Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1906-07-21
INTERESTING
ACCOUNT or
LOST RIVERS
Where They Are, What
Caused Them and Some
Striking Phenomena.
TWO BELONG TO NEW MEXICO

tRy Frederick Ordway)
Special Correspondence.
Washington. w. C.. July lS-
ON the American continent there
are no natural phenomena Of more
mymorious and fascinating interest
than tho iosi rivers Of the Oar west
These hide and seek streams as
rule. head in mountainous areas and
rush downward into bowi-iiko valleys.
where they .ncOniincntly vanish.
Some of them rCappoar, miles from
the vanishing point, while others are
lost forever and no man knows what
becomes Of their waters
Tho floors OF the valleys into which
they row generally arc comparatively
level and aIN built mp of loose sands
and gravols. washed down from rocky
and furest-clad slopes which absorb
the water and through which &c por-
colatcs slowly beneath the surface
When the slow moving underground
current encounters an obstruction, as
t often does ln he shape of naiuf-
al dikc or the rocky rim Of the lover
end OF The valley the wafer is forced
10 the surfsce aud the scream Is born
again
Thus The Santa Ana river In CALI
/ fornia sinks in the wash above Red
/ lands rises 40 tho surface above Bun-
/ ker Hili dixie sinks below b.. rises
I from Riverside to Bedrock Canyon
below El RincOn. sinks in the wash
above Santa Ara and finally partly
/ rises AGAIN n the large peat land
| springs above TaIhCrt The san Ca
brIei ana the los Angeles rivers oN-
hlblf the same CharaCiorlailcs hut
disappear and feappoar less often IN
their much shorter courses Co the sea.
AZ some points these sunken rivers
lnow Tor long distances under a wide
stralnm of imporvi0us material where
1.-The water ls under considerable pres
sure. when wells are driven through
ihis stratum on artcsian nOw results.
The discovery 20 this fact added MANY
thousands 81 acres 10 the cultivated
area of California. most of which IS in
oranges lemons. grapes and other
hlgh priced products
Always Clear and Pub
Another peculiar stream ls the DEE
schutes. which drains n large area In
Central Oregon u Is known 90 hy-
IdrOemuhcrs all over the world for the
extraordinary regularity OF ifs AOw
throughout the year. This is account
ed TOR by thD porous lava formation
which constitutes lOrilOn 1f the
drainage area and which D. especially
. prominent whore the headwafer tribu-
j tarlcs leave NE foothills OF The CAS-
cades Succo siyc flows of lava, fup
} ltured fractured. and assured by con-
. lyulsiuus Of nafures extend over many
{ miles of this region When the
b streams encounter thia sheet of lava
T lthCy are taken 40 by the spongelikt
: material aud disappear from sight
! passing beneath and through the lava
b and finally emerging through darn
+ cavorns and deep canyons into On,
: lmain stream,
b This wonderful lava bed rs nature.
regulator % swallows mp the floods
, that come dowu the steep slopes. i
- absorhs the rains and SHOWS, and then
j. releases them slowly through o.
2 ter miles and miles 90 length. ut,
the river channel There arr no tur-
% bid floods in the Deschutes In fact
there are no foods az all Day aftel
day aud year after year its flow il
Uniform. and itg waters sparkling ant
] clear For this reason probably 10 q
the finest trout stream in America.
Rio Mimsres Near pemina.
= New Mexico also has truan
Isiream. the Rio Mlmbres. u dralni
many mile III mountain country u
q She southern part of the territory
To- aud FOR q time is stream OF import
ance Then. as II tired of existence
To- flows uut urcH the plains uea
% DENNIS sud is lost forever. awall0we.
20 up in the loose sand and gravel TIN
b. Pecns too is truant Rt fmes avs
seeks sccus ON beneath The surface
coming up miles below in nTcsial
Hprings of great volume end 1ow
b. Ages ago when the earth wa
T. young lhH great Snake River plah
A. in Idaho. nuw a scrue OF utter desc
latiOu. Was q scml-tropicai garden
ii Countless rvcnms crossed a. aul
e. lenEihwist through 60 flowed th
.e mighty Snake in me forest prImeva
n and over The NcrdurC clad pain
10 roamcd the mastadun. the mammoth
's the camel. O. queer kind of horse. nnI
~ many other species Oi prehistoric nn
BE- imals. We know all this 90 be tru
be- hy reason oi the discovery of the re
mains 1f these extinct animals In th
D. recent excavations made at MonIdok
DO Rapids.
st Fearful Catastrophe Followed
le A great catastrophe overwhelme
y this valley on seven different uC
"a caslons tho lofty Tgons. which Tram
lo its eastern boundary. aud which wcr
then active volcanoes. crupted an
y poured forth sea 0f Laws, whlc
is swept downward and westward. GOV
"a erins the beautiful valley With a hlau