Arizona republican., 1921-09-03
MUST DAM CAVE
 .CREEK T0 SAVE .C|TY FROM FLOOD
Business Men, c. Of c. R epr e sentatives And Water Users Make Trip North And Note Flood Source

Giving Cave creek the 'once over" a number of business men, including four directors of the chamber of commerce., yesterday visited the site of the proposed dam in the hills north of Phoenix which is being ad- vanced as a definite remedy for the Cave creek menace and returned with an unanimous opinion that Cave creek must be harnessed and that the harnessing must be done at some point in the hills which will prevent the flood waters from sweeping over the desert in the direction of Phoenix.
 The party was piloted to the dam site and along the course of Cave creek to the Arizona canal by c. C. Cragin, chief engineer and general manager of the Salt River Water Users association, and r. J. Lynch, assistant engineer. Lunch had been provided for the party. and practical ly the entire day was spent in the examination of the creek and of the proposed damsite.
 The first stop was made at the place of the proposed spillway of the | dam. 23 miles north of Phoenix where the project was outlined to the party by Engineer Cragin, and then they proceeded to the damsite itself one mile west of the spillway, at the junction of Cave and Apache creeks Here the party made a detailed eX- animation of the site, including -he available material for construction purposes. the typographical features of the location, the reservoir country behind the proposed dam, and then gave particular attention to the high | water marks visible on the hills and along the desert as left by the flood | of two weeks ago which told a plain story of the height of the water then it's direction and its extent of flow and which proved, fin the minds of al
 the party, the fact that the flood O | Aug. 2l was a Cave creek flood ant | not, as had been rumored, only des- i ert flood.
 Say Project Feasible
 In looking at the damsite and ex | amining the locality the members o | the party were of the opinion tha | the project was feasible. and all o
 them declared their belief in tn 1 proposition that Cave creek must b.
 controlled before it leaves the hills.
 From the damsite the party wen
 along the west side of Cave creek | noting particularly that water mark
 proved that a small quantity of Cav
 creek flood water had gone over int
 Skunk creek, so that the Skunl
 creek flood carried at least a smal | quantity of Cave creek water, tn
 bulk of which swept down the Cav
 creek channel into Phoenix.
 The trip along Cave creek was a
 Illuminating one. The channel is no
 only we'll defined, but it has ever
 appearance of a river channel, wit
 deeply cut banks and a bed file
 with boulders and debris. Of par ticular interest to the party was tn
 fact that the channel bore evidenc
 of having been deepened and widene by the last flood-evidences whic : were intensified by view of tn , channel where it struck the Arizon , canal.
 Canal Breaks Save City 5 At this point it was shown that tn channel had been deepened by thre | feet and had been brought one-hal a mile nearer to Phoenix by tn
 rushing waters of the last flood. Tn r members of the party also saw. a l the Arizona canal, full proof of tn | fact that the breaking of the cana ' in If places was the salvation c | Phoenix. for if the canal had helC l with the exception of the brea
 where it had been hit by the foo | water of the creek. the water woul { have came to Phoenix in rushin ] deluge instead of spreading out owe 9 the terrain. Water was running i 2 the Arizona canal, the gates havin { been opened at 6 o'clock yesterda : morning.
 Among those who made the tri