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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (July 29, 1906)
yY -i :"-f TH2 OHEGCri SUNDAY JOUZIT lAli rOHTLATTD. SUTCDAY IZCIZ. JViY VH --.'tf'-.'co we is jUnwsl. in a Qm . : - - , ' mm. AM -s5YV .. v. . . W-J- ' dPetlt Worca at Salton. 23ebrc the. Flo&Z i. v v m V. , v. ? j Irrigation Canal that First- Caused, the. Trouble, J 1 -Steer WSi9.7a 'N order to dislodge or, inland sea that has suddenly appeared upon the map, to turn " back the invading waters of a mighty v river, man's .ingenuity is now being pitted , against the forces of nature. ' . ' Y ; V " When, a year ago, the Colorado river burst its bounds in the extreme southeastern p'art of California, "what is now knoton as the - Salton Sea was bom. It u not on any map, as no map has been made since the waters carved the face of the Yuma basin. There, whera a little over a year ago a vast expanse of burning sand glistened in the , sun, the billows of the world's newest sea now ; ' roll. . ; ' Nearly as large as the State of Rhode r - 11 Island and still growing, thi i Salton Sea is iZ'Vis . about 6o miles long and 30 miles wide. It " 1. t covers 1 Boo Square miles and has an average 71 jf AROONED ' for depth of IS feet. - ! V- I. . years in an Arctic - ' , M m mm The attempt to blot out this newest of in- . peid, " ; N IRRIGATION XX ' h a '- frequently ben csrrlcd on In' th 4Mrt land of th far Bouthwaat,' prevetf tnr' Pandora'a - bos . from which a hoat of trouble! ' bava aprung." ',' ' .la purauanoa -of - Ha plana to Irrigate th rt ' . Imperial .Valley ' aouthara part of ' that SUCClha California ! 1 Teiopnent Company - pteroad 4h waat bank of the Colorado river to aeenre waur for ita oanal . . and dltchaa. , t , ThU cut waa only a BDOdoat one feet Ion and I feet deep. . No one Iraadnad that the onroll InaT torrent would dredce wider ouUet and permit'' ;---v.'. ''f practically th enUr Colorado rtrer to turn from 1U coura and aweep out over th adjacent deeert. But thto la Juat what happened. Duiina th winter ': and aprlng of 1901 the watera did not lower, a they ' uaually do. . Below th break a quantity of allt wa de , poetted, fonnlnc a kind of dam In Ita bed. i . Who rammer auna melted tho enow high upon the mountain! where the Colorado take Ita riae, and these , torrent poured downward toward th aea. they attacked the break In the bank and rapidly ate away at retches oa ach aid. . Than th water apread out over the desert. . ': While th cut In the bank had been mad on Mexican ' territory, four mile below the boundary Una, th new awa forced 1U way northward Into th United State. , coverinf a great part of th Tuma baain.. ; land waters or. at least, to restrain it within panions but ' Esquimaux and present bounds-is being made by engineers nuauy suoycciea to narasnips ana nZy : j&WowTKK',jOfle' of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Four times .' was the experience of George C. Cleve- within a year the roadjias been compelled to mannas rweyara wnaier. ify retreatief(ffaXkLsncroacMngio6dnditk a costly undertaking to move some 200 miles maux Cleveland adopted their method of iv-. of track.- Now the aim is to turn back' the ing. He dressed in skins; mad his home in .mighty, Colorado to Ms former channel and ice hut, and devoured fish and meat raw. to close the immense stirot that Utob fat ihe JV"'' gain saw white men he could . , . . , .. i.. '...L'i!. :.- i - i scarcely tpean nis name language, ana woj nauseated by cooked food. J ; ; v r Y- was not Cleveland's intention to spend four years, or any time, in this way.Going -into the Hudson Bay region to locate a whaW ing station, he asserts that he was abandoned by him employers and was forced fo join an Esquimaux tribe to preserve his life. Upon returning to civilization he entered suit against his Massachusetts employers, claming heavy damages. - . a , ' Ony Onejfeal a&ayjn tny.SnanXirii -h cuaat after walrni and !. which we uaually -found In fair number. At that aeaaoa. too, whan mo and heather war abundant, wa eould ook our food. , . "But in Winter oookinr was out W th wuMtlon, - ana in nean. which was often ta a rancid aUt. had Thi