The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-10-17
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1T is expected that 1900 acres on
80 the Yuma Indian reservation in
southeastern California viii soon
be opened for entry" Thus
saws bulletin just issued by the rec
lamation service Of the United States
government: not such ar imposing no
tice. surely but one that means more
TO the people Of the country and espe-
cialv 10 the dwellers in California than
many whole volume of other depart
mental report. For it marks the cul-
mination OF one OF the governments
vastest reclamation projects Uncle
sam. having at last succeeded in har-
Messing the treacherous Colorado river
with a concrete dam and constructed a
perfect system OF canals, is now pre-
pared to irrigate the subjacent lands
and turn thousands OF acres Of desert
into the richest Of garden spots
More than 10000 acres viii be irri-
gated by the now completed project,
and when It is borne insmind that an
acre Of land under the fertile waters
OF the Colorado river is worth at least
five beneath the uncertain rainfall of
the east the wealth added to the Pa
cihc slope can be appreciated There
is no richer land IN the world than this
Yuma valley when once water. is got
upon II. There's nothing but fertile
soil from the surface of the ground to
China" said an Official OF the reclama-
ton service.
"a ~
sprung what was most dificult prob
lem to the government engineers. When
some years ago they started TO find a
ate for the great dam so immense were
the deposits Of silt and sand that the
deepest bortnEs failed to find bedrock
formation. After exhaustive prospect
ing along the river it was finally de-
eIdsd that site IL miles above Yuma
near the town OF Laguna offered the
most practicable place for the only type
OF dam that could be used in such a
formation. This was what is known as
the East Indian weir" and although
this 81 the nrst time such style Of
irragsting dam has been built in Amer
iea. Il is one OF the Oldest types known.
For hundreds OF years the Hindus
have adopted It IN irrigation to control
thu shifting. unruly rivers OF India
The same method has been used sue
eeEsfully in building several dams
along the Nile. standing well against
the foods Of that historic valley. A few
weeks ago the Colorado river, swelling
into a rage OF food. swept down its
chsnnel-znd out OF it-with a torrent
o. 10000 cubic feet a second. Going
some," that was; enough to tear from
its foundations The Call building Itself.
But the new dam and levees held stead
fast with plenty OF strength to spare.
The food was a prayerful relief to both
settlers and government engineers; 1t
was the greatest that has ever come
down the river since the white man
FIRST knew its banks-since Coronado
and Estavan 500 years ago first eX-
plored the western wilderness. And
Il made just the test that the govern
ment engineers desired; their dam was
weighed and found not wanting.
And when it comes TO weighing, the
yuma dam can make good in more than
smile: for that is the main and dis
tlnctive factor about the Indian weir
dam Having no rock foundation to
rest on it must hold itself in place
from sheer weight. And this the Yuma
dam does. setting itself firm against
the mighty press OF water behind its
dead weight OF 100000 tons, equal to
the weight OF 5000 freight locomotives
And to harness the Colorado river
is feat that ranks with even that
Of damming the Nile with the great
Assousn dam, one that has ranked with
the building Of the Suez canal. 1t was
the Colorado that some years ago broke
loose and, sweeping everything before
it for hundreds OF square miles. poured
.nto a great depression in southern
California, and before the combined ef-
forts Of the government and Southern
Pacific engineers could check ii, swept
away n dozen towns, scores OF miles
OF track and created a body OF water
now known as the celebrated Salton
sea, larger than any lake in Europe
And this wild river has at last been
successfully bridled and made to work
The. dam is mile long, 246 feet wide
on its base and 10 feet high. Three
lines Of great concrete monoliths
stretch across the river bed from noun
tain to mountain, carrying in their
bosoms the 100000 tons of cemented
stone that hold the structure in place
against the press OF the rivers floods
This solid masonry goes far down into
sand and silt to protect the dam against
undermining currents. The upstrean
side OF the dam is protected by a heavy
curtain of broken rock and beyond
this for 90 feet extends stony apron
Small wonder that the recent food
found itself impotent against such a