48 



The National Geographic Magazine 



climate. Besides being so much larger, 

 the Gulf of California is somewhat nearer 

 Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas and 

 is separated from them by fewer moun- 

 tain chains. If any influence could be 

 exercised by the Salton Sea, hundreds 

 or even thousands of times as much in- 

 fluence would be exercised by the gulf 

 itself; yet no such influence can be de- 

 tected in that vicinity. 



Those who hold to this idea apparently 

 ignore or neglect the fact that the same 

 causes that have led to the creation of 

 the Salton Sea have led to the cutting 

 down of the bed of the Colorado River 

 and the prevention of its normal annual 

 overflow at Yuma and all points below 

 there. The great delta, therefore, which 

 is annually overflowed under normal con- 

 ditions has received no such overflow 

 since the river has been running into the 

 Salton Sea, at least during the past high- 

 water season, and this fact itself would 

 counteract any influence that might have 

 been exerted by the evaporation from the 

 surface of the Salton Sea. 



Climate is the result of great cosmic 

 influences so great and extensive that 

 the Salton Sea would be a negligible 

 quantity beside them. 



CONDITIONS WORSE THAN BEFORE 



A few days after this address was de- 

 livered, the Colorado River worked its 

 way around the dam, which had been 

 built at cost of so much labor and money, 

 and plunged on again to the Salton Sink. 

 The flow of water has been unusually 

 great for this time of year, which compli- 

 cates the situation. The cataract of the 

 New River has now advanced a long way 

 above Mexicala and is rapidly approach- 

 ing the Alamo. If the cataract once joins 

 the Alamo the entire Imperial Valley will 

 be cut off from water, and left high and 

 dry until the new Salton Lake has risen 

 sufficiently to inundate the entire region. 



Some perplexing questions as to who is 

 responsible for the damages will arise, 

 for the company whose carelessness 

 caused the break is chartered under the 

 laws of Mexico, while all the capital and 

 all the stockholders are American. The 

 break, furthermore, occurred in Mexican 

 territory. 



The Southern Pacific Railway is mak- 

 ing herculanean efforts to turn back the 

 river, but the situation has become very 

 desperate. 



KOBEKl LFEAR^- >^ i 

 R. Arctic Lxplorations J 

 Far [HI bi NowTK -fy 



The Hubbard Medal of the National Geographic Society, the First Award of 

 Which was Made to Commander Peary December 15, 1906 



