USA > California > Imperial County > Calexico > A history of Calexico > Part 3
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A HISTORY OF CALEXICO
April, the very day of the great earthquake and fire at San Francisco. Mr. Harriman had rushed to the scene of the tragedy. The next day the maddest flood of all came tearing down the Colorado. It was far beyond the capa- city of the newly completed dam, washing it out as if it were so much kindling! The river was like an angry monster that would not be bound by human fetters. The crevasse was ever widening and the whole Colorado poured through it at the rate of 4,000,000,000 cubic feet per day.
Mr. Rockwood's disappointment must have been the keenest suffering, for it was not lack of knowledge that made his work fail, but the ever-present lack of capital with which to operate. Nevertheless, he resigned, and Mr. H. T. Cory, Mr. Randolph's assistant, was put in absolute con- trol.
In June came another flood that widened the gap to over half a mile. The whole river was running into the Valley, leaving the channel to the Gulf dry. Once in the Valley, the river spread to a width of eight to ten miles. Then it divided into separate streams that ran into the Salton Sea. Thousands of acres of crops were drowned and thousands of acres more were so badly eroded that the land can never again be cultivated. The works of the New Liverpool Salt Company were under sixty feet of water.
At the height of the flood, 75,000 cubic feet of water poured through the gap every second, or 6,000,000,000 cu- bic feet every 24 hours. Salton Sea rose at the rate of 7 inches per day and soon covered an area of 400 square miles. The main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad had to be moved to higher ground five times that season.
The "cutting back" was the most dangerous feature of the flood. The lower stratum of soil was badly cracked. All the soil was soft silt, and when the water washed against the lower stratum in its cracked condition, it washed out like powdered sugar, causing the upper strata to collapse. This "cutting back" action worked up stream at the rate of 1,500 to 4,000 feet per day, leaving behind it, a deep, ever-widening gorge. The channel remains today a silent evidence of the great floods. It varies in depth from 50 to 80 feet, has an average width of 1,000 feet, and is more than 40 miles long. The amount of soil thus gouged out was nearly four times as much as the total digging for the Panama Canal.
It was imperative that this "cutting back" be stopped, for, if it were allowed to continue, it would soon cut into the canals of the irrigation system. This would send all
The "cutting back" of the river.
Flood scene showing the levee.
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the irrigating water down the Alamo and New rivers and thus ruin the entire system. Also it would cut off the water supply for the 12,000 settlers, who were absolutely depend- ent upon it. There was more danger that people would be driven out of the Valley for want of drinking water than there was that they would be drowned out.
The towns of Calexico and Mexicali were directly in the path that the river was cutting back. Could they be saved? Engineer Perry directed the building of a levee six feet high around the river-side of the town. Every man, woman, and child worked until exhausted filling bags with sand, earth, or anything available. Every shovel in town was in use, even sauce-pans were wrung into use for the purpose. Every horse and mule in the vicinity was put to work on the levee. This work continued for 48 feverish, anguishing hours. No one slept except from exhaustion. No one thought of removing his clothing.
Would the dike hold ? The fate of two cities depended upon it. Now and then it would break through somewhere and the water would pour in on the town. With a scream and a dash, the whole force of workers would turn their energies to the new break. Every household in town brought out its bedding, mattresses and everything that would be useful to stuff into the breaks.
Mr. Perry was on duty the whole time directing the work. It took the strength of a mighty man to endue that strain, but Mr. Perry was equal to the emergency.
There was a row of stately cottonwood trees along one side of the Company offices, that had been tenderly raised and were highly prized. Now, in this supreme struggle, these trees had to give their lives to help save the town, Under Mr. Perry's direction, they were hewn down and suspended by chains in the river channel that the angry waters might beat against them and thus spare the bank on the Calexico side of the river. The noble trees did their work well. They saved that bank.
As if there were not already enough to contend with, a mad wind was racing across the Valley. This added greatly to the difficulty of the fight, for it blew out the lanterns and drowned men's voices when they tried to shout orders or call for help.
