Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-12
(By Frederick ordway.)

10y Frederlck OrQWay.)
In that land of mystery, of lost races
valley of Southern Arizona, stands the
town Of Roosevelt. Today it is a
thriving, busting community of 1000
Inhabitants. with electric lights, water
works, sewerage, school and churches.
Two years from now it will lie at. the
bottom Of a lake, 200 feet beneath the
surface OF the water.
The town Of Roosevelt came into be-
ing beause Of the Roosevelt dam pro-
ject 1t is fitting, perhaps, that COM
pletion Of the dam will be the signal
for the towns destruction, and that the
very ground upon which 1t stands will
be forever buried from the sight OF
man. Pompeii and Herculaneum were
covered by the ashes Of vesuvius;
Ninevah and Babylon were abandoned
to the deserts drifting sands; there are
legends Of beautiful cities in the tabled
continent Of Atlantis, many leagues
under the oceans waves; but Roose-
welt stands alone, probably, as the on
ly town which man has contrived de-
liberately to bury beneath the flood.
Roosevelt must perish that a desert
may be made to bloom. Already the
marvellous engineering work is well
under way. The walls of the narrow
canyon through which Salt river rushes
oii coSo are DciuS lOCkeu ny d HldsS-
i've monolith Of solid masonry, the
highest arch dam in the world.
This wonderful structure Of sand
stone and cement will be $50 feet in
height from foundation to parapet, 210
feet long, and ITO feet wide at base,
and 700 feet long on top. Its cubical
contents will be 100000 cubic wards.
and in its construction 100000 barrels
Of cement will be required. Placed
oil 80 ~, -, ,J,,
scraper, this dam would rise ten feet
above it, while it's length on top would
be more than two city blocks. A turb-
ulent stream, with it's enormous
floods, will beat itself into stiffness
against the masonry monster, Its foam
and spume lost in a deep lake. TWEEN
ty-five miles long and two miles wide.
BY day and by night the dull roar Of
dynamite breaks the desert stiffness,
to furnish material for this structure.
On the hill far above the rock crushers
never stop grinding the limestone, and
great kilns, white hot, are burning
daily hundreds Of barrels Of cement.
When night comes myfiads Of cleo
trio lights burst forth. weirdly illumin-
attng busy army Of toilers gnone-
like working in a shadowy canyon. A
star gemmed heaven looks down upon
a wondrous scene. unreal, awesome,
and inspiring.
This work Of the government pos
sesses unusual attractions for the en-
gineer and the laynan. 1t is located
in valley which has been the abode
OF three races, one of which lived here
when Caesar sat upon his throne. In
an age forgotten the cliff dwellers
built their eyerielike homes along the
canyons Of this stream and in the mar
row valleys the lines of their irriga-
ton canals may yet be traced. Centur-
les later the Apaches came, and for
many years their tepees dotted the
| basin. Then came the white man, who
sought to reconquer the desert, which
had resumed its sway after the cliff
| jewellers vanished.
| The battle with unfriendly nature
proved too much for the pioneer, and
Uncle Sam took hand in the fight
| No problems could daunt his engineers
They laughed at the floods and Knocked
at desolation A dam site was discov-
cred sixty-two miles from railroad
and they proceeded to connect 1t with
civilization by marvellous road which
winds Its way for forty miles through
deep canyons, along the face of frown-
Ing prec1pices, over foaming cataracts
and across broad areas of treeless des-
ert. 1t opens UP to the transconti-
mental traveller new region Of com.
pelling interest and of splendid seen
cry. Better than that, it provides ar
easy thoroughfare for the transporta-
ton Of heavy machinery of all kinds
and the supplies for the new commun.
ity which sprang into life almost at {
word.
And this community affords almos
a story in itself, for 1t is different from
others, which, ephemeral- like, sprins
4 up IN the far west. 1t is located in
great basin trimmed by high noun
tains. Through the bottom OF it,
flows the waters Of Salt river ant
Tonic Creek, the streams meeting a
the southern end Of the basin, an,
emerging from 1T through a canyon
700 feet deep in the Salt River noun
tains. This canyon is the only Quite
of the basin. If one would emerge b.
another route, it must be by that o
mountain roads and trails. Although
this was once the favored rendezvou
OF the old-time outlaw and cattle thief
Offering safe refuge from pursuit, tn
busting little city Of Roosevelt /