Imperial Valley press., 1914-04-21
Holabird's Fears
For the Headings

Los Angeles, April 21.-Witl
Troop D, First United States cavalry
on the way to Calexico from the Pre-
I sidio of Monterey, aboard specia
train of eleven cars that will reach
Calexico some time this forenoon Col.
onel Holabird, receiver of the Califor-
mia Development Company, is making
every effort to have field artillery
or machine guns added to the arma-
ment at the Imperial Valley border
town, to cope with the machine guns
of the Mexican federals at Mexi
cali.
! Colonel Holabird also is laying
plans for speedy repair of the head
ings and bitches of the great irri-
cation system in the event that the
Mexicans blow them up with dyna.
mite.
This telegram was sent by Hola.
bird early in the afternoon:
General Arthur Murray, U. S.
Army Headquarters, San Francisco:
Understand cavalry troops en- route
for Calexico, which is gratifying, but
imperative need for machine guns,
as Mexican federals at that point are
well equipped with machine guns.
Pardon my suggestion of needs, but
no one is more familiar with condi-
tions there than the writer.
"W. H. HOLABIRD."
Colonel Holabird sent the following
telegram to his chief engineer at Ca
lexico:
81. G. Allison, Calexico: Put in
typewriting detailed plan of what you
would do to restore East Side Head
ing Encina and Sharp's headings, and
to replace Encina Flume in case Mex
leans should destroy any or all of
them. Every preparation must be
made and every plan worked out in
minute detail so that there would not
be one moment lost should such
terrible calamity as destruction of
property described occur.
''W. H. HOLABIRD."
Troop D, First cavalry, which en-.
trained at the Monterey Preside yes.
terday morning and left for Calexico
at II o'clock, will reach Los Ange-
les at about a o'clock this morning,
according to the statement of South
ern Pacific dispatcher last night. 1t
is expected that the troop train of
eleven cars will leave Los Angeles
for Calexico within an hour after it
arrives here, and will gSt to Calexico
late in the afternoon, IN time to make
camp before nightfall.
"Should state of war develop from
this situation" said Colonel Holabird,
81 am very much afraid the Mexican
federals at Mexicali would prepare to
retreat to a safe position in the noun
tains, and that before going they
would destroy the headings and the
flume with dynamite. l see little
chance of our troops driving them
away before they have accomplished
that destruction, and the only thing
we can do is to be prepared to max,
repairs as quickly as possible.
mexican soldiers, probably forty
or fifty, are stationed at Sharp's head.
ing, and others are at the East Side
Heading. The garrison at Mexicali,
at least 400 strong, has machine guns.
and our troops cannot very well take
the offensive against them without
artillery or rapid fire guns.
"Hanlon's Heading, the concrete
gate which takes all the Imperial Val
ley water from the Colorado, is on
American soil, and / have an armed
guard of twelve men there that will
be able to protect it. Besides, all the
dynamite in Mexico would not damage
it. But down to the southeast of
Mexicali, in Mexican territory, within
a stretch of two miles are the Eas.
Side Heading, the Alamo waste gate
and Sharp's heading.
"If the waste gate is destroyed we