The Company hastily constructed a tent on stilts back a safe distance from the flood. The safe was moved to the new "office," and all valuable papers were taken there for safe keeping. The Southern Pacific depot was on the
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river side of the levee; hence, in order to save it, it was hastily taken down in sections and moved to safety.
Everything on the river side of the dike went floating down the stream. The water tank went out the first night, leaving the town without its supply of pure water. The irrigation water is so laden with sediment that it is the color of chocolate, hence this added difficulty will be ap- preciated.
At last, after the second horrible night, the flood began to subside. When the waters had fallen to a safe level, all Calexico slept from sheer exhaustion.
The next morning smiled down on a much-relieved town on one side of the levee and on desolation on the other side. Mr. Perry's brains, plus everyone's strength, energy, and courage, saved Calexico. West of the levee, as far as the eye could see, was one vast expanse of water. People constructed flat boats and barges on which to travel about.
Here and there a high place showed itself in the form of an island on which were crowded whole families that had taken refuge on the highest spots they could find. This situation was more common on the Mexican than on the American side of the boundary. Rescue work was prompt- ly begun, but it was very slow and exceedingly dangerous since the current was so swift and there were so many im- pediments in the river. The rescue boats frequently be- came entangled in the tree tops and were lost. It took several days and hundreds of unrecorded deeds of bravery to save all the people from the waters of the flood.
The flood waters covered about 6,000 acres, while some 13,000 more were ruined by erosion in side canyons. When the new channel was gouged out, the waters from both sides made a mad rush for the new lower level, leaving devastation in their paths.
The Inter-California Railroad to Yuma had been built as far as Cocopah. This was completely under water. The official crossing from the United States to Mexico had pre- viously been at the foot of Imperial Avenue. This land was all washed away. It was fortunate indeed that the cross- ing had, in 1904, been moved to the foot of Heber Avenue.
As rapidly as possible, Calexico repaired its damages. The actual loss in the town amounted to about $15,000. Mexicali suffered to the extent of about $75,000.
The whole Colorado, however, was still flowing down the channel of New River and had yet to be turned back into its old course. There was little in recorded history to
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help the engineers in their gigantic task. Most floods had merely been overflows, but this was an entirely new prob- lem. This was a roaring river that had changed its course and was rushing madly into an ancient basin below sea level. Three hundred million cubic feet of water every hour were rushing down a 400-foot slope, through easily eroded soil into a basin about the size of Long Island Sound.
This situation was so new that the engineers had noth- ing upon which to base their opinions. They all disagreed. About the only point upon which they were agreed was that something had to be done at once. The Southern Pa- cific engineers, then in control of the situation, decided to construct a dam of rock instead of pilings, brush, and sand bags. They quickly constructed a railroad from their main line to the break, for the purpose of hauling rocks and other materials. They next borrowed from the Union Pacific Company 300 "battleships." These were mammoth side- dump cars that had been used in the construction of the Lucin cut-off across Great Salt Lake. They had a capacity of 50 to 60 tons each. The California Development Com- pany had three light-draught steamers and a number of barges that were used on the river. The Southern Pacific furnished work trains and gathered rock, gravel, and other materials including 1,100 ninety-foot piles, 19,000 feet of heavy timber for railway trestles, and 40 miles of steel cable to be used in the weaving of brush mattresses. The Southern Pacific furnished pile drivers and steam shovels, also many engineers, mechanics, and workmen. This re- sulted in efficiency and speed.
The greatest difficulty was in obtaining common labor. It was impossible to secure enough Mexicans, so Indian tribes were organized and used. These with their families constituted a separate camp of about 2,000 souls. The rest of the laborers were Mexicans and American adventurers. The whole vicinity was put under martial law with a mili- tary commandant to police the camps.
Active work began August 6, 1906. The summer floods were then subsiding. First, a woven brush mattress was made in twenty days and nights by two shifts of men. It was made of baling wire, steel cable and 2,000 cords of brush. A total of 13,000 square feet of this mattress was made. It covered the bottom of the gap to the width of 100 feet, double thickness. Its purpose was to serve as a foundation for the rock filling. Next, a railway trestle ten feet wide was built across the crevasse. On the 14th of September, trains of "battleships" began running across
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it and dumping rock onto the mattress at the bottom of the stream.
