1905 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



157 



Santa Fe systems, and a number of 

 less important railroads suffered from 

 repeated washouts and interruptions 

 in traffic. Principal among the latter 

 is the Gila Valley, Globe and Northern 

 Railway, which lost its bridges and 

 many miles of track along the banks 

 of the Gila River by the caving and 

 Washington away of the banks. 



Several times during the period re- 

 ferred to Phoenix was cut off from all 

 communication with the outer world, 

 as a result of these washouts. Aside 

 from the main rivers many of the 

 smaller tributaries did much damage. 



tol is located was flooded to a con- 

 siderable extent, the water covering 

 the capitol grounds to a depth of near- 

 ly two feet. With its boggy streets 

 emitting a foul odor and a humid at- 

 mosphere which would have done 

 credit to a tropical climate, Phoenix 

 was not a desirable abode during the 

 period under consideration for the 

 consumptives and other invalids, who 

 habitually spend the winter months 

 there in search of health. 



The ranchers of Salt River Valley 

 sustained damage in many different 

 ways. One after another the diver- 



Street scene near the Capitol, Phoenix. Ariz., February 4, showing flood waters from 



Cave Creek. 



Cave Creek, a small torrential stream 

 entering Salt River Valley northwest 

 of Phoenix, was the cause of repeated 

 inundations of a large section of the 

 Salt River Valley, seriously damaging 

 crops, ditches and highways. In sev- 

 eral instances the discharge from this 

 creek was so large in volume that the 

 canals in the valley were unable to 

 drain it off, and overflowing them, the 

 water reached the western portion of 

 the city of Phoenix. At one time that 

 section of Phoenix in which the capi- 



sion dams maintained across Salt 

 River by the various irrigation en- 

 terprises were washed out, and when 

 the waters finally commenced to sub- 

 side the owners found themselves con- 

 fronted with difficult proMems regard- 

 ing the reconstruction of these dams, 

 the majority of which h'id been of a 

 more or less temporary character. All 

 along the river sweeping changes oc- 

 curred in the river bed, and in more 

 than one instance the new channel was 

 found to be located a long distance 



