The San Francisco call., 1907-01-20
PER|AL RELIEF
BILL FAVORED
Measure That Appropriates
100000 to Check Colo
RADIO Meets With Approval
LANDS TO BE SAVED

WASHINGTON, jan 19.-The Senate
committee on arid lands authorized
Senator Flint today to report favor
ably, with notifications, his bill pro-
viding for the repair of damage ceused
by the diversion of the waters of the
Colorado River in Southern California
into the Salton Sea. The bill author
ICES the expenditure of S2,000,000 for
improvements, including reservoir and
water ways and other works neces-
sary to confine the river within It's
banks and prevent it's further d.
version.
The bill authorizes also the con-
struction of such reservoirs and bitches
as may be useful for the irrigation
OF the Imperial Valley and other val
leys in that vicinity. 1t directs that
such proportion of the cost shall be
returned to the treasury as may be of
direct benefit to any irrigation pro-
Jects. the money to be repaid when
received from the water users.
The bill does not complicate the Gov
ernment work with that of existing ir-
rigation companies. 1t further pro-
vides that in case it becomes necessary
to do any work in Mexico it may be
done when the consent of the Govern
ment of that country shall be obtained.
CAPTAIN EELS HAS PLAN
NEW YORK, Jan. 19.-Captain Albert
+. Eels of Rockport, Me-, who is the
contractor building the Diamond Shoal
lighthouse, off Cape Hatteras, has been
in consultation with Government Off
cials and also with engineers or the
Southern Pacific Railroad Company
concerning new method by which he
has proposed TO turn the Colorado
River back to its old channel and thus
save Imperial Valley from the Salton
Sea.
The plan Captain Eels has in mind
is to build water gates near the break
in the rivers bank. to be connected
with sluices to carry the water into
the lowlands beings inundated. These
gates. he said, should be built to drain
the river at lower level than at the
break. When they are opened the
water, instead of rushing through the
break in the rivers bank, as at pres
ent, will flow through the gates This
will make the water less turbulent and
enable the railroad to I'LL in by run
ming trains of dump cars out over
trestles and dropping stone and sand
overheard. At the present time this
process has been rendered futile be-
cause the current carries away the
waste as fast as 1t is dumped.
AMERICA MAY LOSE LAND
When the break has been mended by
a strong, solid wall of earth and rock,
says Captain Eels. the gates may be
closed and the Colorado will again be
confined to its old channel and flow
into the Gulf of California, instead of
Salton Sea Captain Eels said that the
cost of carrying out his scheme should
not exceed 100000
Ell PASO. Jan. 19.-At a meeting of
U.To o,,1 nd
the citizens of the Rio Grande Valley
below Ell Paso yesterday 1t was de-
cided to appeal to the international
Boundary Commission for power to cut
a canal on the Mexican side of the
river, strengthening its course. In or
der to save the towns Of Ysleta and
Socorro and several thousand acres of
the valley land from being thrown
into Mexico. by the cutting of new
channel For years the river has been
gradually cutting its way into the
American side.