ICT. 1907. | 
ur 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
531 


INDIANS AT 
Clearing trees and stumps on the site of the Levee. 
WORK AT 
remark because I had a suspicion that as 
1 as spring came the Mexican  teamsters 
ild quit us for more congenial work up in 
vicinity of Los Angeles. It happened as I 
suspected, and promised at first to be really 
erious affair, but the Indians stepped right 
the breach and seen there were 200 of them 
ing four mule teams on Fresno scrapers. Up 
this time they had been engaged in clear- 
away the brush, and grubbing out the stumps 
words, making the 
Many of them, in 
done any work of 
ugh the jungle; in. other 
t of way for the levee. 
the majority, had never 
kind before and did not know how to har- 
j; or unharness the mules. Some patience on 
| part of the foremen and bosses was required 
Jeach them, but in a day or two everything 
Ht on as nothing had 
Jened. 
jt a work of such magnitude and with labor 
licarce as it was the company gave work to 
'y man, old or young, who came looking for 
| At any other time and in any other place | 
jjuld have hesitated and probably refused to 
w some of the applicants to go to work, but 
i) rned out well that none were refused. Often 
|. who seemed entirely too young would come, 
| much to my surprise they not only stood the 
|, but actually improved it. 
}$ it took nearly a year and a half to com- 
> the work you can see that nearly every 
Jan in southern Arizona had plenty of time 
smoothly as though 
jake part in it, and the majority did, and 
Janately, too, for them, for it was an educa- 
and a training, and I know has well fitted 
1 for future the Southwest. 
any people surprised when they are 
that so many Indians were at work on this 
work in 
seem 
/t task, and one way to account for it is this: 
Indian in the far Southwest, the most arid 
of the United States, able to 
| entirely by hunting and fishing and so has 
was never 
|ys been forced to cultivate the soil and long 
learned the value and necessity of growing 
s and laying up stores for the winter. 
believe that many of the tribes in Arizona 
the descendants of the Indians who long ago 
tructed the and irrigating 
se ruins are found in so many places in the 
ys of the Gila and the Salt rivers. What 
as that made the tribes decline in civiliza- 
whether raids by more savage tribes, earth- 
houses canals 

will 

es, pestilence or internal dissensions, 
ably never be known. 
y profession of physician was a great help 
ie, because the Indian is naturally shy and 
not seek acquaintance simply for acquaint- 
THE 
COLORADO BREAK. 
but whenever any of them hurt 
or sick, they never seemed to hesitate to approach 
Their faith in my 
ance sake, got 
me. power to cure seemed 
boundless. nothing 
among them to tax the resources of the hospital 
Fortunately ever occurred 
tent. A skin disease of a scrofulous nature and 
sore eyes were the most common troubles, 
they always yielded at once to proper treatment. 
Nearly all Indians in the 
Spanish and I soon found my slight knowledge 
and 
Southwest speak 
of the language almost, if not absolutely, neces- 
sary. There were a great many young men who 
had been to the different Government schools, 
and they of course spoke English and often acted 
as interpreters. 
I should say word as to the remarkable 
honesty of the Indians. Whenever a lot of them 
to the 
which needed them most, and there were given 
and 
Then 
the 
commissary all the provisions they needed till 
one 
came for work they were taken camp 
rass mbered checks, and their names 
brass numbered checks Laat 
numbers were taken by the timekeeper. 
with their brass checks they could buy at 
the next pay day, when the amount of their pur- 
chases deducted from pay 
coming to them. There lost, 
and I am quite sure that an agreement like this 
was the amount of 
was never a cent 
would have been impossible with our Americans 
and Mexicans. 
It was through the efforts of Mr. Chas. E. 
Dagenett, of Albuquerque, N. M., that the com- 
pany was able to get this great number of In- 
dians. He is in the Indian 
of Indian employment, 
find work for the Indians 
Service as supervisor 
and his duties are to 
ind to make whatever 
their 
He is an enthusiast and is doing 
arrangements are necessary for welfare 
while at work. 
a great work and deserves much credit. He is 
a graduate of the Carlisle Indian 
French and Indian descent and probably knows 
the faults virtues of the 
as if not better than anyone in the country. 
school, is of 
and Indians as well 
The reason that the work lasted so long was 
because the river broke through the levee about 
a half mile below the dam, and when this had 
taken place matters looked worse than they had 
at first. When the turned 
second time they did not use a brush mat. 
The 
driftwood 
back the 
There 
river was 
was not time to make river 
and 
one. Was SO 
that for 
three weeks the trestle work was taken 
high carried so much 
out as 
fast as they could drive it in. It really began 
to look as though they were never going to get 
the trestles to hold. The 
force that eight rowboats were 
being jammed against the piling. 
river ran with such 
destroyed by 
These row- 
boats were used to tow the piles from the booms 
“ 
over to the pile drivers. They endeavored to 
use only Indians for river men, and if they had 
been forced to use the white men who were on 
the work I fear it would have been impossible 
to have maintained a supply of boats. Not one 
boat was lost by the Indians. 
The Indians were paid in cash every Sunday 
The 
brush 
morning. river thirty cents an 
the 
$1.92%, and the teamsters $2.00 per day, a day 
men got 
hour; cutters and section hands got 
being ten hours. They were always treated with 
absolute fairness and justice, a very important 
item in the handling of Indians. 
LEEDS. 