In the mean time, the Rockwood by-pass and headgate were completed. By October 10, only one-tenth of the flow of water was still going over the rock dam. But the Rock- wood dam was showing signs of weakness. In the after- noon of October 11, it gave way and went floating down the stream. The by-pass then became the main river. The top of the Southern Pacific dam was left dry. The dam that went out had cost $122,000 and four months of labor.
Now the Southern Pacific went to work clearing out and enlarging the four miles of silted up canal, since the steel and concrete gate above it was ready for use. It might now be opened and thus handle part of the water through the ditches, while another attempt was being made to close both the Rockwood by-pass and the original gap. Operations were pushed night and day. A thousand men and 700 horses and mules were at work. It was planned to con- struct another rock dam on another brush mattress in the by-pass also, as this type held best. Levees connected the two dams, making a continuous barrier one-half mile long. They extended it to both sides as well.
On November 4 the lower Mexican intake was com- pletely closed. The trouble seemed over and all seemed well. There was rejoicing throughout the Valley.
On December 7, another sudden flood came tearing down the Gila, a branch of the Colorado. A reconstructed earthen dam further to the south went out! The break was at first small, but it widened so rapidly that in three days the whole river was pouring through it and again rushing into the Valley. This demanded immediate action. It also proved that, in order adequately to protect the Valley, a higher, stronger and more massive levee would have to be built on the West side of the river for a distance of at least twenty miles.
The Southern Pacific Company felt that it had done its share. It had already spent over a million and a half, and its financial interests in the Valley would not justify further expenditure.
The United States Government would be the principal loser if the Valley were to be lost. The land taken up by the settlers was still legally in the possession of the Gov- ernment, pending a correct survey. Besides, if the river were not controlled, it would eventually destroy, not only the Imperial Valley, but the Laguna Dam, which was a pro-
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ject of the United States Government to the north. Also, if uncontrolled, the Colorado would cut for itself a gorge from which it would be impossible to draw water for irri- gation. The total potentially fertile land that would thus be rendered barren, was more than 2,000 square miles, or enough to support a quarter of a million people.
For these reasons, therefore, the Southern Pacific called upon the United States Government for aid for the Valley. Theodore Roosevelt was President at that time. The South- ern Pacific offered the Government the use of its tracks, trains, quarries, laborers, and everything it had in the way of equipment; but it considered that the Government should pay for the work, since the cost would run into millions. The California Development Company also offered all it had to aid in the work.
Congress had just adjourned for the holidays. The Government could not proceed without the authority from Congress nor without arrangements with the Mexican Gov- ernment. All this time the river was pouring into the Val- ley, but the water was not alarmingly high and was run- ning more or less peacefully down the Alamo and New River channels. All would be well until the next flood came. The gap must be closed before that should occur.
President Roosevelt placed the responsibility on the California Development Company and demanded immedi- ate action by that Company. In the meantime he agreed to try to bring about permanent action on the part of the Government. The California Development Company was powerless to meet the situation for lack of money, so the Southern Pacific again came to the rescue. Mr. Harriman telegraphed to President Roosevelt that the Southern Pa- cific would proceed to meet the emergency trusting that the Government would assist as soon as it could get action.
The river fighting crew and equipment were still intact; therefore, on December 20, 1916, when the order was given, all the resources of the Southern Pacific were thrown into the work of controlling the river. The crevasse was then 1,100 feet wide and had a maximum depth of 40 feet. The whole river was pouring through the new gap. There was no time to build another brush mattress.
The plan next adopted was to build two railroad trestles over the gap and to have 1,000 flat cars and "battleships" of rock ready all at once and to dump rock faster than it could possibly be carried away by the stream or swallowed by the silt. Three times the piles were torn out and went
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floating down the stream and three times were the trestles partly or wholly destroyed. On the 27th of January the first trestle was finished for the fourth time, and the rock dumping process began again.
