New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1908-10-14
TESTS At SAL TON SEA
Weather Bureaus Work In Re-
claiming Arid Lands.
TWO LINES OF RESEARCH.

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Professor r. n. BigeIow's Plans 70.
an Evaporation Plant to Be Built at
Roosevelt, Ariz., For Scientific OBJ
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. to Be Studied.
Professor and Mrs. E. Fl. Bigelow
recently arrived at Phenix, Ariz.,
from Los Angeles. Professor BigeloW
is professor of meteorology in the
weather bureau service, with which
he has been connected for seventeen
or eighteen years, and is in charge of
the division Of cimatology. He is en-
gagged now in two lines Of research, in
both of which this valley has mate
rial interest, for the information he
gathers and the facts he hopes to es
tablish are directly CONNECTED with
the work Of reclamation of arid lands
and the conservation Of resources.
One Of the things above referred to
is the snowfall on the higher mountain
ranges of the watersheds and the 9th
er is the study Of the subject Of evap-
grafton, says the Phenix Arizona Re
publican. In respect of the former the
difficulties to overcome are climatic
rather than scientific, the point being
that where the heavy snoWfalls occur
In the high mountains there are few
human habitations and few persons
whose services can be secured to make
observations unless they be employed
specifically for that purpose. That
would be quite expensive beside the
fact that very few people would care
to spend their winters under such cir
cumstances even when they were we'll
paid for it. The Importance Of secur-
ing this information is apparent, for
these SHOWS are the chief source Of
water supply for the great watersheds,
and it is highly important to know
what quantity of moisture is original
~ available on the watersheds.
With that informant ton there can then
be considered the runoff and all those
questions that have bearing on the
main object, which is to keep as much
water on the shed as possible until the
season when it is needed. Then by
authoritative data by which the water
in certain locality can be closely es-
timated the scientific men can more
readily determine the quantity and
usefulness of the available water sup
ply and can also note more accurately
the success of experiments to increase
the conservation by controlling the
runof. Professor Bigelow went to
Phenix particularly to confer with
Engineer Hill concerning the placing
OF what is termed an evaporation plant
at or near Roosevelt for observations
and measurements of the evaporation.
The subject of evaporation is COM
parattvely new line of work. That is.
1t has been given less scientific atten-
ton than many other meteorological
matters, and conditions are so differ
ent IN different regions that common
popular information on the subject is
Of but small value in scientific way.
1t is known in general way that it
IS much greater in the west than in
the east. where there is more cool
weather as we'll as heavier precipita-
ton; also 1t is known in a general way
that in many places the amount Of
water evaporated in a given length Of
time is two or three times as great as
the amount used for Irrigation. For
instance, Lake Tahoe supplies the
Iruckee-C Carson project with water,
the project being in one Of the driest
spots in the world, yet a years irri-
cation from Lake Tahoe only utilizes
about sixteen inches of water, while
the evaporation amounts to thirty
inches.
One of the most interesting projects
under the direction of Professor Bige-
low is that of the experiments at the
Salton sea, which will be very cOmDre-
henslve. A temporary camp was main
tanned there last summer for a couple
Of months, but the real work of expert
mentlng has not yet been undertaken.
The weather bureau is not in the
slightest concerned as to the fate Of
the Salton sea other than the curiosity
common to ALL It does not care a rap
about its effect on the climate there or
IN the southwest only in so far as a
knowledge of the results reveal scien-
titic facts concerning evaporation. 1t
IS only the scientific principles that the
bureau seeks to possess itself of. So
far as the climatic effect of the sea is
concerned, the bureau has demonstrate
ed beyond doubt, says Professor
Bigelow. that it is practically nil. The
Influence of the rising vapor and the
cooling Of the wind as it crosses the
sea can be noted for a few hundred
feet only, as it has been by travellers
on the trains that skirt its edge, but
1000 feet inland from the shore there
is not the SLIGHTEST auidannn of ann