baaui le a vast depression la th desert, a are at , xpane of sandy plain which Is rarely marked by the footprints of man. All that section lies below the level of . th sea and below th bed of th Colorado river, which flows along: its eastern edge. Naturally, such a burning desert I unpopulated, and few eron attempt to cross It except la traina of the Southern' Faclflo Railroad. y The only town on this arid plain was Salton, which ' sprang tip several year go, after a vast deposit of pur salt had been discovered there. To exploit the discovery, th New Liverpool alt Company was organised. V . Oreat salt works were constructed by th company, homes were built for th workmen and Or A. Durbrow, knowa as th "Salt King of California," erected for him self a palatial dwelling. This big enterprise waa In full away when th river unexpectedly took a Hand In changing the face of th landscape and converting the dart Into aa Inland aea. Nearer and nearer the encroaching watera came. They eovared th ami t flalda and their advancing mii ' about th foundation h kmiuuiua- ni.w, vih.. Many experts believe that It will -remain. United they mounted, climbing ttoward at the rat. f Kif hydrographara.are. said toshare la this opinion. aa Inch to two Inches a day. i , ' . : TOW" GRADUALLY CRUMBLED t and unavoidable, and not du In any way to neglect or , carelessnosa. " : '"r - One of th chief causes for congratulation I that ' th flooded territory, with th exception of the town of Balton, waa not peopled. Bad the 1800 equar mllea, , 'sow covered with water to a depth of fifteen feet, been; Inhabited, a great calamity would have resulted from - th overflow. i. . ;". As ft Is. th salt Company and th Southern Pacific ..... Railroad have been the principal auKerara. Already th railroad company has been compelled to mov some KM -. mllea of its track four times. 'It seems probabl that, unices th flood can b turned back, another mov will ' ' hav to b mad,' ; ' . .- For this reason the company's engineers are buay -; with th problem. They propose, first to repair th break In th bank of th river and to turn th waters of that .. .stream back Into their former' channel. It I proposed to construct hug mattree of willow and brush. Thes wll be floated; up the river to the gap. , There, piles will b driven through thes mattresses, - and thoy will also b weighted down with atone. - . One the tnattresaes 'ar ; la place and . built high nough, th water, It Is expecteeV-wIU b diverted back ' Into its regular cours. and th great sea will gradually be drained Off, At least. It growth will b stopped A COSTLY UNDERTAKING Y Th undertaking will be -costly,' but according to ex- . ' perts, It oilers the only solution of th dilemma, la which the Southern Paclflo now finds itself. . But even should the .waters of the river be turned 'back M their former course, will th new sea be grad ' ually drained oft and give hack th deeert that It now covers, or will It remain a a permanent lake? - Professor X C. Hill, chief of the United States recla mation service In Arlxona, aaya the undertaking befora tb railroad company la without parallel In th history of railroading In this or any other country. . Bom queer freaks are presented by th Salton Sea. About half of Ita vast body of water ta fresh, while the remaining half I aalt ranging from a alight braok lahnesa to a salln percentage vn greater than th waters of the ocean. ..-. When the floods of th Colorado pour Into th desert lake they are fresh and muddy. For some tea or twelve miles from this Inlet tb water continue fresh, and fresh-water fish have no difficulty la living In It Beyond this th water becomes slightly salt, and this saltiness Increase in ratio with th dlstanc from th Colorado river. In th territory about tb Salton deposits on could well imagine that th Pacifla had poured part f It ovarnow Into th desert basin. Aa intereatlng meteorological study baa boon 'pre sented by this unexpected appearanc of a sea (a th Tuma desert. Humidity has been Increased in the Im mediate surrounding territory, and the great beat of that region seems to have been Intensified. Heretofore th atmosphere has been so dry that th beat has been mora baarabl. . ,At th aam time, further away, a benefit ha result ed. Por a hundred allies la every direction fogs prevail on summer mornings, tempering the heat by their canopy uplifted against th sun, and aiding. th various method of Irrigation. .