Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-08-02
BREAK IN RIVER PERMANENTLY CLOSED
Stupendous Undertaking of the South. ern Pacific Railroads Engineers, Ordered by MT. Hartman at the Presidents Request,
 Brought to d Success
 full Conclusion.

CnlcaSO, Aug, l.-"ltH tne aH- nouncement that the break in the Colorado river has been closed and the Imperial valley saved ends for the time being at least, the most he- roic battle ever fought by man with nature. The reward was nothing less than the homes of 10000 peo- pie and five millions of dollars. Man, in the guise of corporation, has triumphed, and the river, ages old has been forced back into the channel from which it threatened to engulf farm, town and railroad. That hero of the crusades who cast his helmet in the midst of the Sara cen ordes and swept them before the tn red Cross was not more bold than the prosaic engineers who un- dertook to curb the Colorado. In this attempt there was only one pre- cedent-failure.
 Nevertheless President RoOse- velt' summons of last December was promptly answered. On the goth of that month MT. Roosevelt tele- graphed to MT. Hartman: Tt seems to me that it is the imperative duty of the California Developent Com pany to close this break at once. ''This break" was a gaj fifth of a mile Iong through which the river, at a depth of thirty feet, was rush. ing into the Salton sink. Imagine an enormous teacup with river flow ing about it's rim and You have the situation clearly outlined. To ir- rigate the wonderful rich loam of the cup, the river had been reckless 1y tapped. From an irrigation ca nal, it's waters became raging tor rent that almost superhuman ef fort could control. Now the declara- tion that the river has been forced back into it's banks and that "af frs at the river had been turned back to the California Development Association" marks the triumph of the Harlan engineers.
 Against a flow of water that had resisted every effort to control it, the Southern Pacific titans in fifteen days and two hours ertcted a dam containing 77,000 cubic yards of rock, gravel and clay. The loco- motives of passenger trains were not too important to be called upon to help in this task. Men worked without ceasing for sleep-hardly for food-that the ''break" might be closed. In money, the Southern Pacific railroad, interested in be- half of the company that had loos- ened the rivers bonds and as one of the sufferers from the rivers havoc has advanced $1,500,000 to repair the break. In labor, the railroad company has spent the ef- forts of it's most skillful engineers and of thousands of laborers, day in and day out, night following night.
 The actual work of damming the Colorado was done in two weeks after the Presidents call to pick and shovel. The formal announce ment was delayed only for the fin ishing touches because the Colorado has been controlled before this only to break its bonds. Now there is a sixty-foot dam, four feet above the highest known water, and the set tiers who discovered that the Sal ton Sink" was an out-of-door para disc for the almost magical growing of fruits and vegetables have re- turned to their homesteads in se- cure faith that the river, their great est enemy, has been finally con- Quered. The railroad will replace it's washed away tracks and trestles and it is believed that the Imperial valley farmers may safely trust that that there is nothing more to fear from the river.