Imperial Valley press., 1936-06-14

erect the structures needed t
dread of drouth and the menace
of flood.
If the laboring man had not
needed work to do, The federal
government probably would not
have granted funds for construct
ing the canal when the nation
was going through the worst years
of the depression. The vast army
of laboring men was out of work
and the government put several
thousands of them to work on the
Ali American canal.
Influx Begins
Long before the funds We're
granted, men from all sections of
the United States began to write
for information relative to getting
employment Many of them came
to the valley to get settled so they
would be ready to GO to work when
construction began Skilled and
unskilled labor became interested
because the All American canal
would provide work for many
IlOllOllo lOl Illdily IllCII.
To the National Unemployment
Service was allotted the task of
supplying the labor. Approximate
ly $4,000 applications for work on
the All American canal were re-
ceived since the MRS office open
ed Sept. IA, 1888. Chan Livingston,
we'll known ex-service man was
placed in charge of the office and
assumed the task of supplying
contractors with the number and
types of men needed on the various
sections of the work.
Since construction began, a to-
tai of 4,612 men was assigned to
work along the miles of the All
American canal from the dam
and deSilting works to the force
account section in the vicinity of
Calexico. This represents the
number who actually went to
work and does not refer to the
many men referred to work but
who failed to appear or were re-
fused by the contractors as un-
qualified.
Veterans on Job
The first group to go to work
on the All American canal was
composed of ten World War vet
Grams engaged by the Reclamation
service to do preliminary work on
the first leg of the big ditch. Ev-
cry town in Imperial Valley was
represented in the group which
went to- work digging test holes
along the full length of the canal
in order to aid contractors in max
ing bids. They were assigned to
the work by Livingston Nov. 90,
1888, and began digging the test
holes on the north side of the
canal route two days later. The
first assignment to the eXcava-
tion phase of the development was
made to the Griffith company
July 81, 1884.
Under the Public Works Ad-
ministration, assignments were
made to the Boyce-Igo and Gala
han Gunther Shirley companies,
dragline contractors; to the Grit
fifth company, rock excavators for
the three-quarter mile cut near
Andrade; to the Lewis-C Chambers
company for canal excavation.
In the PWA section, local men
were given the preference in as
signmentS to the project. Certain
crafts, however, were exempted
from this rule and the contractor
might employ skilled laborers who
were not Imperial Valley resi-
dents, such as the operators OF
complex heavy machinery.
Dependents Considered
The veteran with dependents
came at the head of the list in
the valley resident class. The non
veteran with dependents came
next, the single veteran next and
the single non-veteran followed
Aliens were not permitted employ
ment under the PWA arrange
ment.
The Morrison Utah Winston
company, the George Pollock COM
pany, the Frazier-Davis company
and the David Ryan company
worked under the Works Progress
Administration ruling on funds
made available by the relief act
of 1885. With the exception Of
the exempted crafts, such as the
operators of heavy, complex mach
inery, 80 per cent of the men as
signed must come from relief rolls
This rule was not permitted to be
ignored as long as labor was Ger
titled from the WPA to the MRS
office. Assignment of the relief
roll laborers was mandatory as long
as there were men available.
The first men to go to work on
actual construction we're three
veterans assigned to the Griffith
company on the rock cut near
Andrade July 81, 1884. The men
were: Jack Cecil King of Cal
eXico, shovel operator; Archie Lis
ton of Winterhaven, shovel oiler;
and Charles Tolleson of Ell Cen
tro, tractor driver.
Force Account Work
Work on the force account be-
gan in November, 1884. The first
order for men on this sector was
presented to Livingston by Frank
Higley, superintendent of the
force account. He ordered rs
-four ups, or a driver, two teams
of mules and a Fresno Scraper.
The men were ordered to report
at a site four miles east of Cal
eXico. One week later an addi-
tional rs men were ordered. This
procedure was followed until a
total of 225 teams was maintained