 500,0OO acres, says the Los Angeles Express.
 Extended surveys were begun Nov 1st last. to determine the area and quality of these bottom lands. the pos sibility of diverting water to them, and the probable expense of their re c'amation To this end a hydro graphic may of the lands upon which gun, including the gauging of the riv- er. the location of canal lines soil analysis and the determination of salt and evaporation; and a tOpO- graphic may of the lands upon which the topographic features are clearely and accurately shown, will be Of great value in assisting engineers to locate the main canal lines, and is essential 10 a comprehensive knowl- edge of the river as a whole. About one hundred men are engaged in these Investigations for the United States geological survey. E. T. Per kins being in charge of the engineer ing field work, E. c. Barnard in charge of the topographic mapping. and J. B. Lippincott, resident hydro grapher for California. consulting engineer on investigations.
 Demands for irrigation in the Colo rado valley are urgent. The average rainfall at Camp Mohave is only 5.99 inches per annum, while the tempera- lures are such as to provide twelve growing months in the year. The Colorado river derives its principal source of water supply from the melt ing snow on the high mountains of Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. It reaches the stage of maximum flow approximately 50,000 cubic feet per second-in the months of May and June, when the demand for irrigation is normally the highest; it's minimum fiow-about 4,000 cubic feet per sec ond-occurs in the months of Jan nary and February, at the time of least demand. The opportunities for storage on this stream are excellent.
 Sits of the river are difficult to handle in canals, but the fertiliZing properties which they have are such that lands irrigated with these muddy waters never will require further fer tilization.
 R. H. Forbes, of the agricultural experiment station at Tucson, Ariz., who has made a study of the silt in the Colorado river, has pointed out that this stream resembles the Nile in many particulars. Like the great river of Egypt, the Colorado is sub ject to an annual summer rise sui ficient to overflow the extensive areas of its borders and delta lands. These high waters are rich in feTilizing sediments, are exceptionally free from alkaline salts, and come at an opportune time for irrigation. Mir. Forbes maintains that when the Colo rado is understood and utilized as successfully as the greater and bet teT-known Egyptian stream, it will be recognized as the American Nile-the creator of new country for the irTi gator, the mother of an occidental Egypt.