Durango semi-weekly herald. (Durango, Colo.) 1899-1907, 1906-08-06
BOATS RUNNING ON WHAT
WAS ONCE A DESERT

J. h. Bryan, United States immigra-
ton inspector, has returned from
Yuma, Ariz., where he has been in
charge OF number of contract labor
ers who were being transported
through from Mexico to Lower Cali
fornia, where they Will be put to work
on the Colorado river In an attempt
] to turn 1t back into its former bed
and stop its progress into the Salton
sea, says the III Paso Herald.
1T was one Of the most remarkable
sights / ever saw" said Mr.. Bryan
this morning in speaking of the mat
ter. II had read and heard great
deal about 1t, but l never did under
stand 1t until looked 1t over.
AT the present moment every drop
OF water In the Colorado river Is flow
ing into the Salton sea, and while
may be poor Judge Of the situation,
having spent only one day there, do
not believe they will ever turn the
river back into the old bed.
"As nearly as l can learn, 1t was
caused this way: One season. not
=
the farms in the Imperial valley went
dry because the water in the river be-
came so low that the bed Of the canal
was higher than the bed OF the river
The farmers dredged the canal deeper
to get what little water there was In
the river. Shortly after the canal
was deepened there came big fresh
F.Ir thu 1.uf act
channel. which, of course, took 1t
into the canal, thence into Imperial
valley and Salton basin. AZ the soil
there is all alluvia1. 1t was but short
time until the channel had been deep
ened and widened until 1t carried the
entire volume OF water In the river
into the Salton basin, which is below
sea level
"This one has now been going on
for months and all attempts to stop
II have proved of no avail. They are
and have been for some time attempt
ing to build headgate to the canal
which they can shut down and thus
turn the river back Into Its old chan
mel and let the waters flow Into the
Gulf OF California, but SO far they
have been unsuccessful. Piles so
feet long have been driven into the
sand here, but as soon as the pres
sure is removed from the top, they
Immediately work out again, the
combination of quicksand and water
being so unstable that no hold can be
obtained in 1t. Just to see II 1t Is
possible to strike solid earth, three
50-foot piles were driven flush with
the ground, the pile driver was stop
ped to await results. In short time
the piles commenced coming to the
surface. and In day or two all three
had been forced up ward and out into
the bed of the canal
up to this time no great damage
has been done except to the salt
works and the Southern Pacific, which
has had to build shoofiies around the
water, as their line Is now covered,
but now Calexico, on the border be-
tween California and Lower Califor-
mia, is in danger OF being washed
away. The water Is also beginning
to encroach upon the cultivated fields
and in a short time many acres will
be under water. thus running many
prosperous farms and doing untold
damage. Almost all this valley is be-
low sea level and 1t will be inundated
before the water will commence to
flow to the gulf again.
AS the Colorado river is said to
be the fourth river in the United
States in the amount of water dis
charged you can readily imagine
what a great column of water Is pour
ing into the Salton sea. The river is
now about $50 yards wide and about
20 feet deep. and this is almost low
water During its freshet stages 1t
gets much bigger. A regular feet of
steamers now ply between Yuma and
the Imperial valley, and all transpor-
tation is carried on in this manner.
ut Is said that unless this flood of
waters is stopped soon the Southern
Pacific will have to build entirely
around the base at cost of several
million dollars. Shoofiies will no
longer be possible and an entirely
new route through mountainous
country will have to be built.
THE efforts TO turn the river back
into Its old channel are being made
by the Colorado Development COM
pany. which is employing all the men
it can get They had contracted with
the bunch l took out there, in Mexi-
co and as contract laborers were not
allowed TO enter the United States
hence they had to be taken through
In bond. Some may think this work
is in the Omitted States. but II is not.
The Salton basin is In the United
States, but the head OF the canal
where they are trying to build the
headgate to stop the water from GO
ing into the Salton sea and the In
perial valley, is in Lower California,
Mexico.
There Is high ridge of sandhills
all along the west bank OF the Colo
RADIO river in the United States, but a
canal through these would nave been
almost impossible, or at least very
costly on account OF the nature of
the soil and the expense, but doubt