The border vidette., 1928-09-08
ARIZONA PREPARED TO FIGHT
SWiNG-JOHNSON BILL


SWiNG-JOHNSON BILL
Phoenix. Sept. 5.-Arizona is
we'll prepared to present her op
position to the Swing-Johnson
bill and great Boulder Dam be-
fore the engineering commission
appointed as result of con
gressional action the last day of
the late session, it was learned
at the state Capitol today from
Governor Hunt.
THE Seibert engineering com
mission is now meeting in Den
yer and will shortly visit the
various dam sites on the Colo
RADIO River" said the governor.
I'VE have secured the services
of probably the best known en-
gineer in the United States, j.
F.. Stevens, who was chairman
of the Panama Canal Commis
sion which planned the great
Gatun Dam and locks on the
canal, and later was for two
years in charge of the construc
tion, which was later finished by
Colonel Goethals. Mr.. Stevens
was in charge of the American
forces in Russia during the great
war for some six years, and was
decorated by the United Stated
and allied governments for his
work in charge of the Siberian
railroads, and his success in
getting the Czecho-Slavic divi.
sion out of Russia, after the
overthrow Of the Kerensky gov.
ernment.
Mr.. Stevens has been chief
engineer of several railroads, in
cluding the Great Northern, and
is past president of the American
Society of Civil Engineers. he
headed several engineering com
missions appointed by both Pre-
sident Roosevelt and President
Wilson. The recently appointed
engineering commission has in.
dicated that they are not inter.
ested in the claims and desires
of contending states and dis.
tricts, but will receive sugges
tions and recommendations from
competent engineers, other than
those of tha Reclamation De
partment.
Mr.. Stevens, accompanied by
Engineer Thos. Maddox, mem
Der of the Colorado River Com.
mission of Arizona, recently
made a trip to the Boulder, Cal.
vile, Black and Topoc sites on
the lower river, and also the
Marble Gorge dam site near
Lees Ferry on which Arizona
has made filings. Engineer E.
G. LaRue and B. F. jacobson,
who have also been retained by
the Colorado River Commission
to represent the state of Arizona.
accompanied Mr.. Stevens on his
inspection of the lower river.
"Mr. Stevens also inspected
the site of the San Francisq uito
Dam. built by the city of Los
Angeles under the direction of
William Mulholland, which re
Gently collapsed, killing 437 peo
pie in the valley below, and de
stroying millions of dollars worth
of property. he also inspected
the Holly wood Dam, about which
a legal and engineering contro
versy in now raging. The Hol.
lywood dam is the same design
as that which recently failed, and
the many people living in the
path ofthe disastrous flood which
would result If it fails. are seek
ing to enjoin its use. The Los
Angeles courts recently ruled
that the city Bureau of Power
and Water must submit addi
tional proof of the safety of the
Holly wood Dam.
1.-THE failure of the San Fran
cisquito Dam apparently has
alarmed the United State Recla
nation service, for press dis
patches from Denver report that
a new design will be submitted
to the Seibert commission for
the Boulder site, although for
some six years the Reclamation
Service has insisted that the de
sign of Mr.. Weymouth for the
Boulder was all right The in
sistence of Arizona that a board
of engineers should review the