Imperial Valley press., 1910-06-18

Colorado channel and Campo Leno, traversed by the party, showed that the cut is working up stream rapidly, but how soon the recession of grade might reach the intake could not be determined and MT. Perry declined to make guess.
 Many questions were fired at MT. Perry by directors and others, who were anxious to know how the cutting might be stopped and what it would cost to close the Abejos, but he de- clined to make estimates or to advise methods of control in the absence of accurate data, which could be ob- tained only by making a careful sur vey.
 Engineer c. K. Clarke was reluctant 1 to make any report, as he did not consider himself one of the committee of investigation sent out by the di- rectors and had no definite survey of the river upon which to base con- clusions, He said it could be seen the river bed was in progress, and if not checked it would cut off the water at the intake. The cutting back might or might not reach the intake this year. It had lowered the bed of the river at Laguna dam four feet ac- cording to observations made by the | government engineers, and it might make further cut this year. It was quite possible that with ten thousand second feet in the river there would be no water in the intake MT. Clark declined to advise what should be done. He had begun a precise survey of the region affected by the change of the rivers course, but had been unable to complete it because of lack of funds, and until he could make an instrumental survey he would not at tempt to determine what should be done nor make any guesses at the cost of closing the Abejos.
 Raymond H. Satterwhite, one of the Investigating party, described the trip down the river and the conditions as he saw them, and declared that he considered the situation very seri- ous. He estimated that the recession of grade this season would average about seven feet between the Abejos and Laguna dam, and he had no hesi- tation in advising that the Abejos be closed as soon as possible. He be- lieved the Southern Pacific, the set tiers, the government, the C.-M. Co.,, and Mexico should corporate and that each should pay it's proportion of the cost. MT. Satterwhite urged that provision for an accurate survey be made at once.
 Allen Kelly, one of the exploring party, was called upon for information and gave the result of observations made on several trips down the river and through the delta during the past three or four years. He explained that he was not an engineer, and hay ing no professional reluctance about talking without maps and notes, he felt free to do little guessing at what was going to occur in the Colorado and to say things that the engineers believed to be facts but would not report officially. He reported that the river was cutting back in the old bed as we'll as in the Abejos, and that all but a negligible quantity of water was flowing toward the gulf by way of the Abejos and the Hardy, shortening the course by many miles and greatly in creasing the securing action. A drift jam in the delta closed the southerly outlets and forced the main stream to the north and west against the new levee, and unless the jam should be broken the next flood probably would go over the levee and make it's way into the New River gorge. If the jam should be broken the run off to the south would be accelerated and the cutting back would be rapid, In either case. the river bed would be lowered at the intake and short
 (Confinued on page 8.Y