The Arizona sentinel., 1906-12-12
UNROLY COLORADO
Bids Dciiance t0 Tan ass; Cuts ACrsss Country AgSia ifsto khs
 SaIEcs: Sea.
RIVER WILL BE CONTROLLED
Thirty Miles oT Dike Systeni to be
 Built at a Cost of S2,O0O,OOO.

Once more has the Colorado river
 bid defiance to the puny work of man
 and is rushing hell-bent into the Salton sea. After two years of more or less
 experimental work the Southern l'acifc
 Company recently succeeded in closing
 the gap ill-advisedly cut by the old
 management of the California Develop
 ment Company, and through which the
 river went tearing into the Salton ba- sin creating an inland sea 400 square
 miles in area and threatening tie de- struction of the whole Imperial valley; forcing the railroad company to move its tracks ontu higher ground and cre-
 ating loss running into the millions.
 The great interests of the Southern
 Pacific and the greater interests Of the
 Imperial valley-a great part of which
 is below sea level-demanded that the
 river be turned back at all hazards and
 without regard to cost. For months,
 while the railroad company was spend- ing thousands of dollars in fighting the encroachments of the Salton sea, the California Development Company car ried on a determined but futile work trying to close the intake. Finally the alarming situation forced q consolida- tion of the two great interests. The management of the c. D. company was turned over 10 Epes Randolph and his assistants; the Southern Pacific Com pany came loyally to the front with unlimited money, men and equipment, even crippling the freight traffic of the road in pushing the work. A spur was built across the intake, from the main line, and what is known as the Hind dam, mainly of rock, was built across the new channel and an earth levee was constructed parallel With the river for distance of ten miles, mostly in Mexico. At one time nearly one LhOus- and men were employed. After long struggle and the expenditure of more than million dollars, the break was closed. The plans followed were those of Epes Randolph. There was great rejoicing in the Imperial valley when it was announced that the mighty Col orado had at last been conquered and forced back into it's old channel. Yuma and Yuma valley, standing above and ho do Ern fNf hn cty jc threatened ravages, reioiced with these brave California people who had re- deemed the Colorado desert and made homes for themselves within its con- fines. It had been said that the waters of the great river, which had produced verdure and blossom in the desert wastes would surely undo and destroy their own magnificent vSork-but this was not to be: the Colorado was turned back and again flowed peacefully and to the Gulf. Our sympathy had been that of near neighbor, se- cure in prosperity and safety, for an equally enterpriSiHg and thriving com munity in danger and distress; our re- joicing was therefore hearty and sin cere when the troubles of these people were removed and the destruction of their homes arerted.
 But the rejoicing was premature and our neigh bors' feeling of security was 
 Following the unusual rise of eight feet in the Colorado last Friday, dis quieting rnmors gained circulation that the dam at the intake had been swept l away and the river was again pouring into the Sa4ton basin. The reports were repeatedly denied by authority, but they proved to have important The dam has not washed l out, but the heavy rush of water found weak places in the levee or dike below | the intake dam and soon gash was made that took nearly the whole flow of the river, which is now tearing mad- Ey around the Hind dam and on to the Salton Sea.
 Break VIII be Closed.
 Engineer Corey, who superintend- ei the closing of the Mexican intake, 1