A Stupendous Undertaking. 
AMONG the many stupendous works being 
the United States 
for the reclamation of waste lands in the great 
carried on by Government, 
west, is the diversion of the waters of the Gun- 
Colorado, to 
ment the flow of the Uncompahgre, and irrigate 
the 200 square land 
lie in Uncompahgre Valley. 
Of special technical interest is the fact that to 
feet 
nison River, in southwestern aug- 
miles of now desert which 
this a tunnel thousand 

accomplis] thirty 
(5.68 miles) long is being constructed under the 
Vernal Mesa, 
above the floor 
finished, 
on this continent; the 
whose summit will rise 2,000 feet 
that, 
tunnel 
tunnel; and 
the 
line of the 
when this will be longest 
Hoosae, four and three- 
quarter miles in length, being second. 
their time 
national and also of local interest, 
Facts that in were of momentous 
are associated 
with this particular locality. Geographically, it 
was originally included in the vast territory 
named Utah, and was acquired by the United 
States from Mexico in 1848, by the Guadalupe 
Hidalgo treaty. About a 
acquisition, the Mormons, under Brigham Young, 
had settled in Salt Lake Valley, and a few years 
later spread over the entire fertile section be- 
Rockies. In 
year previous to Its 
tween the Sierra Nevadas and the 
1849 they formulated a charter as the State of 
“The Land of the Honey-bee,” 
and by delegation demanded admission into the 
“Deseret,” i. e. 
Union. This was denied by Congress, but as 
a compromise, the section occupied by them was 
created the “Territory of Utah.” At this period, 
and in fact until the railroads 
in Utah, “Gentile” settlers were unknown. The 
Sx= 
construction of 
were determined, to 
conformed 
Mormons desired, and 
except those who 
The list of peaceful 
clude all 
to their 
erants and pioneers murdered by them will never 
persons 
immi- 
doctrines. 
be complete. 
After the 
quickened by the discovery of gold in Califor- 
nia. the Government sent corps of engineers to 
find 
Pacific. 
formation of the territory, and 
a practicable route for a 
In charge-of the work in the 
of Utah Colorado, was Captain John W 
Gunnison, of the U. S. 
discovered the river which now bears his name, 
Mormons and 
railroad to the 
section 
now 
Engineer Corps, who 
and who was murdered by the 
buried on its bank. 

Credit Omitted. 
Tue Ostiak illustration, which appeared on 
page 450 of the Sept. 21 ForEST AND 
to the Tea 
issue of 
StrEAM, should have been credited 
Trade Journal, through whose courtesy we were 
permitted to reproduce it. 

