November 10, 1922] 



SCIENCE 



523 



toward (he soutli and some of the slope toward 

 the north remains in Mexico. 



The absurdity of the I'esulting situation is 

 daily becoming more apparent and the inter- 

 ruption of diplomatic relations with Mexico 

 (from 1913 to date) has thus far prevented 

 the taking of steps to ameliorate a situation, 

 involving river work in Mexico for the joint 

 benefit of the two countries, which is fast be- 

 coming intolerable. It may be remarked, too, 

 that the seriousness of the situation and the im- 

 portance of having adequate control of the 

 delta section of the river vested in some agency 

 which can accomplish results is not generally 

 recognized. 



Recall for a clearer understanding of this 

 international political matter the essential 

 physical facts : 



The Colorado River was found on a course 

 to the Gulf of California 400 years ago by 

 Spanish explorers. These explorers, too, found 

 a drjr Salton Basin. As about 50 years were 

 required to evaporate the water from this basin 

 after the river ceased to discharge into it, there 

 is, therefore, positive evidence that for over 

 450 years and probably for over 500 years the 

 Colorado River has been flowing dow-n the 

 south slope of its delta cone. There is physi- 

 cal evidence, too, easily read, that in recent 

 geological time the river has repeatedly changed 

 its point of outfall from the Gulf to the Basin 

 and back again to the Gulf. The following 

 reference to the Salton Basin is found in the 

 report of G. W. Blake, geologist of the trans- 

 continental railroad survey, 1853 : 



"The present outflows, though but very 

 slight, are probably similar (referring to In- 

 dian traditions of a great flood), and yet it is 

 possible .that the interior of the desert might 

 be deluged at the present day, provided no 

 elevation of the land has taken place and the 

 river should remain at a great height for a 

 long time — long enough to cause the excavation 

 of a deep channel for New River." 



The Indian tradition relating to the ancient 

 lake is thus given by Dr. Blake : 



"The great water (agua Grande) covered the 

 whole valley and was filled with fine fish. 

 There w'ere also plenty of ducks and geese. 

 Their fathers lived in the mountains and used 



to come down to the lake to fish and hunt. 

 The water gradually subsided ''poco poco"" 

 (little by little) and their villages were moved 

 down from the mountains into the valley it 

 had left. They also said that the waters onc& 

 returned very suddenly and overwhelmed many 

 of their people and drove the rest back into, 

 the mountains." 



This ancient lake had a total length from, 

 northwest to southeast of 100 miles. Its 

 northern limit was several miles above Indio- 

 and its southern margin Avas 15 miles south of 

 the international boundary in Mexico. It has- 

 a mean width of 20 miles. The evaporation 

 of this great body of water, after inflow ceased, 

 caused the mineral contents of the water to be 

 gradually carried to the lowest portion of the 

 basin, where a crust of salts, mainly common, 

 salt, was left in sufficient quantity and of suf- 

 ficient value to justify the establishment of salt 

 works, which were operated for some years by 

 the Kew Liverpool Salt Company. 



It is within the area once covered by the an- 

 cient lake that all of the improved area of Im- 

 perial Valley lies. Calexico, at the Mexican 

 boundary, is at sea level. Imperial, 12 miles 

 farther north, is about 60 feet ibelow sea level,, 

 and the cultivated lands near Brawley extend 

 from about 100 to 200 feet below sea level. 



At the northern end of the basin is Coachella 

 Valley with Indio farthest north, and Mecca 

 190 feet below sea-level near the shore of the 

 lake, when the lake was at its greatest extent 

 in February, 1907. 



And then there was another Indian tradi- 

 tion to the effect that the Colorado River flowed 

 into a hole in the ground. The explanation of 

 this tradition occurred to the author of this 

 paper a few years ago and seems simple 

 enough. When the Salton Sea was full, its 

 surface extent was about 2,000 square miles. 

 From this large area of water the annual 

 evaporation was nearlj- 8,000,000 acre feet of 

 water. This is one half of the normal annual 

 discharge of Colorado River and more than the 

 river's discharge in a year of light run-ofl:. 

 There were, therefore, probably periods of time 

 sometimes exceeding a year in duration, aside 

 from the filling period, when the Indian saw a 

 river flowing into Salton Basin and saw no 