- Thoa Mparts who expect th Salton Sea to remain a a permanent feature of the country believe that It will Indue mor rainfall through th influence of hu. .' First, a mmtattir railroad system used by th salt Oncera was submerged. Engine and car were run to th highest point of track bu t lntlm the waxer cov ered then. " . Than, row after row of workmen's house began tumlillog down and falling to piece, their foundationa Ui-keri away. The great buildings of th aalt worka stood, . but tliery ere now almost entirely under water, the only l.tee Vttlulc being the peaked top of. the main struc- tuie. ... .... . v Ho:t rnr damage ha been Inetltiiled'by fh salt com- Mny. and th eutcome awaited with considerable In- ' ' -v. in irria-iuQ or.isii)fiy rmiri uw oeiene tnas l Inundation was unexpected, unforeseen mMlty and 1 likely to prove a great benefit to egricul- whaling vessel. But ciereiana rmJe gtcara th sts tur and fruit growing . .- . tlon h had esUbllshed. He had ao success la secur- Mr. Frank O. Martl'a. who has collected me Ihtef- l-" whaUboa. and a th nx winter drew on. ting daU regarding tb Salton Sea and th country towd himself nearly out of provision. '' about it tiia in . r.n rtu,i a rmm,,um M "It was lthr get among the Esquimaux or They believe that th newly-made sec will noraTadualiy-gTitlon th. Colorado river deserts.: ColonlxaUon . was Z trv," h said, "and I mads for th Iwlllick trlb." itt up iw uuw. uuuusa m Bioiuiu vi c.iiiwi muwii. unortaJcn there enly llv years ago. . . Tney receivea me ooraiaiiy, ana viriuauy miai me although It lies beneath a, sun that teau down, with Now. Mr. Martin tate. 11,000 persons hav mad their ' on of their number- Intense fltrceness. permanent homes in th Imperial and Coachilla valley, ' " This trlb consisted of about 100 persons, and, . Kven whea the Intervening bank Is restored between , ,4V crtated property values aggregating fU.OOO.M. 'like others ofth race, wa nomadic, changing IU- !-J2LlKIiJ?,i.lh.-.Ba,?fJ?i 'i1 Jai?4, ?9en year th Imperial valley ship 110,000 worth of " 'abod from tlm to Urn, always seeking places where iylond7ct.n7m.rre:it UltaCedMpfrom SSS OTTWiK WM BO' P,,BtUuL th..rlvr will repletih.fr th.rwafr.0 th aewTake a Sevwal iw arV liS.?.!? .-t, Esquimaux ara not a U r-esrks.ble rapidly evaporation suck them up, ao that there will always be a great lake in th Tuma basin. " Whether th watera can be drained off, or not, th Immediate "obiect I to prevent a further rising of th surface, which, Is now going on at a rat of about two -"fTtser-whlch Southern P.Cflo train, run. ' STfc'SK TOJ JhTM?naa IT! S2L X.?. 1"S ?JZ r1n.ntroPhB.?u croachment Is atopped they will not b sate there long. electrie planta and other enterprises; vineyard r being planted la all directions, and th growing of fruit, vrge . tables and alfalfa is rapidly Increasing. Mor than 12&.U0Q acre of land ar under 4 high state of cultivation. - li I certain that th Inundated Tuma basin would may. lit time, b umunriad hv s. bortrinl ( rtitit . danarar. mnd h..i,. ' . . . j . .., - - 7 IT WAS IN U90 that Cleveland want north as second Bute of a schooner sailing out of w Bedford. TJh plan was that h and Charles Clemmon ' should establish a station la the Hudson Bay trrl- nm above 'the arrtln riml an Vr rn"rifTve col- tactlag whalebone until another vessel should arrlvs to bring thm home. , I'o two winters all went well. Then Clemmon took,: naasaa-e oa a whaler and returned bom. ' Cleveland r- ; cnalnM to aware in amv-u os - -poo .mp. Vto J sat.n r. -ark j. u wa began building eur saow huta, aad I boam : as exaert at this as the aaUveaf . ; ""With our trlb war on or tw wltok doctors, . aad I had aa xperleno with oa ( them. During tny orst winter with th trlb X suffered with a High . fever, which did Hot respond to my own treatment X had retained a few medical supplies tad knew how , to aa them. ... '.