The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-27

ages gone by, the land to the east and
west being lower than the bed of the
river. These little streams mentioned
carry no water except in rainy seasons
OF when the Colorado in some way
breaks through into one Of them.
Far south of CalexiCO, the Imperial
canal and New river is a basin some
what similar to the SaltOn basin, only
smaller, known as Volcano lake, filed
in wet seasons by the drainage from
these desert washes over the wide area
in the northern part of Lower Califor-
mia. From this lake an outlet river
known as the Hardy Colorado, runs into
the Colorado, just above its mouth. Be
tween a point some miles below the
heading of the Imperial canal, and the
point where the Hardy Colorado from
Volcano lake joins the Colorado, the
Colorado swerves somewhat to the east,
makes a general curve, though not suf-
fiCisnt to be called a semi-circle From
q point about opposite the northern line
of Volcano lake and only two miles
west of the Colorado, is the head Of an
other dry wash known to fame as Bee
river. Bee river parallels the Colorado
| in a general way, few miles to the
west of it, along the base Of the big
aqueduct on the top Of which the Colo
RADIO flows, the Bee river finally emp
| tying into the Hardy Colorado a few
miles above the point the latter empties
into the Colorado.
The banks of the Bee river wash
near its head are fifteen feet high and
/ the slope from the Colorado river TO
the top Of these banks is nine feet OF
four and a half feet to the mile for the
two miles between the two. The Colo
RADIO river therefore is twenty-four feet
higher than the bed of the Bee river
and the story goes that it has climbed
down off the aQueduct, shot across the
two miles with a downhill pull and is
now sending q food into the Bee river
just as in former times it poured into
the Imperial canal.
The natural 5upposition would be that
it would merely flow down Bee river
into the drainage Of Volcano lake. then
on to itself again. but that is not the
fact With the velocity gained I'm q
twenty four-foOt drop in two miles
augmented by the force Of the biggest
/ food ever known in the Colorado. more
water IS being forced into the Hardy
/ Colorado than IL can carry away with
| the result that the excess backWaters
/ into Volcano lake. running UP hill. 81
/ TO speak. The lake is rapidly rising.
Now comes the feature that puts the
/ people in the Imperial country on the
anxious seat Volcano lake is a consid-
cradle distance to the south. but none
Of that country is as high as it ought
to be in spots, 20 strike good working
average. It is rather high Just north
I or Volcano lake and also north Of the
head Of Bee river. A dixie has been con-
structed between these two places
against such an emergency as the pres
ent. But there Is a report to the ef-
feet that the water in the lake has risen
so high that gates placed in the dixie
for that purpose have been raised and
the water is again flowing across the old
/ bed Of New river and into the Imperial
canal. and on through that ditch and
further north into the SaltOn sea again
Whether this flow has been sufficient
10 do much damage in the Imperial
country has not been learned. but if al
least makes people uneasy. The effect
I Of this drainage naturally is to bae+e7
the recession Of the food at Yuma and
I Laguna.