Mohave County miner. [volume] (Mineral Park, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1882-1918, 1910-01-15

stream to the rich but arid lands of the
Yuma valley, has assumed definite and
visible form at the end of three weeks
of preparatory and preliminary opera
tions, so that the steadily growing pro-
cess of construction can be mentally
,isualized from the initial steps that
are presented to view.
Under the personal supervision of
Francis L. Sellew, project engineer of
the Yuma Project of the Q: S. recla-
nation service, the eliminating shaft
of the siphon is being gradually sunk
on the Arizona side of the Colorado,
the location being on the reclamation
service reservation, between the Gus
tom house and the Southern Pacific
railroad bridge. On the California
side of the river ground is now being
cleared for sinking the shaft at the
beginning of the siphon into which the
water will sink from the end of the
main canal flowing from Laguna dam
fourteen miles through the Yuma
Indian reservation, pass below the
river through the immense concrete
tube to be laid hereunder, and bubble
forth on the Arizona side from the
mouth of the completing shaft, to con-
meet with the canals traversing Yuma
valley.
The term siphon to the ordinary
understanding conveys the idea of
water conveyed by atmospheric pres
sure, to neutralize the influence of
gravity. The siphon under the Colo
rado does not comply with this inter
probation, instead, it does comply with
the law of gravity. The term siphon
was applied to it by the original plan
ming engineers for want of a better
term. In reality, it is a circular con-
veying tube. laid in crescent shape,
with fall of two feet from the Calf
ornia to the Arizona side. Water in
varibly seeking its natural level, in
the absence of stronger natural level,
| in the absence of a stronger natural or
artificial restraining force, this two
foot fall exerts sufficient impetus on
the gravity principle to cause the flow
under the river thro' the tube to rise
in the finishing shaft to the level of
the water where it falls into the shaft
on the opposite side and pour into the
canals leading to the valley.
The work of construction on the
California side will be entirely subsi-
diary to the work on the Arizona side.
In all probability, unless some unfor-
seen contingency should cause a change
of plans, no work will be done there
except the sinking of the receiving
sh lft.
The length of the siphon tube will
be approximately 1000 feet from shaft
to shaft. Seven hundred feet of this
will be under the water of the Colorado
river, sunk below the river bed TO a
depth of at least 100 feet. The depth of
the water over the siphon will
vary from to 80 feet. with a probable
average of % feet.
On the California side a force of
from 80 to 90 men working in two
shifts day and night-engineers, con-
crete workers, carpenters and excava-
tors, are now at work on the construct
ion of the disbursing shaft, from which
the water will flow to the valley canals
and from the bottom of which the tube
under the river will be thrust toward
the California side. The general con-
struction of the siphon is under the
superintendency, by appointment of
Mr.. Sellew, of Richard P. Marble.
The disbursing shaft is being con-
structed bottom-irst and gradually
lowered as the excavation beneath
progresses. The circular concrete
wall of the shaft is five feet thick at
the bottom, beveled at the lower edge
and protected in lowering by restrain
ing steel plate. The thickness will be !
gradually decreased, two feet being
the surface extent. AS the bottom |
goes down the shaft grows above by |
succeeding pourings, in form large !
enough to cast four feet depth at a
time. When the final depth is attain
ed and the mouth of the shaft is COM
pleted the bottom of the shaft will be |
laid with concrete, The wall of the |
shaft adjacent to the river begun and |
gradually pushed forward, the exca-
vation and cOncrete-pouringp proceed |