Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-10-10
GREAT
LAKE is
FORMING
Will Eventually Cover 1000
Square Miles and May
Change Climate

washington, Oct. wv no IL re-
sponslble for the creation of the Sal
ton Sea in Southern California,
which already covers an area of 400
square miles and threatens to spread
over 1000 square miles, IL some
means of diverting the Colorado riy-
er cannot be devised?
This question Is perplexing Mexi-
can and American diplomatists, but
for the time being diplomatic repre-
sentations have been suspended, and
both the United States and Mexico
are bending every effort to check the
river, which has been accidentally
turned from its course through the
efforts of the California Develop
ment Company to irrigate land in
Northern Mexico and Southern Cali
fornia.
Interesting complications of an in
ternational nature are threatened
when the two governments attempt
to settle their differences and make
good the damage which has been
brought by diverting the Colorado
from It's old channel. The California
Development Company originally
tapped the" river below Yuma, Ariz.,
and carried water from Arizona
leo and back into great valley In
leo and b alkcnto a great valley In
Southern California. In 1904 it was
found that this canal was inadequate
to supply the water required for the
irrigation project, and Mexican cor
poration, controlled by the California
Development Company was author
lied by Mexico to take water from
the Colorado in Mexico. The irriga-
tlon canal was only one-fourth of a
mile from the river at the point in
Mexico where ditch was cut
through the sandy bank of the river
with the great irrigation
canal. No gates were provided, and
when the Colorado river was divert
ed from its channel. 1t cut away its
bank and went raging into the low
lands In California far below sea
level.
Towns Below the Surface.
Repeated attempts have been
made to turn the river back into the
old channel, but without success.
Again and again the Southern Pa
cflc railroad has been compelled to
move It's tracks. which ran through
the Salton sink. and have been
forced onto the foothills surround
ing the great basin, which is being
converted into sea. Several small
towns are now beneath the waters
which the Colorado has poured into
the basin. and In many places only
the tops of the telegraph poles indi-
cate where the roadbed formerly
was. In the lowest part of the sink
the water is now 20 feet deep. For
a time the water from the Colorado
raised the sea at the rate of six
inches n day, and Il has been estimat-
ed that, granting the failure of en-
glneers To- check the river In 40
years. all the basin located beneath
the main course of the Colorado will
be covered with water.
Like Great Lakes of Canada.
A part of the basin Is In Mexico.
and "A failure TO control the river
would give this country and Mexico
a lake comparable to the great lakes
separating the United States and
Canada, At present the lake is
greater than any body of water Who'll.
ly within the United States except
Salt Lake and Lake Michigan. The
Mexican company. to which permis-
sion was granted TO take water out
of the Colorado In Mexico was mere
ly created in Mexico to assist the
California Development Company In
making success of an irrigation
project. which was partial failure
when water was taken from the Col
orado In Arizona. Most OF the land
TO be irrigated was In the United
States, and the Mexican government
had comparatively little to gain
from the concession granted to the
irrigation company,
Treaties Call for Open stream.
International complications have
followed, growing out of the fact
that the Colorado shall be main
tained as nayigabls stream. which
Is not now the case because II has
been completely diverted from the
Gulf OF California into the great sink
Expert engineers are struggling to
the Cow of waters. and the
Southern Pacific railroad. whose
Is suffering greatly. Is CO.