The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-01-04
HEARD AT HOTELS.

Mr.. J A. OckersCc. OF st. Louis. N
engineer OF high repute and member OF
the Mississippi River Commission. has
recently been to California to look at the
now famous Salton Lake, "A phenomenon
that IS as interesting as IL is dangerous
and destructive
In conversation with a Herald reporter
at the New willard. Mr. Ockerson said:
The trouble grew out OF the tapping of
the waters Of the Colorado River by Al
irrigation company which was operating
under a concession from the Mexican
government, as their ditch had 10 be dug
a portion Of the distance on Mexican soil.
though intended for use by settlers in tho
Imperial valley. which is in the state of
California. The irrigation company hoped
TO get a good supply Of water. but pretty
soon il began issuing forth in a quantity
that was so far in excess Of the needs OF
the farmers in the valley that It proved
embarrassing. Then a food came, and
the break got vastly bigger. finally as-
sum!ng the proportions OF a roaring cata-
ract. This new stream. 1900 feet wide.
took all the water out Of the old channel
Of the Colorado and rushed of in rag
ing torrent, 10 empty Itself In the SaIt0n
Sink, natural depression nearly 319 feet
below the level OF the sea.
1T tore through the earth with ire
mendous force. the soil Of the valley being
almost Ike talcum powder. and In its
unchecked flow ruined the crops and
homes Of many people who had pros
pered in the cultivation of cltrous fruits
Z :. md OIL ..rsT4
said that 5000 people are in distress. and
II the break is not mended and the water
turned back into its former chanueI-that
IS 10 say, the Colorado River-the damage
will be immense, and a fertile tract Of
country viii be given over % desoIation.
Tremendous efforts have been made 10
repair the mischief. and on seven differ
ent occasions il seemed as though the
flow had been stopped. but the relief was
only temporary. The Southern Pacific
Railroad has been heavy loser. and has
been compelled % lay many miles Of new
track because OF the iuundati0n OF its
line. II viii have 10 construct perhaps
eighty miles Of new road in addition
The matter IS very serious. but 80 is
not irremediable. To get the water back
will necessitate the building Of a dam and
ievees, but that is no difficult problem.
The harm done is wholly on the Amer!-
can side Of the boundary line, there being
nothing across the border but waste OF
sun-baked desert"
Mr. James T. Carskadon. Of Keyser,
W. Va. a prominent citizen OF his com
munity and member Of the legislature.
stood in the Raleigh lobby last evening
and smiled as two or three different pee
pie passed al intervals and respectfully
saluted him as Senator" They misto0lc
him for Senator EIkiHs. and truth is that
he looks enough like that renowned
statesman 20 be his twin brother.
Il get that everywhere I CO. said Mr..
KarskadOn, ''and especially in Washing
ton. l suppose there is a great facial re-
semblance between the Senator and my
self and our bulk and height being about
the same helps ID strengthen the likeness.
I was greatly embarrassed at his hospit-
able home here once by being introduced
10 a lot Of New York men as the Sena-
tor. For a while ] supposed il was a lit
lie joke and that the strangers understood
II. but as the minutes few by and they
kept talking 10 me OF business Of which
I knew nothing. ! saw that somebody had
plotted the thing in a spirit OF fun. I tell
you il worried me no little. and 7 was
glad enough when something interviewed
that enabled me 10 slip away without be-
ing compelled 70 enter into explanations. 81"
David Muskrat. John Muskrat. I. 3.
Cries. and J. Henry Dick, of Tahlequah,
Ind T., are stopping at the National Hotel
David Muskrat Is president and Dick
secretary Of the Keetowah Society, an
organization Of full-bIood Cherokees. who
are opposed 70 the allotment Of lands TO
other than full-bloCds Of the tribe men
toned. This society has successfully
carried through the courts a suit which
annuls the alloJments OF $500 intermarricd
whites Of eighty acres Of land each which
the Dawes Commission had awarded the
intermarried clement, most Of whom had
made substantial improvements, AMI
made good farms, aggregating $4,000
acres. in the Indian Territory.
Messrs. NIuskrat and their c0adiutO-s
claim they have saved the nation more
than 100000 They came TO Washing
ton to protest against the action Of the
Secretary of the Interior in ordering
portion of lands set apart as a forest
reserve. They were informed by a friend
been withdrawn. They then decided %
remain to look after other matters affect
ing their tribe, il being their opinion that
they can manage their local affairs better
than the jefuuCt Dawes Commission.
David MuskTat is a Grand Army man,
and says that 200 Cherokees fought in
the Union army
"The work Of an Indian agent is fun
of interest" said Nj H. II. Johnson. who,
for over four years has been acting agent
and superintendent of the JicaTiIla
Apache Training School. az Dulce, y. NJ.
There are about 500 of these Apaches.
and we have l34 young Indian boys and
girls in the school. am glad TO say that
the band, taken as a whole, are doing
finely They are not increasing in num-
bers, but they are not diminishing The
children are making excellent progress,
and take hold of manual instruction just
about as cleverly as do white children.
Last year, for the first time, ] induced
about fifty of the adult males 10 take up
ive-acre tracts each and plant crops
The results were so good that I am
greatly encouraged and expect this year
to get a great many more 10 be farmers.
All who went into il in 1906 made sur
prisingly heavy crops Of wheat and oats,
and they worked with steadiness that
surprised me-
The greatest trouble with the Indians
Of the Southwest, and this applies pretty
10 all of the red race is 10
keep them from falling into dissolute
lives. Whisky is their curse, and we
have a constant fight with a class of low
whites and Mexicans who sell the Indians