Imperial County CA Archives History - Books .....Another Flood 1918 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 14, 2006, 3:37 am Book Title: History Of Imperial County California ANOTHER FLOOD But now, in spite of the hurry to complete the dam across the break, another distressing flood broke on December 7, and in 36 hours the entire river was again pouring into the Salton Sea. Two weeks later, at the request of President Roosevelt, Mr. Harriman gave orders to again make the closure, and this was completed in February, 1907. Now once more the old river went peacefully on its way to the ocean. Meanwhile the career of the California Development Company had failed to keep its promises in extending the water-system territory, not supplying the people's needs, and had been extravagant in its use of money. Its patrons had become dissatisfied, and there was some merit in their complaints. This finally culminated in an appeal to the government reclamation service to buy out the company. A proposition was made to organize a "water users' association," with a fund of $12,000,000, agreeing with the government to purchase the property of the development company, place the whole matter under the management of the reclamation service, and then carry on the business of serving water in this Valley. But the plan did not work smoothly at the outset, owing to difference in opinion as to valuation. But President Heber finally offered to sell out for $3,000,000, and this offer was promptly accepted by the settlers, and congress was wired to that effect. But that body turned down the plan. Then there was more worry all through the Valley, and the development company became an object of distrust from that time forward. In the meantime Mr. Heber died at Goldfield, Nevada. But soon after this a deal was made with the railway company to close the river break for $200,000, which was given as a loan, the company being assigned a majority of the stock of the development company as security. Up to this time the men who had really done things, and made the reclamation of this desert possible, like Engineer Rockwood, who had sacrificed himself and his professional success; Mr. Chaffey, one of California's great builders; Dr. Heffernan, who lost his fortune, and President Heber, who had devoted all his heroic energies to the cause, struggling through one financial crisis after another, had merged all their interests in this great railway company. Finally in the spring of 1910 Judge Lovett, the new president of the Pacific Board of Directors, decided that the California Development Company must be disposed of at once, so far as the railway corporation was concerned. This meant, of course, that it should be sold at auction to the highest bidder. Up to 1903 these promoters had very little to do with the national government in a direct way, except filing on public land. As a matter of fact, incredible as it may seem, very little was officially known in Washington concerning this glorious enterprise. Government engineers who had visited the Valley reported that the irrigation proposed would cost $10,000,000. Thus no further action was taken at the time. But in 1903 there seemed to be new interest shown in the reclamation of public lands in the West. This resulted from the work of Theodore Roosevelt, Senator Newlands, of Nevada, and Congressman Mendell, of Wyoming. But, as before stated, as a result of the opposing influence of the reclamation service the plan was defeated. Various reasons for this antagonistic attitude were imputed. Engineer Rockwood advanced the theory that no canal from the Colorado River could be a permanent success unless a diversion dam were constructed across the river which would raise the water in order that the water might wash out the silt from the canal. This he thought was the contention of the government engineers at the time. But back of all this there seemed to be a hostile feeling among the officials of the Reclamation Service. Many attacks had been made upon the integrity of the promoters of the development company. It had been predicted that within twenty years dire calamity would befall these settlers in the Valley and that they would be drowned out, their homes and fields forming the bottom of a vast inland sea. Another consulting engineer in the service wrote in a similar vein, warning the people of the ruin impending. In this way the reclamation service showed their animosity toward this project. It was even hinted that the whole survey of 1854 had really been made in a back room of a Yuma saloon. But the discovery of some old sticks of that survey would seem to refute this implication. Be that as it may, however, congress authorized a resurvey of the district in 1902, but this was not completed until six years later, for reasons unknown. Then there were still further complications and delay in getting the matter through the general land office, as well as many technical irregularities. And yet it is believed that while in other parts of the West much government land has been stolen, it is thought that none of this land in the Imperial Valley was dishonestly acquired by those now engaged in the attempt to reclaim it from the desert. Dishonesty rarely thrives in a desert waste. But as this began to grow into a fertile garden men of more technical nature than ethical sensibilities saw rich prizes here. Through some blunders of the land office officials they found many ranches where technical errors had been made. Thus they began many contests to titles held by rightful owners. But few of these were finally sustained, though in some cases they were boldly operated by professional contestors, acting for an organization. But the courts have decided that an innocent purchaser must be protected'. Concerning the relations between the United States government and the Imperial Valley, the main point pertains to the full control of this headstrong Colorado. President Roosevelt, in a special message to Congress, January, 1907, said that absolute and permanent relief should be afforded these land owners in this Valley in such a way as to prevent all further trouble from this river. He said that much of this land would be worth from $500 to $1500 per acre, with a total reaching perhaps $700,000,000, if this could be done. He asked Congress not only to return to the Southern Pacific Company the amount that would be required to close the second crevasse in the dikes at the heading, but also to appropriate sufficient money that the great river might be forever restrained from its erratic wanderings. And he claimed that this could not be done by any mere private enterprise. An international commission was thereupon appointed to study the necessities of the situation. This commission was composed of one member from the United States and the other from Mexico. Subsequently President Taft also asked an appropriation from Congress to control the Colorado, with the right to carry the work into Mexico. This bill, authorizing the President to use one million dollars for that purpose, was promptly rushed through both houses. The claim of the railway corporation for -$1,500,000 for this work, after hanging fire for three years, was finally allowed in 1910, though in a reduced form. Additional Comments: Extracted from: THE HISTORY OF IMPERIAL COUNTY CALIFORNIA EDITED BY F. C. FARR IN ONE VOLUME ILLUSTRATED Published by ELMS AND FRANKS BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 1918 Printed by Taylor & Taylor, San Francisco File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/imperial/history/1918/historyo/anotherf214nms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cafiles/ File size: 7.9 Kb