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The Parker post. (Parker, Ariz.) 1910-1918, June 22, 1912, Image 1

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Persistent link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn95060922/1912-06-22/ed-1/seq-1/

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VOL. 111.
ASHURST URGES
OPENING LANDS
ADRESSES STRONG LETTER TO
SECRETARY FISHER.
Wants Action Taken in the Matter
Before Close of This Ses
sion of Congress.
t
The Post is in receipt of a letter
from Senator Henry F. Ashursit and
a copy of a communication the sen
ator recently addressed to the secre
tary of the interior urging the early
opening of the Colorado River reser
vation lands.
Senator Ashurst’s letter to the sec
retary is a frank, truthful statement
of the situation and indicates that
Mr. Ashursit is doing everything with
in his power to secure the early open
inig of ithe land.
The following is the text of Sen
ator Ashurst’s communication to the
secretary of the interior:
“Washington, D. C., June 14, 1912.
“Honorable Walter L. Fisher, Secre
tary of the Interior, Washington,
D. C.
“My dear Mr. Secretary:
“I hand you herewith a petition
signed by the citizens of Parker, Ari
zona, and signed by the various com
mercial organizationrs. civic bodies
and others of that town, praying that
the Colorado River Indian reserva
tion be opened for public settlement.
As you ate aware, .this reservation
is .not what is known as a treaty res
ervation, but. embraces a portion of
public land-s set aside for the use of
the Indians. The Indians never claim
ed special rights in the land and wen.
not conceded any by a treaty. No
treaty therefore is necessary to open
the reservation to settlement. Con
gress can dispose of the land as it
pleases. I am informed that the
entire reservation, has recently been
surveyed and that allotments have
been made to 400 Indians, with
agency site, school buildings, etc.,
being in alii something in excess of
5,000 acres. I, of course, believe
that, the Indians should properly be
taken care of, and their allotment 2
made as has been done, and in mj
judgement there is now no longer an\
occasion for further delay in opening
the remaining pa.it of the land em
braced within the Colorado River
Indian reservation to settlement by
the general public. A pant of thir
land is mesa, and a part, lisi the rich
eat kind of alluvial soi.l; none there
of is higher than 100 feet above the
Colorado river. The mesa lands
in my judgment are the finest
citrus fruit lands in the world.
Irrigation of the land may
be accomplished by an irrigation pro
ject built by either private capital,
by the state of Arizona, or by nation
al reclamation service, and the land
may also be irrigated by individual
wells, as water is easily accessible
by wells over a portion of tihe reser
vation. The bottom lands are iden
tidal with those of the Yuma Indian
reservation which was ojvened for
40-acre homesteads.
“A knowledge of the richness ot
the land on Ihe Colorado River In
diali reivematlon is far and wide, and
the public demands for the opening
of these lands do settelment are very
insistent. All over our nation Amer
ican cPizens have been 1m great num
bers anxious to secure a home, anx
ious to obtain a tract of land that
they may get from under the land
lord L in of another person, and sure
ly the government could perform r
more just or proper act than to ern
brace every legitimate opportunity
to give American citizens a chance
to acquire a home.
“Under the necessity for the peo
ple to obtain supplies coupled with
the fact that the people believed they
would scon have an opportunity to
go upon these lands, the little town,
of Parke; sprang up. Many people,
a maior'iy of whom were dery poor,
but honest people, pinned their faith
to tin future of the liitttie town of
I arker and erected cottages and en
gaged in business, but the failure ci
the department to open the lands to
settlement has almost blighted the
little town, and the people there air
becoming heartsick by reason of hope
long deferred. These people hav
gone there in good faith. They a
the class of people that, make a state
and Jiation great, if given an oppor
tunity they would become reliable
farmers and valuable citizens and
would begin to make that desert
THE PARKER POST
bloom as the rose and produce fruit
and food st uffs for mankind.
