Imperial flbtees AND FARMER. "Water is King—Here is its Kingdom." VOL. 1. IMPERIAL, CAL, SATURDAY, MARCH I, 1902. No. 46 Work at Imperial Headgates. sedimentary deposits. At the present time there are the feet of water Hut little has been said of late re- LEADING MENOF THE IMPE= flowing through tin1 temporary head- garding the progress of work at or ing Banal to the headgates for the full near the heading of the Imperial Ca-— width of the canal. nal System on the Colorado River RIALCANALSYSTEM. When the headgatos were completed possibly because of the work of con- and the water was lot through, all the structing the distributing system for boards in the gates were not removed Imperial Water Company Xo. 1 was The Imperial Canal System lias become so extensive and there are still tV<> boards at the such a great undertaking that the en- and is growing so rapidly and is so intimately connected bottom of the pates') that can be re- tire attention of the public had been with so many people whose financial futures are so inter- moved at any time vhould it become directed to that work to the exclusion woven with the BUCCess of this greal irrigation system that necessary, and thus the channel of other work more distant from the it is but justice to the public that they should know some through the gates could be deepened points of observation. thing of the men who now have the enterprise inhand since to the extent of two feet in depth and While attention has been more gen- the retirement Mr. George Chaffey. sixty feet in width. erally directed to the work in the Mr. A. 11. lleher. late i>\ Chicago, is President and The temporal? canal could also be vicinity of Imperial, various reports General Manager of the California Development Company deepened very readily and very regarding have been put in circulation and in that position has general supervision over the affairs quickly to the extent of livo feet, the main canal near the heading on of the entire system under direction of the Hoard o\ should such a deepening become neces- the Colorado River that have been Directors of that Company. sary, and the dredge is at. hand to do misleading and have tended to create Mr. Heber has led a very active business life and has that work. in the public mind some incorrect been accustomed to dealing with large enterprises that re- The main canal below the headgates ideas regarding the value of the en- quire good judgment ancl more than ordinary executive for a distance of several miles has terprise. These reports ha*, o been In ability. not filled up at all with sediment, and by most cases circulated innocently When a young- man he entered the employ of the tIn* water has run through this canal parties who were not informed, with Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company, where continuously ever since it was con- probably occasional assistance from structed, with two Blight interruptions parties who had other than honorable which were made necessary in the motives to guide them. process of construction. For instance, it has been reported A few miles below the headgates the that the temporary heading was a main canal runs into a natural settling partial failure, and that ithad so filled basin covering about 100 acres, and up with sediment carried into it in this basin some sediment has been by the waters of the Colorado River, deposited. This is what it is used that the— canal just below the for. From this basin the canal empties heading in fact for— several miles into the natural channel of the Car- below the heading had been filled ter River and from this channel it is up with sediment several feet in taken out again at the diversion gates depth, so that very little water could a few miles southeast of Calexlco on be obtained through this channel, until the Lower California side of the line. the flood waters begin to come in early This lengthy natural channel is not next summer, and that itwould require filling UP with sediment, in the least. several months to clean out the canal Just above the headgates, between the so as to obtain a sufficient supply headgates and the permanent heading of water to meet the demands of the is another large settling basin which Imperial Settlements as soon as the is not now used, but It will be used distributing system was completed so as soon as the permanent heading is as to distribute the water. completed and water turned h rough This, to put it mildly, is a mis- the same. statement of facts. Let us consider a At this permanent heading there will few facts which anyone can ascertain be another set of headgates to control to be facts by visiting the heading the water so that there will be two a few miles below Yuma. sets— of headgates to the main canal The headgates of the main canal are one between the upper settling basin located about one mile below the per- and the river and another below the manent heading which is now being upper settling basin. constructed. This upper settling basin is located near the Colorado River so that by headgates tempo- Just above these a means of a hydraulic dredge the sedi- rary canal is built to connect with ment may be pumped from the settling the river about one-quarter of a mile basin back into the river below the A. H. HEBER heading distant. permanent as fast as it ac- I'REBIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER OF THE CALIFORNIA DEVELOPMENT CO. cumulates, and the hydraulic dredge is The bottom of these headgates is now on hand to commence that work a, fully five feet below the surface of lie became telegraph operator. He was rapidly advanced as soon as it becomes necessary. the Colorado River at the temporary to the position of train dispatcher. Tie resigned that posi- Work on the permanent beading has lowa, heading at extreme low water. The tion to go into the land business in Western and was already been commenced and this work — afterwards elected and re-elected to the position of Auditor will be continued until the upper head- Colorado River is, at—present writing gates of the permanent heading are middle of February several feet above of Keoknk County, lowa. completed. This work will be pushed extreme low water mark. His next move was to go to Southern Kansas where vigorously as soon as the rush of work distributing is so The temporary canal connecting the he organized a number of National Banks and the American on the system far advanced that it docs not. require the Colorado River with the main canal Mortgage Trust Company. Development attention of the entire force and en- just above the headgates was not He became interested in The California ergy of the company. ago, and he dug as deep as it might have been Company soon after its organization six years This permanent heading is being because It was not considered nec- and his friends contributed largely in a financial way to constructed through a conglomerate all essary or advisable to dig any get matters in shape to finally commence the construction cement rock that will stand for time to come, and it. is located at a deeper, and because its present depth of the canal system. in bend in the river where the force of would probably furnish all the water When George Chaffey took charge of the Company the current must necessarily hug the that could be used until the perma- April. 10.00, Mr. Heber was in the East dosing up husiness California bank very closely. nent heading was completed. affairs preparatory to taking an active part in the Company The large dipper dredge is located at present just below This temporary canal, one-quarter of in which he held so large an interest. He came to Los the time the head- gates. a mile in length, has not filled up with Angeles in August. k>oi. was soon after made General natur- This is a clear statement of the sediment at all, but the current Manager of the Imperial Land Company and very facts of the case, and any rumors that in this canal has been sufficient ally, on the retirement of Mr. Chaffey. he succeeded to his conflict with this statement are made to keep it entirely clear of all position. without a knowledge of the facts..