The Arizona sentinel., 1905-08-02
FIGHTING SALTON SEA.
Railroad Claims to Have Wen Victory
 Over Encroaci,ing Waters.


 Pacific track, bordering on the S&itoc
 Sea are thus described by an Examiner
 c0rrespondent on the ground:
 Saton, July 3l.-All day long the
 waves of Sal;on sea have lashpd the
 roadbed of the Southern Pacific, but
 that has attracted no attention in this
 busy camp of 800 souls that a month
 ago was $; desert siding.
 Every energy is dSected toward the completion of the spur track from here
 west to Mecca. Steel at the rate of a mile and half day is being laid across the sand and by tomorrow night, Engineer Wilson says, connection will
 be made with the main line for seven miles about the worst flooded section Of track.
 The remarkable flood continues to rise an inch day, but it has apparent ly lost it's terrors for the railway men. Six hundred carloads Of rock and 200, GOO sacks Cf gravel, each sack weighing l50 pounds, have been placed along the south side of the main line covering a distance of less than five miles between Mecca and Frink. The result is roadbed which railway ex- rerts declare cannot be torn away by action of waves.
 In places the rails are two inches under water; when the wind blows they are submerged foot. Superintendent Platt and his lieutenants continue to send heavy freight aud passenger trains over the steel and men on the locomo- tive pilots declare the rails to not give d fraction of an. inch.
 Althodkh hopeful that the salt flood is now at ish, tide, it is stated that should the water continue to rise for a month at the present rate of an inch or a fraction less day. the Southern P;A cifc would not be out of commission, for that part of the right of way east of here which is threatened, is from three to four feet above the present water level. and the shoe-Ey. as good as completed, will take care of the other end.
 Railway men who have worked day and night for the past three weeks are well satisfied with what they now term d decisive victory over the waste waters which threatened annihilation to their main line. Not less than 630,~ 900 has been spent in track repair and raising and in constructing the shoC-ay. Had the flood got the upper hand and washed away the road-bed, as three weeks ago it came near doing, the rail- road would have lost quarter of million dollars in repair>work and traf- fife. And now that the day is apparent ly saved those who have conductedsthe fight admit that it was at all times close.
 Superintendent Platt and engineers, who have studied the situation care fully are agreed that the bulk of water now in the basin came from Volcano Lake, an elevated body of water doz- en miles long and situated fifty odd miles southeast from here.
 Many streams empty into this lake, and the outlet is HArdy's Colorado river. The rise in the lake last spring was much greater than could be accom- lnodated through the natural outlet | and an immense seepage foand it's way into the basin through the Padroncs [ river, but even this stream was made | quafe and $ new Channel was washed l through. The flow from these two | streams has caused the mischief. and [ with the cessation of the flood railway engineers will see to it that another spring will find I channel for the sur plus water of Volcano Lake in some I other direction than Salt0n basin.
 April + when tlfe rise of water was first apparent to the sals factory men, there was ifty-two inches of water ir the basin; shat is, 1t v:as' at that depth Ih the lowest part. Since them it had steadily increased an0 on Sunday night f60 inches was, shown. The great sea was so rough today that no measure nents were taken, but it is thought the rise was less than an inch.
 Tn 1891 there was filling in of the basin which caused somewhat of 8 panic, but it was nothing like the food of today. At that time the railroad tracks were not in danger and the main mill of the salt company was barely flooded. Today the mill is isolated by }09 yards of water.