The Cordova daily times., 1922-12-07
Colorado Riuer Bio
 Danger to Imperial Valley, Says Expert

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 7.-Menace of a titanic disaster which would engulf the great inland empire being built in the Imperial Valley of Cali fornia, turks in the uncontrolled waters of the Colorado River, ac | cording to Arthur B. Davis, director of the United States Reclamation Service Davis was here recently to address the American Society of Civil Engineers on the Resources of the Colorado River"
 "The Gulf of California formerly extended nearly 150 miles farther north than it's present head" Davis said in explaining the flood menace of the. lower Colorado, land the Colorado River emptied into it's east ern margin about 100 miles south of the head, carrying annually into it more than 8O,O0O acre-feet of silt. This deposition built great allu- vial delta, which finally extended across the Gulf and cut off the connection of the northern end from the sea, converting it into an island basin from which the water has been mostly evaporated, leaving in it's bottom the Salton Sea, covering 300 square miles with surface near ly 250 below sea level.
 The river, laden with sediment continually builds up it's channel and immediate banks, like other similar streams, and forms ridge growing steadily higher, until the stream becomes so unstable that in some great freshet, it abandons this high channel and follows some course on lower ground In this way the stream swings back and forth over it's delta, which has been biult to height of 30 feet above sea level, where it forms a barrier between Salton Sea and the Gulf of Cali fornia. The direct distance from this ridge to the Gulf is about 70 miles, and the margin of Salton Sea is little more.
 AS the inland sea is about 250 feet below the Gulf, there is con stant tendency to flow northward, and if the river should break into this basin in flood time it would rapidly erode a deep channel, and would be exceedinly difficvult to stop. Unless diverted the river would fill the Salton Sea to sea level or higher, and submerge the Imperial Valley, destroying all the towns, railroads and farms, as there, is no escape for the waters of the Salton Sea except by evaporation. This menace would be largely removed by the reduction of the. floods of the Colorado and the control of it's waters"
 Davis declared the Colorado River and it's tributaries constitute one of the greatest potential assets of the country. Already serving more than 2,000,G00 acres of farm land with ir- rigation water, it will, he declared, eventually serve to treble this area.
 "It drains parts of seven states, and flows for more than 100 miles on Mexican soil," he said. Before the building of railroads it was navi- gated for more than 400 miles, and although now mainly abandoned by navigators, it is still navigable. This and it's interstate and international character make it problems pe- culiar1y national
 UndeveIoped Power
 "Its great power possibilities are one of it's most remarkable charac- teristics. Rising on the summit of the Rocky Mountains, at attitudes exceeding 14,O0O feet, it flows ra- pidly through canyons abounding with rapids to nearly sea level. It drains an area of about 244,000 square miles, including large areas or heavy snowfall, and it's annual average discharge is about 1S,000,- 900 acre feet of water This large volume of water, with it's immense fall, indicates a total of 8,000,OO0 H. F., of which three-fourths is sus- ceptible of development, whenever reasonable markets will justify it. In addition it's tributaries have vast possibilities of power, widely distri- buted and already partly developed.
 Its upper courses are mostly mountainous, and traverse few val