Arizona sentinel., 1917-03-15
SOUTHERN PACIFIC R. R. UP TO
 ITS OLD GAME


 ents made before that august body on Congressman Nett ners bill to reimburse the Southern Pacific for moneys It alleged spent closing the break in the Cooraoo VeI in 1906 the time the Colorado broke through the ROCK wood gate and bounding to the Salton Sea- Wtn the printed report letter from Our Car lncloS- ing letter from who took particular pains to write his in such manner that no body on eaTn could tell who the letter from Congressman F1aue writes these significant words the margin ot this leer (aSking Our Carl" to support the measure):
 What about this ?"
 have given the matter the most serious conSderation
 have read every word of the testimony adduced before the committee and every word of the vrey remarkable state ment of my personal friend Sadore Dockweier speaking on behalf of the Southern Pacific and must confess that the claims set forth by my friend amazing in the eX treme particularly to who has taken the pans ana trouble to investigate the actual facts in the case nave always known that the great Southern Pacfc> Ralroao would do anything once and then do It agan II II noug if could get away with it. but for suspected that it would engage the servSes of reputable attorney such have personal reasons to know my trlend DacK- weller to be- appear before regularly constituted con- gesSonal committee and adroty try to pull the wool over the peoples eyes plainly evidenced by the printed pro- ceedngs of the committee sent by Congressman Hay den However Congressman Hayden has asked me the direct queStonWhat about thiS?, and shall answer briefly.
 So far is the public concerned let concede that En- pineer Redwood was the first earth to begin ex plotting Imperial Valley He kept at his task until the f1St
 rieatng water was turned into the Alamo channel III l9Oz One year after that date 1905 the first intake was so con gested with silt that intake Mo- had to be conStuceo In 1904 the first year after this second intake was Out was so congested with silt that the Imperial Valley suffered with water shortage just the year before Then they constructed what known at that time and Will always be known as the Redwood gate about four and half miles below the first or Hanlon Heading intake he result of this that just was constructed the whole damn shooting match went out and the Colorado river instead of meanderng down to the Gulf of Lower Cal forna direct into the Salton Sea- through the Rockwood gate And thereby hangs this Southern Pacific tale.
 In each of the other blowouts sitng up of the n takes the Southern Pacific had been touched by the pera Valley Irrigation district the tune ot several hun dfed thousand dollars. However at that time the benetl cen Southern Pacific owned 6 O98 of the best DOT of Imperial Valley and held government patents for land It deeply interested in keeping the waters from submerging Imperial Valley and rather than it all go to waste kept digging to keep the irrigation district of bankruptcy When the big break came and the en tire state of California distressed President Roosevelt was appealed to- and he promptly wired Mr. E. H. Harri man that he expected he Southern Pacific to close the break without delay The upshot that the Southern Pacific got busy and actually did almost piece of super human werk-t closed the break within three weeks after work was begun, and Imperial Valley was saved.
 And now what? Mr. Dockweiler stated before the com mttee that the overflow of August September 1906 did the great damage As matter of fact the overflow did not occur until October II, 1906.
 Mr. Dockweiler made the broad statement that the break had been closed that within 85 days the river would have caved way back the Colorado and within
 few days would have taken away the Southern Pacific railroad bridge and few days thereafter eaten up far the Laguna dam and undermined that great structure causing the government to lose SIS OOO the estimated cost of Yuma Project.
 As matter of fact late December 28, 1907, no effort had been made dam up the Colorado at Laguna dam Nothing but the approaches the Arizona and Cali fona sides of the river had been attempted be ed However the short space of time that Dr. Dockweier estimates would take the their way back the main channel of the river and thence railroad bridge and then up Laguna dam absolutely cinches the argument have always made against putting in other "RoCkwood gate intake.
 The Southern Pacific claim sought be inflicted upon he people 663 OO0 whereas year after the expense incurred the United States senate recommend ed the payment of S773647, while Engineer Grunsky ing for the Reclamation Department that time