Men worked night and day with feverish haste. Not a moment was lost. A thousand cars of rock were on the scene and were dumped as fast as they could be "placed" on the trestle. In order to save time, the rocks that were too large to handle were broken on the cars in transit by "pop- shots." This consisted of dynamite so placed as to split the rocks. The roar of the mad waters, the "pop-shots," the shouts of the men, all combined to furnish the excite- ment that spurred the men on to their maximum speed. Two unknown Mexican laborers gave their lives to the cause. They fell from the trestle into the roaring torrent below.
Once in the water, the rocks settled and rolled down the stream. All this had to be overcome by more dump- ing. Lastly, small stones and gravel were dumped to fill the places between the big rocks.
The crevasse was finally closed and the river unwillingly forced back into its old channel on February 10, 1907. This was 52 days after Roosevelt asked for help and 15 days after the first load of rock was dumped from the first completed trestle. The work had to be done fast or it would have been lost. It was a question of dumping rock faster than the river could carry it away.
The Southern Pacific also built twelve miles of levees along the west side of the river with a railroad track on top so it can immediately send material to any part of it in case of weakness or a break. Also, they constructed a second levee to the west of the first, to impound the waters in case of a break in the first levee.
The additional cost was approximately $1,600,000. The total expenditure by the Southern Pacific was $3,100,000. The work was done thoroughly. It has stood the test of many a flood and has held. The engineers who directed the final closure and the building of the levees were Messrs. Epes Randolph, H. T. Cory, "Tom" Hinds, and Mr. Clark.
The Southern Pacific completed the work without the aid of the Government and afterward put in a claim for the cost of the operations. This reimbursement bill dragged along in Congress for three years without action. Hearings were held, expert engineers were consulted, and the whole subject was thoroughly discussed. Reimbursement was
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urged by most of California's big newspapers and by the Imperial Valley's Chambers of Commerce. It was recom- mended by Roosevelt and was urgently recommended by Taft, but did not pass Congress. The United States has never paid back the sum of the actual outlay to the Southern Pacific.
Two novels have their setting in the Imperial Valley. Both deal with the early days and both use the floods for the climax. The better known of these is "The Winning of Barbara Worth," written by Harold Bell Wright.
It is a well known fact that Mr. Wright was a preacher in the Ozark country and that he was poor both in money and in health. Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Holt of the Valley were also from the Ozark country and were good friends of Mr. and Mrs. Wright. Mr. Holt had made a financial success in the new country and urged his friend to come there also, thinking that the dry climate would do him good. Mr. and Mrs. Wright made the move, Mr. Holt giv- ing them considerable assistance. Mr. Wright started the ranch now known as the "Wright Place," between El Cen- tro and Holtville. He made a financial success while re- gaining his health.
Out of appreciation, Mr. Wright wrote "The Winning of Barbara Worth." He idealized his friend Mr. Holt in the character of Mr. Worth. Mr. Holt's daughter was made the heroine but was not actually found on the desert, as the story goes. The successful lover and the hero who closed the gap was Mr. H. T. Cory, while Mr. Rockwood was represented as the Seer. The novel is in no sense a history, although it follows, in a general way, the trend of events in the Valley.
The other novel is "The River," by Edna Aiken. Its scenes are laid in Calexico and at the gap in the bank of the Colorado River. The book was written to idealize Mr. Cory, much to the indignation of Mr. Rockwood's friends. While not historically accurate, the book gives a very true representation of early life, customs, and conditions in the town of Calexico in the early days. Mr. Cory is idealized in the leading part as "Rickard." Mr. Rockwood is cruelly and unjustly characterized as the unsuccessful engineer called, in the story, Tom Hardin. The other characters are all taken from life.
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Chapter V.
Developments to 1915
Due to the dauntless character of the people of the Valley, the flood did not affect business conditions nearly as much as would be supposed. Everyone had confidence that the difficulty would be overcome. The "Spirit of the Valley" prevailed. Things went on the usual way.
