The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-10-18
RIVERS COURSE CHANGED.
Marvellous Result of Overflow of the
Great Colorado.


California, which already covers
an area of 400 square miles and
threatens to spread over 1000
square miles if some means of di-
f-erting the Colorado river cannot
- devised?
This question is perplexing
American and Mexican diplomat
lists, but for the time being diplo-
matte representations have been
suspended, and both the United
States and Mexico are bending ev-
cry effort to check the river which
has been accidentally turned from
its course through the efforts of
the California Development Com
pany to irrigate lands in Northern
Mexico and Southern California.
In 1904 it was found that this ca
nal was inadequate to supply wa
ter required for the irrigation pro-
ject, and Mexican corporation,
controlled by the California Devel-
opment Company, was authorized
by Mexico to take water from the
Colorado in Mexico, a short dis
lance south of Yuma. The irriga-
ton canal was only one-fourth of
a mile from river at the point in
Mexico where a ditch was cut
through the sandy bank of the riv-
er connecting with the great irri-
cation canal. No gates were pro
vided, and with the high water of
1905 the Colorado river was di
verted from its channel, cut away
its bank, and went raging into the
lowlands Of California far below
sea level. Repeated attempts have
been made to turn the river back
into its old channel. but without
success.
Again and again Southern Pa
cifc Railroad has been compelled
to move its tracks, which ran
through the Salton sink, and have
been forced on to the foothills sur
rounding the great basin, which is
being converted into a sea. Sev-
eral small towns are now beneath
the waters which the Colorado has
ured into the basin, and i'll many
>pIaccs only the tops Of the rail
roads telegraph poles indicate
where the railroad formerly was.
In the lowest part Of the sink the
water is now 10 feet deep. For a
time the water from the Colorado
raised the sea at the rate of six
inches a day, and it has been esti-
mated that, granting the failure
Of engineers to check the river, in
40 years all the basin located be-
meath the main course Of the Colo
RADIO will be covered with water.
A part of this basin is in Mexico,
and the failure to control the river
would give this country and Mex
leo lake comparable to the
great lakes separating the United
States and Canada. At present
the lake is greater than any body
Of water wholly within the United
States, except Salt Lake and Lake
Michigan.
The Mexican company to which
permission was granted to take
water out Of the Colorado in Mex
leo was merely created in Mexico
to assist the California Develop
ment Company in making sue
cess of an irrigation project which
was a partial failure when water
was taken from the Colorado in
Mexico. 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 irri-
CATION company.
Treaties between the United
States and Mexico provide that
the Colorado is to be maintained
as a navigable stream from the
Gulf Of California through lower
California to American territory.
These treaties were drawn long
before railroad transportation made
E use of the Colorado unproit-
able, and under present conditions
the navigation features Of the trea-
ties are regarded as almost a dead