The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-10-17


west has been harnessed at last and
viii hereafter be a dutiful servant in
stead of ruthless master.
The working force that constructed
this wonderful feat of engineering
was a most fearful and wonderful col
lection OF humanity. The excessive
heat in the open sun making it i'm
possible for the ordinary American to
work, the engineers were perforce
compelled to gather up such as were
acclimated.
Men of all nationalities drifted
from all corners of the earth and in
ured 70 the hot sun. men in all as
sorted sizes and of dispositions, vary
ing from bad to worse-sand mostly the
latter-were gladly employed" said
reclamation service official. Former
bad men, hoboes. anything on two legs
that could swing a pick or put hand
TO a pillow was grabbed up and no
questions asked. Oh, it was a fright
full mobi Luckily we had rangers, the
old voluntary police of the southwest.
stationed around the work to keep
down the natural disorder and lawless-
ness occasioned by the bringing to-
gether of such q heterogeneous mass
of men; and several times the ranger
was compelled to see more than. one
man down his rifle barrel and send
him into an uncertain hereafter be-
fore the work could proceed in peace.
And yet" continued the official, when
in course of construction a flood threat
ened the frail temporary structure, so
bravely did this outlaw collection Of
humanity rally 10 the support of the
engineers that. risking all their lives
and losing some of them, they were
able to save the work and hold it in
place until the waters subsidized"
From out either side of the great
dam flow huge canals that carry the
tar 10 ha thousands az
acres below. One flows into Arizona
the other into California, each provided
now with a bountiful supply to irri-
gate all the lands covered. The water,
like that of the Nile, is rich in fertiliz-
ing material-and here again arose an
other trouble to vex and harass the en-
gineer It is too rich: for the Colorado
river carries annually to the sea 61,-
100000 tons of sediment. an amount of
solid material sufficient to cover so
square miles Of ground one foot deep.
Even the eastern laymen can see how
this vast deposit would shortly clog
dam and irrigating bitches Into use
lessness- A conservative estimate was
that the whole vast system OF this
Yuma valley irrigating project would
be put wholly out of use in less than
three years by this enormous deposit of
sediment
But Uncle Sam had put his hands on
a bright and energetic lot of men
when he went at the project; this. is
the clever manner in which his engi-
neers have circumvented the difficult
ties. The top of the water was found
to be practically free from the clog
ging sediment, though still containing
enough to make it equal in fertiliz-
ing qualities TO the waters of the Nile.
Two great sluiceWays were erected on
either side the dam with huge gates
or-d nil n
rivers current is decreased by the
dam and the silt settles to the bed of
the stream. When a certain amount of
deposit has accumulated the gates are
lifted and the rush Of the water be-
meath them sweeps out the accumulated
deposit into the river below, securing.
as it were, the river bed above clean of
all sediment.
All the wisdom of years of expert
ence on the Mississippi river was
brought to bear by the government in
constructing the levees to prevent the
overlooking of the river in the flood
season. The type adopted has a slope
of three feet horizontal to one foot
vertical, and brushwood defenses are
placed at frequent intervals to ward
off flood attacks in weak places. This
protecting wall stands four feet higher
than the highest known flood line,
defense ample to protect the homes
that viii soon spring up throughout
the valley.
Ample provision has also been made
TO drain the lands lying below flood
level and TO remove this water for
irrigation farther down the stream.
The bikes and levees erected extend
distance of 20 miles along the river and
through the valley of Yuma a monu-
ment to the energy Of the government
engineer.
There seems to be nothing that the
thoughtful and earnest engineers could
do that has been neglected to mako
this valley one that even dry govern
ment bulletin--not to speak of the
settler-would not enthuse over. o.
Henry, the Wen known humorist, has
said that the Lord would not recognize
a tract OF land after real estate agent
gets through describing it, Uncle Sam
is known for stating facts coIdly, but
what the Yuma valley will be In
few years will surpass all that even
the enthusiastic officials of the reclama-
ton service are now, claiming for it,
Bringing to a perfection everything
that grows between the tropic and the
arctic circle" said another reclamation
official, enthusiastic on the project,
land embracing an arabic area half az
large as the state of Connecticut we
figure that it can easily sustain in COM
fort a population of half a million.
With all its varied resources il will
be little empire within itself A wall
built around it would not certainly in
convenience the jewellers within for
they would have everything of the COM
forts and most OF the luxuriesi of life"
There is nothing under the sun that
will not grow in this region in utmost