“If these lands may be thown open
for settlement you will find that with
in a very short time the town of
Parker will increase in .population by
leaps and bounds. Indeed, other
towns will spring up and where there
is .now nothing but desert waste will
within two years be the scene of hap
py homes and prosperous people. EveT
since the general public was permit
ted to purchase lands in the town of
Parker and erect residences thereon
and retain title, I .have taken the
position that the good faith of the
government was pledged toward
throwing open these lands on the
Colorado River Indian reservation for
settlement at the earliest possible
date. Indeed, if the government did
net expressly promise to open these
lands, its implied promise was made
upon numerous occasions,
“I am advised that there exist:
seme opinion to the effect that, these
lands should not be thrown open to
settlement until the government, has
determined whether or not. it will
build an irrigation project at son:
point nearby on the Colorado river
to irrigate these lands. This should
not be the occasion for any delay ii.
opening the land. The lands ought
to be opened for settlement and the
p’-oposation of an irrigation project
can be taken up subsequently. First,
for the reason that, a greater part e
the lands may be irrigated by individ
ual wells, secondly, the state of Ari
zona has recently passed the Caro
act, and if the government is not
prepared at this time to build an irri
gation project iiit should not stand In
the way and preclude private capital
or the state of Arizona from build'
an inigation project. lam informed
tlm the state of Arizona will become
a bidder, and might probably sup
an irrigation project with which
irrigate these lands, as I am adi\<c:
that the legislature of the state of
Arizona desires that a dam be budflii
under the Carey act and under the
Arizona Irrigation bill.
“Will you therefore consider this
petition at the earliest possible dace?
I personally vouch for the reliability
of the signers; many of them are
prominent business men and men of
the highest type both in 'public and
private life, and it would be a ser
ious injustice further to prolong the
opening of these lands for settlement.
After reading this letter and this
petition, may I not call and confer
with you again, and have a personal
conference with you, as I am exceed
ingly anxious to have some action
taken before the close of this ses
sion of congress? With great respect.
“Yours sincerely,
“HENRY F! ASHURST.
“U. S. Senator.”
LOST IT THE DESERT
RESCUED IN TIME
Helpless, exhausted, almost dead
from thirst, Dr. D. B. Wylie was
found on the desert eight miles north
west of Wickemburg Monday after
noon by John Norton and Sheriff
Jeff Adams of Phoenix. It is said
that he will recover although he lost
fifty or sixty pounds in weight and
is in a greatly weakened condition.
Fi\ m Saturday morning until the
time h- was found Monday after
noon Dr. Wylie roamed aimlessly
about. t;h< desert. His horse ran
away from him while he was cooking
his breakfast, about sunrise Satur
day. and he chased the animal on
foot ft r about ten miles. By that
time hi* strength was gone and his
senses were deserting him and he
\ ,r as hopelessly lost. The home walk
ed into Wickenburg with the saddle
turned under his body early Sunday
morning. Two searching parties set
out to look tor the missing rider,
one from Phoenix,and one from Wick
enuurg.
Late ! n the afternoon everyone was
ready to give up. There seemed to
be no possibility of following the
tracks to any final destination and
it was conceded that the missing man
had undoubtedly perished from thirst
long before that. But Jeff Adams
decided to make one final attempt
and fired his revolver several times
in the air. From afar off came a
faint cry for help.
Dr. Wylie was found lying on the
ground in a terribly emaciated condi
tion. Strangely enough his senses
bad just returned to him. He assur
ed Adams that he could be trusted
with a canteen full of water. Though
perishing for thirst, he knew enough
to merely sip until his strength had
partially returned.
PARKER, YUMA COUNTY, ARIZONA, SATURDAY, JUNE 22. 1932.
CLARK TAKES
HORN MINES
DEVELOPMENT WORK TO BEGIN
IMMEDIATELY.
Invasion By Clark Interests at This
Time Means Much For
This Section.
William Neagle, representing the
Clark copper interests, last Saturday
closed a deal for the Horn property,
located in the Turtle mountains, a
bout 20 miles southeast, of Parker.
The deal consists of a lease and a
bond agreement, and it iis claimed
the bond is close to six figures.
Work on the property .is to be
started at once, or as soon as the
camp can be put in condition to ac
commodate a large force of men. The
shaft is to be deepened and develop
ments will be carried on in the tun
nels, where excellent, ore bodies have
been opened.
