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o 0] 8 5 ;, It took neal"ly 2J/J. years Lo try the. case-from June 11, 19fiG, to August 28,1958. To be :"Lire, the trial was not eonducted continuoLlsly. It proceeded in illcl'ement~ of about thref' weeks each. with recesses between to enahle the aU(wneys to prepare for the next ses~ions and to permit Jtldg~ Rifkind to attend tu hifi private law practice in New York. There were. in all, 132 trial days. The tran:->cript of test.i- mon~' filled 22,593 page~. In addition, ::'..742 pag~s of testimollY were taken ill cOnJlection with depositions involving the Gila Rh'er issne at Silvt!r Citv and Reserve. N. Mex. The Mastel' heard 106 \\;jtnesse~, aJlcl~ an additional 234 witnes:.;es testified in the New I\Iexko depositions. Some 4.000 exhilJits were intro- duced. Between :::0 and 40 attornf'Ys participated ill t-n!? trial. (Many mure, especially in Califortli<l. toiled behind I.ne ~ceJles. in research, preparation of pleading-s. etc. Indeed, a San Fral'.- cisco newspaper columni~t observed, at the time the Ma:-;ter':-; drclft report was is:.;ued. that "liltle Al'izflna had seven lawyer,:..; working on the ca~e [while] Califol'nia had, all told, some SO-odd.") All ill all, the Colorado River case was olle of the large:'l and mo~t involved in tne hi.~tf}n' of A mel'ican water ruri:-;- ~ll'lldellce. ' . After the t('illl ended. briefs were exchangerl and proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law were submitted tn the Ma:'lter. By July 1, 1959. the issue,:.; had been fully drawn and the matter was ready for c()llsideration. It took the Master i:I little (j\Tr 10 month:.; v) sift throug:11 t.he veritable mflllntain of e\'identc. sort out the variolls legal contention~, anive at hi~ own c()nclu~iGn~ ,lnd lJrepare a draCt report. On May 9, 1!)60-11early eight "'ear,,, after the start of the litigation-the draft repL)rt waR relrased. Under the assllmptio.l that the report i~ submitted to the Court and approved. it will be a tremendous vidol'Y for Al'izona-an acknowledgment 1)[ Ollr rights to Colorado River wafer ~llc.;h as Arizl.llWllS ha\'e worked and hoped for :;ince eal'l~" ill the century. Headlines in new~paJlers across thr country 311gge~ted the extent to which Arizona's I)ositioll w,\s uphpld in the Mastel"~ re port: ARIZONA IS VICTOR IN CLAIM TO IV ATER OF THE COLOR A nO--New York Time, ARIZONA WATER WINNER.-Arize,na Republic ARIZO:'-lA WINS COLORADO R1V8R WATERS: CALI- FORNIA REBUFFED-Ariz,>!,,, Daily Star CALIFORNIA LOS8S TO AIUZONA ON WATETt-L"s Angp.le,~ Examiner ARIZONA WINS IN RULIN(; ON II' A TERS OF COLO. RA DO--Lo~ Angeles Tinw::-;