Owing to the difficulty of getting to their county seat, and to the growing consciousness of the unity of the Valley, agitation was rapidly gaining headway to make the Valley a separate county.
The Pomona district was at the same time trying to break away from Los Angeles County. The State laws granted no authority to counties to subdivide; therefore it was necessary to create a state law giving such authority. Pomona and the Valley joined hands in the fight. They sent representatives to the State Legislature to plead their cause. On March 15, 1907, an act was passed especially for Pomona and Imperial, authorizing the division of counties. Pomona never secured its separation from Los Angeles County, due to the fact that those in favor of sepa- ration lost in the election.
The people of the Valley, however, speedily carried through the necessary procedure and became a separate county. A petition was first sent to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, asking for the creation of a new county. The petition was granted. On the 6th of August, 1907, an election was held to determine whether or not the majority of the voters were in favor of separation. The election carried. The towns then voted for El Centro as the most central location for the county seat. El Centro is the Spanish for "the center," and, true to its name, it is approximately the geographical center of the Valley.
The organization and the first meeting of the Board of Supervisors of the new county took place in the Valley State Bank Building in El Centro on the 26th of August that same year. Mr. F. S. Webster was made Supervisor, since he had previously been Supervisor of the Imperial District of San Diego County. Mr. James B. Hoffman was officially made Justice of the Peace. He had carried on the duties of this office from the very first, by common consent though without official appointment or electon. Mr. D. S. Elder was elected the first County Clerk.
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*
Calexico in 1910.
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The county was diveded into Supervisoral districts. The same divisions were made for this as for the Irrigation dis- tricts. In other words, the Supervisoral districts and the Irrigation districts were identical in area. Calexico is in District No. 1. Mr. S. McHarg was the first Supervisor of that district. Mr. George L. Pulliam is the present Super- visor (1922).
The Farmers' and Merchants' Club was organized soon after the great floods. It owes its beginnings directly to the great disaster, since it was the need that the merchants and farmers felt for each other that brought them together, and the club was the natural outgrowth. Mr. Edward Dool was its first president. The club worked consistently in co- operation with the town and with the Women's Club.
The Woman's Civic Improvement Club has been no small factor in the development of Calexico. It organized on the 3rd of June, 1908 with Mrs. John F. Steindorf as its first president. There were 24 charter members. Mrs. J. E. Peck was perhaps the most active worker in the fram- ing of the constitution. Mrs. Fritz Kloke is also deserving of special mention. She had definite plans and worked them out with untiring zeal. She passed away in Los Angeles in 1915.
The first activity of the club was a series of social events for the purpose of raising money to plant trees in the town. Heber Park had just been laid out. It is situated on Emer- son street, one block from Imperial Avenue in the northern part of the town. The Woman's Club undertook the ex- pense of planting this park with trees. Also the women planned to place trees on the school grounds and in the parkings. After much labor and expense, the trees were planted in the park only to be promptly frostbitten and to die, and all the work had to be done over again.
The Club's next valuable achievement was the establish- ment of a reading room for men in the town. The value of this reading room can scarcely be appreciated without a brief resumé of the conditions pertaining in the town. Calexico was "dry." Mexicali was exceedingly "wet." There were a great many working-men in Calexico without their families. They had no homes and no place to go, hence many wandered "across the line" and promptly be- came incapacitated for work the next day. This reading room contained the daily papers, the leading magazines, and all the books that the inhabitants could donate. Hence it materially improved the condition in the town.
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The next step was to add a rest room for women. It was provided with couches, tables and chairs. It was es- pecially for the women from the ranches who had to travel many miles to town and always stayed all day. Here a club woman was in charge, and the women from the ranches could leave their babies while they were shopping, or they could find rest themselves.
The following year, Mrs. Thomas Mahew became presi- dent of the Club. That year, the Club enlarged its reading room into a small circulating library. This reading and rest room was situated in the adobe building which still stands between First and Second streets on Imperial Avenue.
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