The invasion of tihiis district by
the Clark interests is heartily wel
comed by the mining men, as it will
undoubtedly lead others to come in
and investigate the district’s possibili
ties. Several deals for copper prop
erties in this vicinity are pending at
the present time, and the coming fall
and winter will witness a great min
ing revival i;n this section.
NEW MILL ARRIVES.
The machinery of the new mill to
be constructed near Rincon Landing,
in the Whipple Wash district, was
brought down the river from To pock
by the lola last Monday. Capt. Wil
liams arrived in Parker Thursday
with the boat and will take an
other load of supplies up river. H.
3. Hull, who is bacK of the enter
prise. has about finished hiis new
boat, whicj* is to be used to carry
supplies between this place and the
up-river camp. Work on assembling
the machinery and erecting camp
buildings will be started early next
week. Within sixty days Mr. Hull
expects to begin running ore through
the mill.
YUMA FIGS.
Yuma has figs that are not fig
ments of the imagination in that
they sell for $lO per box; grain that
is a wonder; oranges the sweetest;
strawberries that positively have no
equal; alfalfa, 8 crops a year; seed
less grapes that astonish for size and
quality; apricots, the wonder of the
age; melon®, the earliest in, America,
at SI.OO each, and beets, well just
beets, that beat all creation, and
Yuma’s hot weather is the cause of
it. Without our sublime producing
weather Yuma would be just like
any other ordinary place.—Yuma Ex
aminer.
FLOOD WATERS FROM BREAK
STEADILY BEING CONQUERED
BLYTHE, Cal., June 20. —The
water is still flowing through
the break dm the river near Olive
Lake, but it is believed that it will
soon be closed. E. H. Gaines of El
Centro arrived last, week and iis now
in charge of the pile driver and
states that it is only a question
time. C. E. Berg arrived Thursday
from Parker with a raft of piles after
a very exciting trip down the river
in which it was a question which was
the top side of the raft. Much trouble
was encountered by running on sand
bars. They expected to stop at the
intake but the current was too strong
and they could not force a landing
until they were some distance below
that place.
The water is now spread over a
vast tract of territory at depths from
a few inches to several feet, but no
more damage is expected unless there
is considerable more of a raise in the
rivjer.
The Rannells canal acted as a dike
and turned the water west to the
mesa near the Tom O’Donnell place
and most of the water is now run
ning around the mesa.
Another small stream backed up
and has flooded part of the Donlon
ranch and other property just north
of the old nursery,however, this is
only a small stream and will not
cause much damage.
The water also went east of
NEW LINE TO
BLYTHE JCT.
SANTA FE MAKES THROUGH
RATE TO BLYTHE.
Worst of Road to be Planked and
Oiled For Floyd Brown’s
Auto-Truck Line.
BLYTHE, Cal., June 20.—Floyd
Brown received word last Fri
day that the deal with the Santa Fe
was closed, or rather accepted, and
that as soon as the papers could be
signed uip work would be commenced
putting the road in shape for the
auto and auto truck line which is to
be established.
Details and arrangements are al
ready made to lay a plank road a
cross the heavy sands this side c.i
Blythe Jc. To do this will require
3xl2’s iaid lengthwise with a 24-inch
Lead for each wheel, these boards
to be laid on ties and filled in be
tween and oiled. The remaining bad
places will be graded up and oiled
and graveled, making the road in ex
cellent condition for auto service.
A daily service will be maintained,
leaving the junction early in the
morning, arriving here at 10 a. m.
and leaving here for the junction at
2 p. m., requiring about four hours to
make the trip each way.
This will be a great addition to
our present service, especially for
freight, and will enable us to han
dle fresh fruits at a greatly reduced
rate.
Blythe Brevities.
Last Thursday the water surround
ed the home of Frank Goldsberry and
the building being of adobe it was
soon destroyed. The family and con
tents of the house had been removed
before the water out them off.
Work 'he ice plant has been
temporarily stopped ow ,iv g co the in
ability of getting any more material
on account of high water, but the
work will be resumed as soon as
possible and rushed to an early com
pletion.
Floyd Brown announces • special
Sunday excursion on the new steam
ers just installed between various
points in the valley. By taking this
trip one can get an entirely new
view of some points of interest in
the valley. Quit your kiddin’ Floyd.
