Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-10-09
=, f,estion is PerpIexing the
~ DIPLOMATS Of Mexico and
United States.
IMPLICATIONS THREATENED.
a Present Both Governments
Doing Everything Possible
To Check the River.
r,,,,es Provide That the Colorado
shall he Maintained as
Nayigable Waterway.

u,,hineton oct. 9.-Who is respoh-
.slo or The creation Of the salton sea
,,u,bsrn California, which already
.,. an area Of 400 square miles ana
.s..,tsrs 10 spread over 1000 square
~. u some means Of diyerting the
,,ai,-aso river cannot be devised?
This question is perplexlng Mexican
.rd American dlplomaiists, but for The
,,r,s being diplomatic representations
have been suspended and beth the
limited States and Mexico are bending
,csrv effort TO check the river which
N, been accidentally turned from its
,oorso through the efforts Of the cali
hrnia Development company to irrl'
40 lands In northern Mexico ana
nuthen California.
interesting complications OF an IN
..-,a,lonal nature are threatened when
ma two governments attempt to settle
,,.,r differences and make good the
Samage which has been brought by
Nverting the Colorado from its old
shsnnel. The California Development
snmnany originally tapped the riyerSe-
law Yuma. Arizona. and carried water
,-om Arizona through canal into
,nrtbern Mexico and back into a great
alley IN southern California. In 1904
# was found that this canal was IN
ADEQUATE TO supply water required for
the irrigation project and a Mexican
corporation, controlled by the Califor-
MIA Development company was author
lted by Mexico to take water from the
colorado IN Mexico, "A short distance
south OF Yuma The irrigation canal
was only one-fourth of a mile from
liver al the point In Mexico where
ditch was cut through the sandy
hank Of the river connecting with the
ereat irrigation canal. No gates were
rroyided, and when the Colorado river
was diverted from its channel, II cut
away It's bank and went raging mo
the lowlands In California far below
sea level. Repeated attempts have been
made to turn the river back into the
Oh channel. but without success.
Asaln and again, the Southern Paci-
Ga railroad has been compelled 10 move
N racks which ran through the SAL
ion sink, and have been forced on 10
ne iOthils surrounding the great ba-
sa Khlch is being converted into sea.
Several small towns are now beneath
tie waters which the Colorado has
poured into the basin, and In many
places only the tops OF the telegraph
poles Indicate where the roadbed for
merry was. In the lower part of the
sink, the water is now 10 feet deep. For
time the water from the Colorado
raised the sea at the rate OF six inches
q day and II has been estimated that
granting the failure OF engineers 10
check the river in 40 years, all the basin
located beneath the main course of the
Colorado will be covered with water.
A part OF this basin Is In Mexico. and
a failure 10 control the river would give
this country and Mexico a lake COM
parable 10 the Great Lakes separating
the United States and Canada. AT
present the lake is greater than any
BODY of water wholly within the United
sIales except Salt lake and Lake Mich
igan,
lhe Mexican company, TO which per-
mission was granted 10 take water out
y lhe Colorado in Mexico was merely
usated IN Mexico to assist the Cali
,ylna Development company In max
w a success OF an irrigation project
salGh was partial failure when water
Ns laNen rom the Colorado In Ari-
s9na; Most OF the land to be irrigated
Nas N the United States and the Next
.an government had comparatively lit
.e % gam from the concession granted
~ .ae irrigation company.
International complications have fol-
,"Fsu' growing out OF the fact that ex-
sung treaties provide that the Colora-
w. suah DC maintained as a navigable
sueall, which Is not now the case be-
,sase ! has been completely diverted
nvn 'he gulf OF California into the
s sra' SINK, Expert engineers are strug-
lug 20 control the flow of waters and
~, ,o southern Pacific railroad, whose
s,opperly Il suffering greatly, is COOP
nang with the Mexican and Ameri-
"a "a" government engineers In an effort
s % v.uslIuct another channel with flood
s sn,ss mo which the Colorado can be
t ~, h long enough to repair the SAL
1, ~ hsAlean government commission
psr ~,aaed by Brig Gen. Angel Garcia
~ nay ,u and, the American government
''e reclamation service eneineers