-,..;..... ' J"I lapsed lato unoonsclousness, aad whet X awok onf afternoon th fever had gone, but standing aver m waa on of the witch doctors azsrolslac hr supposed magical arta - - "Whin X aroused clear of fevr th madlelaa man of th trlb claimed that my reoovei.' wa due to the arta of th 'witch. ' .. ;'. , ;'., "Another rough xprlenc waa about Nsw" Tars of. ltOL la company with tw natlvea X t oat aero th lc tn search of gam. We had with a Ud drawn by dogs, and as w swpt across th bay w ., were uddonly alarmed by a loud eracklng sf toe. ' T , ADRIFT ON AN ICE FLOE , "Looking back, w found, that th floe whlol"wa war crossing had separated from the mala field of Ice ' aad was drifting out Into ths bay. ' We attempted to ' gej back, but the Intervening stretoh of water was toowlds to be bridged, .'."Y-". . ' , .';'''-'-.' -TX high wlad wa blowing, and as the floe drifted - further out to sea our position boam mora aad mor parllotM, Th wlad brought with It a snowstorm, which dvlopd Into a furious bllssard, "This terrhlc storin raged throughout . th next "', thre days,. Without shatter and -with our provisions .consumed, our small party was la dlr prlU .For flv days w adurhd aatold hardships, dr if tins about tho bay aad not being abl to sec land. : ' "On th afternoon of th fifth day, whn w wer ' pretty well, discouraged,- th flow grounded at a plac palled "Beach Point, and wa mad the beat posalbla . tlm back to th quarters of th trlb. ' . Such was th 11 f Cleveland lived with th Xsqul- : maux for nearly four years. H traveled with them . constantly from place to plac aad gradually fell lato ' their methods of living. . When, on dfcy.-aScotch whaler waa sighted god ' Cleveland went aboard, he could scaroaly spak his , ' nattv language. It took him month to regain hi habitual as a a civilised man. - V . His xperlenees, however, did not eur him of m liking for th Far Nofth. II seurd employment with th firm owning th whaler by wjilch h waa. , rescued, aad recently returned to the upper' Hudson -' Bay, where- he now ha under his charge Jot natives eagaged la trapping the polar bear, wolverine, silver fox aad other fur-bearing animals..' , . - It never am. . K ert that b was abandoned, v U00 miles from the nearest white settlement, aad was left to make his way back as best h could. '" Whil b remained alone at the station that he had stabUshad, bis food supplies ran short Whea he was , unable to proour gam or fish, ba limited his food.ooa--' sumptloa. - 0 ' ..';- '.:: Frequently h waa reduced to a single meal a day aad that, sometimes, of a character that would nauseat on not on th verge of starvation, Clsveland and Clemmon established their station oa Wager, River, at th north end of Hudson Bay. Their cabin waa a small affair, 11 by H feet, and la winter It waa burled beneath snow and ilea. -. ' v ' , .. With a liberal supply of coal and food, the first winter was passed m oomparatlv comfort. It was simply a case of waiting until th return of spring enabled them to begin collecting whalebone. When the weather was favorable they amused themselves hunting , deer .and ; fOXe. r. .:. ''', .' '.'.;' -i; i , '-i i Wha warm weather broke up the lo U th river, they atarted out ta their whaleboata wltL aativ craws. ' ' Misfortune assailed them from th fl-.t. - Aa easterly , wind sprang up and drove them upstream, amid a mass of broken Jc. For several days they fought for their . lives and to prevent their boats from being smashed, - ' narrow escape ' At last 'Cleveland ordered the whaling gear thrown overboard, and th boat, thus, lightened, were able to , mak land.','':, .v, ' : '., v.'. '.V Y-YY Y . j Th spring, summer and fall paasad without bringing ' slght of a what, Another long winter ca. a oa aad was -' passed much Uk th first Thar was nothing to do but ' sleep, eat and go dee hunting. . . ; . Th next summer Clemmon sailed for horn oa a '. provident or . fas-sighted - people. . They have but on ldea-to' find food and whea they find It they Indulge la a feast with little thought of th morrow. For that reason they are, frequently compelled to go on hunting expeditions In ths winter, aad the expeditions ara generally attended with considerable "Purlaat th i said Cleveland, "we weal ta
