Imperial Valley press., 1913-11-25

lIOlH DIdWlcy W MdIilIlOJH WdSll,
through irrigated section partly i'm
proved; second, five miles now in
Mammoth wash, four miles Of new
road necessary on sandy mesa west
of wash; third, 49 miles of desert
road along the south side of the South
ern Pacific railroad, travelable now
but succession of cross washes, sand
and gravel soil. New road should be
entirely in embankment approximate
y two feet in height, drainage open
ngs only opposite Southern Pacific
bridges; fourth, six miles through the
Yuma Indian reservation will be i'm
proved to west end of the proposed
Colorado river bridge by the United
States Indian bureau.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the
Present Ocean-tO-O Ocean, High
way Route
Mecca to Brawley-If we may Judge
from the present ocean-to-ocean route
that the location west and south of
Salton sea was selected because it
tapped Imperial valley at the north
west corner of an already developed
and irrigated district and extended
through territory which will some
day come under proposed west side
high line canal, we can at once ap-
preciate the selection of a route
which, because of it's physical condi-
tions and remoteness from the rail-
road, makes it road difficult to build.
Assuming then that those were the
reasons, at least in part, for selecting
the route south and west of Salton
sea and that they are weighty enough
to warrant retaining the road on that
location, it may well be concluded to
adopt that portion of the road as part
of the route later proposed herein as
the "all Imperial valley route"
The main disadvantage of the Mecca
to Brawley road is it's remoteness
from the railroad, which is on the
opposite side of Salton sea and there
fore entirely beyond reach. The
country is also, at the present time,
practically without habitation except
for Is miles north and west of Braw-
ley, and is through an absolutely des-
ert section for distance of approx
mately 48 miles.
1t is entirely possible to build the
road south and west of Salton sea, but
only at an expense of effort and
money much greater than necessary
if the route were contiguous to the
railroad, or through a district where
soil and water conditions were more
favorable for the economical building
and maintaining of a road. -
Brawley to Yuma via Mammoth
Wash-After the ocean-to-o ocean high
way enters Imperial valley from the
northwest and reaches Brawley, in the
northerly portion of Imperial valley, it
Immediately turns practically at right
angle and leaves the valley in north
easterly direction back to the South
ern Pacific railroad, which it reaches
after passing through Mammoth
wash.
The first 1S miles of this north
easterly course is through section
recently brought under irrigation by
the construction of the east side high
line canal. 1t is an exceedingly prom
ising district of 10000 acres in ex-
tent, forming the northeast corner of
Imperial valley, the road passing
practically through the center of the
irrigable district. This new district is
bounded on the west by the Imperial
valley branch of the Southern Pa
cifc, on the north by the main line
of the Southern Pacific and on the
east by the old beach line and mesa.
With the progress of settlement un-
der the new canal. >. section line roads
will be extended throughout all of this
great area Of promise and this road
development will take place whether
or not the ocean-to-ocean highway
traverses it, Nothing can keep it
back, now that water is available.
Mammoth wash has long been a
menace to comfortable egress from
Imperial valley toward Yuma. 1t
commences just north of the new east
side high line canal, and extends to
the mountains north of the railroad.
The present ocean-t to-o ocean road fol-
lows up the bed of the wash approx
mately five miles, then passes under
the railroad trestle, and leaving the
wash reaches the desert west Of Nam
moth station on the Southern Pacific
railroad. The new Mammoth wash
route is located on the mesa east or
the wash and would be only four miles
long.
C,oce;,or 10 tho coufb Of tb,s rai =