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<br />"About this tir:le "return ::'::low" hr,c1 'aecoElC very not'1co-
<br />
<br />.'
<br />
<br />"ble 2,11(1 i'1 1899 tho first !:lGasuromonts were mc-de on the Sout.h
<br />
<br />?l(;.tto to Jeterninc its cmount and 10c8.tion. Thoso mu2.sure-
<br />
<br />ments, mc.do in tl'!c l::-,to it,-11, showed a tot2-} return flow of
<br />
<br />::,-bout 2;:)5 seC. ft. botwoen LC'. S2.11e and I11f=, e.t which ~~oint
<br />
<br />the river TIC-S dry.
<br />"This then reprosc;nts the ste.rt,i.nG' '"oint of our de fin-
<br />
<br />ite knowledgo of roturn flow on the 10':101' South Ple.tto river,
<br />
<br />
<br />viz., in the yeer 1889 with e.n aeree-go of about 40,000, with
<br />
<br />no reservoirs constructcd in this pe.rt of tho velley, tho re-
<br />
<br />turn flow betwoon L2. 3c.l10 and Iliff, amounted to somothing
<br />
<br />like 235 sec. ft. in the fall (at which time this roturn flow
<br />
<br />should be a m:::ximum) and thE'-t below Iliff tho river IVC'.S dry.
<br />
<br />'.\
<br />
<br />"Seo mC'.p m~rked Exhibit G, Ap:,endix Denver Hec,rings
<br />
<br />fcr locc.tion of these points.
<br />
<br />e.nd 18G4 we hevo c. lc,rgo number of stc,tcr:1Emts thct '~he ri ver
<br />we.s dry. In addition to these definite ste,tements cs to "c.r-
<br />ticul~,r yec,rs 1:le hC.ve the st c.tcr:lent of J. J. Arus trong, th2,t
<br />it usuc.ll~' went ~:xr2.oticc.lly dj,':;; the stc.tcmellt of John Brewer,
<br />th2-t he hecrd freighters S[y th::.t the wcter 8c-nk into tho s2l1d
<br />tnd thc,t they were obli3ed to dig for water. Hr. Hc.\'llcy st2-tes
<br />thc.-t he unclerstood from the talk of old timers thnt c.s c. usuc.l
<br />thine; tho Sou"Gh Plc.tte wont dr:! 'below the mouth of the C c,che. Ie,
<br />Pomlre, n0c.r1y to the junction of the llorth and South Plc,tte'..
<br />Rivel's. Hr. ,John Bn'.tt of Harth Platte, cte,tes the.t it I'IO-S
<br />his o,)inion thc.t it 1'Ient dry in t;le sixties as now. It seemB
<br />fro::1 these st2.tements, tn2.t ti18re CCJI be no question that from,
<br />the time of the ec.rlicst trsvclers, the river hcs gone dry.in
<br />tho .Gummer, in some yeErs c:,t lcr.st, [nel 'l;h[~t it has 2.1wo..ys
<br />been very low in the Jste GUmr,ler, 2-no, th;;,t in the sumrJers of
<br />1862, to 1:3G6, ilefore thEJre \Vere enou.:;:h diversions"in Colore-do
<br />to have 2J1Y affect on the :1'10'.'1 of the stn02-FI, the river went
<br />dry. In thEl early seventies, before the cons';;:"^\letion of mest
<br />of the le.:~ge canals. in Colorado, the:~e ',72.S "nother ,series of
<br />years when the ri ver ""['.8 dry."
<br />
<br />e)
<br />
<br />D.
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