Imperial Valley press., 1922-11-07
BOULDER CAN YON
ENTERPRISE MAY
HAVE SET BACKS
Freeman Explores Colorado
Course Canal Rider
Will Hurt Project

Lewis r. Freeman, traveller and
writer of world reputation, is in Imper-
ial Valley as the concluding phase of
his investigations of the Colorado river
and its problems Mr.. Freeman has
been in the government service during
the past summer and early fall and
piloted Arthur p. Davis, director of
the reclamation service, and-a party of
government men including members
of the Colorado River Commission,
down the Colorado river, exploring all
of the branches and tributaries.
The primary object of the trip was
to make personal inspection of the
various dam sites. The party visited
the Diamond Creek site as the guests
of Engineer Grand, Phoenix. Then
they visited Boulder Canyon and
Black Canyon. The party broke up at
Needles and Mr.. Freeman went on to
Yuma alone.
the Journey down the Colorado accom-
panied by Engineer Ray Priest of the
Yuma project and Mr.. Higley of the
river division of the Imperial lrriga-
tion District The men went through
the Pescadero Cut and on down to the
Gulf, making eomplet eexploration of
the new course of the Colorado from
the point where it is diverted from
Bee river. In passing ii may be said
hiatt Mr.. Freeman is potimistie con-
cerning the effectiveness of the Pesca-
dero Cut operation as temporary
flood protection expedient likely tc
| furnish relief for at least a year OF
more and perhaps for longer.
Returning from the Gulf of Cahfor
mia, Mr.. Freeman obtained boat and
went down the Alamo river from the
Colorado, through the canal, and on
down to Salton Sea. On the Alamo
Mr.. Freeman had an experience which
did not come to him at any place on
the Colorado His boat was caught in
rapid and smashed against an EN-
bankment, requiring a delay of day
or two for repairs.
Mr.. Freeman is reticent about Civ
ing opinions, as conclusions are to be
embodied in book after he has as
sembled all data bearing upon the Col
orado question. In general terms
however, Mr.. Freeman cautions Imper
ial Valley people that the Boulder
Canyon enterprise has many shoals and
rapids TO navigate before coming safe
ly to port. He believes that the propos
ition will need to be handled with
wisdom.
Success will be. made difficult by in
sistence upon any cut and dried plan
and Mr.. Freeman feels confident that
Imperial Valley interest must expect to
make many compromises and many con-
eessions to conflicting interests, and
not only to conflicting interests, but
also to competing interests such as sim
liar projects for the Columbia river
and elsewhere.
To Write Book
Mrs. Freeman endeavOrs to hold a
practical view of our great enterprise.
The Washington mind is not stirred by
the protective phases of the project in
the same way kthat ours is, he says. 1t
is enthused little or not at all by the
reclamation feature, for the fighting
Farm Bloc looks upon all such enter
prises as merely bringing in new com
petition to make still more difficult
the problem of marketing the country 8
surplus.
In other words, to insist upon the
all-American Canal as a rider to BOuld-
er Dam will deprive the project of its
most effective support and perhaps
strand it before it gets started, in the
opinion of Mr.. Freeman. The real
utnch in tho CoInrado River pro ipct is