The Palo Verde Motor Transit
company is still carrying the mail
and passengers between here and
Glamis and getting through in fine
shape considering the difficulties it
has to overcome. Verily, the way of
the automobile man these days is
beset with trouble.
H. L. Christian has just completed
a new cottage on the Donlon prop
erty north of Blythe. The building
is a very neat frame structure with
Blythe across the lower part of the
Springer ranch and that section of
the country and broke through the
Ebremiberg levee and ran into the
river.
Even should the break not be clos
ed the high water should go down
within the next week at moist, and
work will be rushed to have every
thing in good working order at the
earliest possible moment.
The damages to crops and alfalfa
fields is estimated at from $25,000
to $50,000. The cost of repairing the
break cannot be determined at this
time.
While the loss falls hard at the
present time it will no doubt prove
a good lesson and a cheap one ini the
end, for it will teach us to prepare
for just such cases, and had this not
happened for several years and the
valley been thickly settled and well
stocked and then been subject to
such a flood the loss to property and
live stock would have been tre
mendous.
Let the knockers kino ok, and the
croakers croak, buit this valley is go
ing ahead, and we will emerge from
the present struggles more united,
with a possibly reorganized water
system and in better shape and more
determined to succeed, and we will
succeed. Don’t be a calamity howler.
Get in the “Booster” wagon, the wa
ter’s fine.
a floor space 30x40 feet. Ini addition
to the house, a bunk house 12x32 for
the use of hired help has been erect
ed.
To Keep traffic open during the
t.emporaty abundance of water Floyd
Brown has put a couiple of barges itn
commission between the Sohwalback
property and the Hobson property
north of Blythe. This enables pass
engers to connect with the automo
biles for Blythe Jc., also to get
freight in and out from that line.
.John R. Dutcher came in last
Wednesday from Los Angeles and
reports that plans are progressing
very favorable toward getting water
on the mesa, much bettor than ever
before, and that the land owners are
anxious to begin work as soon as
the organization is perfected. A
petition is now almost ready to be
presented to the supervisors calling
a district election.
EXPECTS EARLY ACTION.
Paul Peirce, president of the Par
ker & Colorado River Railroad com
pany, arrived in town Thursday night.
His company will make application to
the Yuma county board of supervis
ors within the next few days for a
franchise to operate either a steam
or electri • road over certain streets
of the town of Parker. Mr. Peirce
has asked the Parker board of trade
to sanction the application. A meet
ing of the board is to be held this
tFriday) evening to consider the mat
ter.
Mr. Peirce stated that active con
struction work will start, as soon as
the leservabion lands become avail
able to settlement, which, he says
will probably be this fail or winter.
He doubts that an.yithing( can be done
before adjournment of the present
session of congress, owing to the
fact that, the survey of the lands wif
not be approved by the department
of the interior until somteiime in
July. But early in the December ses
sion, he says, there will be nothing
to hold up the matter, as all of the
preliminary work and red tape will,
by that time, be disposed of.
TOWN OF RAY IS
WIPED OUT BY FIRE
RAY, Aniz., June 18. —Fine, which
started An the Wellington saloon, at
12 o’clock, wiped out the entire Amer
ican section of this camp before 2
o’clock this morning, causing a loss
of $600,000 and laying waste the best
buildings here.
Careless casting aside of a cigar
or cigarette is believed to ihave been
the cause of the disastrous conflagra
tion . It was probably thrown into a
pile of papers at the rear of the
building and before it was discovered
had gained sufficient headway to
doom the camp.
Absence of any fire fighting appar
atus, or even enough water to enable
the organization of bucket, brigades,
gave the flames free reign, and they
swept in every direction with amaz
ing rapidity.
Ray consisted largely of frame
buildings and these were lapped up
like powder. Residents of the Amer
ican section were forced to flee with
little but the clothes on. itheir backs,
so fast did the fire spread.
Attempts to stop the progress of
the flames by the use of dynamite
proved futile. As fast as a building
was blown up and the debris torn
away the fire advanced to the edge
of the open space and leaped over.
Practically nothing was saved. It
soon became dangerous to venture in
to the district. Nothing that could
not be easily carried in the hands
was saved as no wagons could be tak
en into tihe business section, the dan
ger of their never getting out) being
too great.
