Imperial Valley press., 1916-01-20
Record Breaking Storm Passes and
Leaves Wreckage Throughout South
Western California--Much Snow On
the Mountains.

the Mountains.
Engineer C. r. lockwood this morning received from
Arizona points reports which cast light the ap
preaching flood Needles reported rise of eght-tenths
of foot to be added to the threeoo rise reported last
night Owing to the river being at Yuma this
will account for about feet rise at that point about
tomorrow night In addition to this Phoenix this morn
ing reported 10000 secondfeet passing that city in the
Salt The volume of the flood coming down the Ga, Bill
Williams Fork and the Hassayampa, to be added to the
above at the conveyance at Yuma not known but is
considerable
Mr.. lockwood stated this morning, however, that he
did believe the record flow Of the Colorado at Yuma of
$4,000 secondfeet would be broken he thought seep
age and the slower flow of the water below Phoenix would
tend to keep down the volume sufficiently to prevent
break of the record.
Advces from the several points hazy regards
the crest of the flood the flow of the streams above the
points mentioned not being reported The figures given
may therefore, represent the highest point still higher
water may be approaching.
Below the Imperial intake there is the great delta
country which the water spreads at time OF flood
At time of flood the rise of the stream is steady
over long PERIOD and the overflow country is covered
with water before the crest of the flood comes. With the
winter floods which rise and fall rapidly the crest OF the
flood will be in great part taken in flooding the delta
and before the maximum of the flood has reached the
levee the flood begins to subside.
For this reason there is less danger from high win
ter flood than from summer flood of equal height and
there is little occasion for apprehension regarding the
present flood even though it may smash all records
There is just one point of information available to in
dicate the nature of the flood in the upper Ga river This
is report teegraphed from Globe Ariz that at Winkle
man the Gila has cut channel washing out thirty
houses Which implies that the flood coming down that
stream is of unusual proportions.
What may easily prove to be the greatest flood in the
history of the Colorado has begun to manifest itself at
Yuma while reports from all points indicate that the
Colorado and it's tributaries all reaching flood stage
Roughly speaking the drainage area of the Salt and
ella rivers and of the other Arizona streams that pour
into the Colorado includes $4,000 square miles, and on this
drainage area within weeks flow of Yuma it is believed
that more than 100000 cubic feet of water has
fallen this week.
How rapidly this is converging is shown by the re-
IN ports at hand Needles up the Colorado last night re-
ported rise in the river for the day of three feet
The Verde alone tributary of the Salt, which is a
tributary of the Ga, which, in turn, is tributary of
the Colorado at Yuma reported last night discharge of
10000 secondfee This in itself is about half the volume
the Colorado discharges at high flood If this compar-
lively small stream could carry such volume OF water
is evident that when there is joined at Yuma all the wa
ter of the Salt Gla and Colorado there will be an inter-
esting situation presented.
The Yuma Examiner last night gave the Press the
following statement by wire in this connection:
"The Colorado river has $4,000 second-feet flowing
over Laguna dam at o'clock today compared to 5000
week ago There is 10000 second-feet IN the Colorado
- fbo Nilo