Imperial Valley press., 1914-06-11

ficient to take out the flume or the
county bridges, and with falling riv-
err it is hoped the discharge into New
river will not long continue, the cur
rent continuing on it's present course
to the gulf.
Serious Situation.
At noon today it was reported that
the crevasse in the 1evee was 125
feet wide and the water pouring
though was seven feet deep, and with
this volume of water it seemed i'm
probable that the flume or the county
bridges would stand.
Should the flume go out, it is be-
lieved this, with damage in Mexico,
would entail the loss of $4,000 acres
Of crops, carrying the damage high
enough to have covered the cost of
two or three complete levees for the
perpetual protection of the valley.
Responsibility for Break.
1t will be difficult in the future for
people to understand why this valley
has remained idle and let the levee 90
cut when comparatively little work
would have prevented the loss.
For weeks Engineer C. N. Perry of
the Mexican company and President
Hamilton of the irrigation district have
been endeavoring to arouse interest to
protect the valley from the encroach-
ments of the river, but their efforts
have been frustrated in great part by
the attitude of Engineer Carberry of
Water Company No. 1, who has from
the first ridiculed every person who
has demanded action and, through his
influence the directors and offidkrs of
Water Company No. have pursued
do-nothing policy, and the whole dam
age has resulted simply through the
fact shat nothing whatever was done
to prevent disaster by persons who
should have taken an active hand in
the protective work.
Receiver Holabird must also share
in the responsibility for the policy
which has resulted in the disaster, for
he has piled up the receipts from wa
ter rentals and has been unwilling to
do anything to maintain the system
against the encroachments of the
river.
1t has been unfortunate that. there
has been no single organization of the
interests of the valley to take charge
Of the work, and since the irrigation
district officials have taken the in
ltiative, though having no legal pow
er to raise money for the purpose, some
other interests have appeared to be
jealous of this organization and have
done much to prevent success by the
district.
The district has been advised by it's
attorneys that, as it did not own the
irrigation system and had no property
to protect, it could not raise money
to control the river, but, had the dis
trict been in ownership of the irri-
cation system, it would have had all
power to proceed to it's protection by
raising money, and within its legal ac-
tivities the districts credit is practi-
,ally unlimited.
Water Moving Slowly.
Deputy County Surveyor E. H.
Gaines said today that the water
would flow slowly from the break, and
ne estimated that it would not reach
a point in the New river opposite
Seeley until late Saturday, and prob
ably not until Sunday, though this es-
innate is naturally not based on ex-
act information.
AS Mr.. Gaines was one of the en-
gineers who fought the old break in
the river, the question was submitted
to him whether the water would stop
flowing into New river when the flood
and he said he did not be-
ieve any person know enough about
the currents in the delta country to
determine what the river would do.
1t might be that the river current
would continue to the gulf or that it
would be diverted to New river, and
he would not hazard guess as to
when it would be.
Sheriff Meadows, who has also had
a good deal of experience with the
river, said the country through which
The water must find it's way is heavily
overgrown and the movement of the
water would be slow. He did not be-
ieve defined channel would be found
Tor several miles, and thought the