In two hours, wihat had been one
of the busiest mining camps in Ari
zona was nothing but a mass of
blackened, twisted, smoking ruins.
Entire stores, saloons, eating houses
and other buildings went into the
heavy cloud of smoke almost before
the owners could realize what was
taking place.
Os the $600,000 loss, less than 5
per cent is covered toy insurance. On
account of the high risk insurance
companies have refused to place any
business in Ray, fearing that just
what took place last night might oc
cur at any time.
Fortunately no one was hurt,
though many took desperate ohance3
to save their pei-sonal effects. As
soon as the cooler heads saw that
the camp was doomed t.o detsruetion
they organized to keep those who
saw they must lose all, from ventur
ing too close to the burning build
ings.
BETTER LAWS
FOR SETTLERS
THREE YEARS IN WHICH TO
MAKE FINAL PROOF.
Absence From Homestead Every
Year if Desired by Entry
man Now Permitted.
The following is the text of the
new three-year homestead law, re
cently signed by President Taft. The
act amends section twenty-two hun
dred and ninety-one and section twen
ty-two hundred and ninety-seven of
the revised statutes of the United
States relating to homesteads.
Section 2291. No certificate, how
ever, shall be giltfen or patent is
sued therefor until the expiration of
three years from the date of such
entry; and if at the expiration of
such time, or at any time within two
years thereafter, the person making
snch entry, or if he be dead his wi
dow, or in case of her death his
heirs or devisee, or in case of a
widow making such entry her heirs
or devisee, in case o* her death,prove
by himself and by two credible wit
nesses that he, she, or they have
a habitable house upon the land and
have actually resided upon and cul
tivated the same for the term of
three years succeeding the time of
filing s he affidavit, and makes affi
davit that no part of such land has
been alienated, except as provided
in section twenty-two hundred and
eighty-eight, and that he, she, or
they wiilll bear true allegiance to the
government of the United States,
then in such case he, she, or they, if
at that time citizens of the United
shall be entitled to a patent,
as in other cases provided by law:
Provided, That upon filing in the lo
cal land office notice of the begin-
TTShr of the eirtryman
shall be entitled to a continuous leave
of absence from the land for a per
iod not exceeding five months in
each year after establishing residence
and upon the termination of such
absence the entryman shall file notice
of such termination in the local land
office, but in case of commutation
the fourteen months’ actual resi
dence as now required by law must
be shown, and the person commuting
must be at the time a citizen of the
United States: Provided, That when
the person making entry dies before
the offer of final proof those succeed
ing to the entry must show that the
entryman had complied with the law
in all respects to the date of his
death and that they have since com-,
plied with the Jaw in all respects, a*
would have been required of the en
tryman had he lived, excepting that
they are relieved from any require
ment of residence upon the land:
Provided further, That the entryman
shall, in order to comply with the
requirmemts of cultivation herein pro
vided for, cultivate not less than
one-sixteenth of the area of his en
try, beginning with the second year
of the entry, and not less than one
eighth, beginning with the third year
of the entry, and until final proof,
except that in the case of entries un
der section six of the enlarged home
stead law double the area of cultiva
tion herein provided shall be requir
ed, but the secretary of the interior
may, upon a satisfactory showing,
under rules and regulations prescrib
ed by him, reduce the required area
of cultivation: Provided, That the
above provision as to cultivation shall
not apply to entries under -the) Act of
April twenty-eighth, nineteen hundred
and four, commonly known as the
Kiinkaid act, or entries under the
act of June seventeenth, nineteen
hundred and two, commonly known
as the reclamation Act, and that the
provisions of this section relative to
the homestead period shall apply to
all nniperfected entries ;is well as
entries hereafter made upon which
residence is required: Provided,
That the secretary of the interior
shall, within sixty days after the
passage of this act, send a copy of
the same to each homestead entry
man of record who may be affected
thereby, by ordinary mail to his last
known address, and any such entry
man may, by giving notice within
one hundred and twenty days after
the passage of this Act, by register
ed letter to the register and receiver
of the local land office, elect, to make
proof upon his entry under the law
under which the same was made wiith
(Continued on Page 3.)
No. 7.

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