Show 1 3 g It Uncle fam i I S t S Sf r 1 I lt f j. j Jt A d fu Q Qt L colorado lor ado tL 7 a t t t t fit r tt k 7 Z h e et Vel ta t kA- kA 5 A United e States tates Lost tIle the e Entrance to the Yf r 4 American Nile an and What the e f i Sj i Vr Possession of Northern or y j v- v y t tW W FiliP Mexico Would Mean the f wm j i to w 1 r i 1 L A v. v M Adjoining American n States Mates A eue 01 of tine trie Seri Indians B By Rene Bache NE of or the tho most Important ro ro- 0 ONE suIts of ot a war with Mexico 0 would be a transfer to tb the United States of title to the delta o othe of 01 the American Nile This delta della which properly speaking speak ing is that of ot the Colorado river would today be bo a part of or the tho United States but bul for tor an unfortunate ignorance igno ance of geography on the part of oC the commissioners who represented this country in the adjustment of the International international in In- boundary Accurate maps map 5 were lacking when they undertook the work and amI in arranging that the boundary should run as it does docs the they ther were under the tho mistaken impression impressio n that It would give the United States State the delta with a seaport at nt the tho head of the the Gulf of ot California The They thought that Yuma was vas a seaport a athe atthe at atthe the head of ot the gulf whereas gulf whereas o of ot course it is about miles to the north Losing Loing the Delta The Mexican l commissioners too took k advantage of this misconception lon t to put one over on Uncle Sam andas and as a a. result the line was so drawn as to give the delta to Mexico Thus Mexico remains toda today the possessor of ot millions of ot acres of or some of the tho most fertile land In the world the value of ot which Is in a very literal sense ense creat created by y a stream the rado that comes from the United States Slates The situation is much as If It Cairo Calro and the Nile delta were shutoff shut shutoff of off from Egypt in a contiguous but foreign count country If these alluvial river plains belonged belonged be be- longed to the United States the they would be easU easily susceptible to a marvellous marvellous mar mar- development and most profitable profitable profit profit- able utilization The waters of or the Colorado river should be conserved and stored In reservoirs far to the tho north In what is now United States territory and distributed over the delta for the pro production d of the all year-round year crops two or three per annum which those lan lands s readily yield the most important of or them r. r t J N w J r I Ir r r 1 r I i t b t 4 f it r I Z t r 1 i Sa y 1 c fr I 3 1 i F 5 1 I N nJ c J t wf it L i 4 0 7 I Street Cleaning Brushes and Soap Are Made from This Yucca of the Sonora Desert 1 being oranges and other citrus fruits sugar cane and the tho valued highly-valued Egyptian cotton The real estate thus acquired would bo be a steadily growing rowing property property prop prop- erty ert- not on only in value but also In extent The silt brought down the Colorado river is extending the delta year rear b by year real the quantity of mate mate- materIal material rial annual annually delivered b by the river being sufficient according to the estU estl matH mate of oC engineers to cover an area of SO square miles to a depth of oC one ono foot This process of course has been going going- on for ages The famous Imperial Imperial Im Im- pedal valle valley thanks to the tho work of or orthe the reclamation service is toda today one of the moat most wonderful fruit ing regions In the world A large J. J 4 Y fr f i s' s s f It t il fi M h hv 4 t v d I F 7 W i t f 4 l. l 1 z r. 6 F i l I U t. t l 1 Prof W W. McGee S S. S 1 c G ee an and d a S Seri en W Warrior arnor fj i J 7 rs i 1 b 7 t- t z art N Io 1 I j y tI d g. g u t o j rr tj tj L i I i j i. i Q t fx rt i 2 ft lG r- r t 7 4 i. i 1 ii t 71 f n. n 1 Z- Z rv fI u r. l I x l itt i i 1 1 t w 1 H Ji j if j- j f 1 elf 4 wJ J l 1 t fi r t aa J 4 i 1 1 1 f a t ti r f d J w f w j z 6 M j r c i k kr r r fJ f- f J A 92 1 N Lt S Sr r Ir f t H t y k ri W Wl l t G f jy S r J 4 rs rw t Y y l 7 v A Papago Chicken Coop in the Sonora Desert It Is Elevated to Esc Esc pe Escape pe the Attacks of Coyotes part of this valley is In Lower California California Cali Call fornia which is Mexican territory It was formerly part of at the bed of the Gulf Gult of California Even Een now the beach line Une is plainly distinguishable distinguish distinguish- able along the hil hills s which not so very ery long long- ago o were he the shores of ot the gulf gulfAn gulf An Upshot of or orWar War Tho The geographical upshot of a war wIth v Mexico it Is pointed out would be Le the annexation of the tho northern f Her Ier of Mexican states Uncle Sam has been wholly sincere In disclaiming disclaiming disclaim disclaim- ing IlIg an any wish to acquire territory nevertheless such a step would bethe bothe bo be bothe the only me means ns whereby he could indemnify in In- himself for the cost of ot a along along along long and arduous conflict forced upon upon up up- on eill him With the northern tier of oC states would come into Uncle Sams Sam's possession posses- posses Blon sion Lower California and the delta of tho the American Nile It was rA recently recent reent ent- ent ly Jy reported by tho the way that Lower California was planning to secede from Mexico and and declaring its Us Independence Independence Inde Inde- to ask for annexation to the United States For tho the most part It Is not a n Vcr very valuable piece of or territory being largely desert and ruggedly mountainous Thero are supposed to be he valuable deposits of metals in iii the tho mountains and along the shores shore of or the gulf there are fish fish- eries On early earh maps Lower California is represented curiously enough as an Island It Is however a peninsula nearl nearly Too miles long separated long separated from the Mexican mainland by tho Gulf of oC Call California CornIa which is from 60 to 7 75 miles in width On tho the east cast side of the gulf gul la IA s the state oi of Sonora of-Sonora Sonora with miles of coast line In the Gulf GuIr of California is an Island called Tiburon which is tho the home of ot otan an Indian tribe known as the Seri wHo are arc tho most primitive people In North America having not yet et progressed beyond the stone age Though not numerous there aro are only about COO GOO of or them they are so fierce and Intractable Intractable intractable In In- tractable that Mexican troops repeatedly ro- ro dispatched with orders to exterminate them have been afraid to venture upon the tho Island They are arc cannibals In 1894 thc they killed cooked and ate two San I Francisco newspaper men sent out to look trek them m up and write a stor story about them them- For centuries the Serl Seri have terror terror- terrorized zed the tho near near-h nearby neav-by neav mainland of or Sonora The They dwell in nn huts built of piled plied rocks with huge turtle shells for tor roofs mors Their boats boata are balsas half canoe and half raft made of bundles of or reeds and unsinkable because tho the sections reed are so many tight air chambers The only garments worn by both sexes aro pelican skins obtained obtained ob ob- tamed from a small island not far faraway faraway faraway away which Is a pelican rookery frequented for nesting purposes by tens lens of ot thousands of ot the birds According According Ac Ac- cording to Sort mythology this Island 7 i K y e y r I f J. J i r Ze s w t 1 h. h inY t S r 1 WS J L jN rN Papago Indians in the Midst of a Popular Gambling Game was tho the first piece of dry land made mado b by the Creator of oC tho the world the tho Great Pelican ancestor of ot all an the race of ot pelicans Without regard to nn any possible acQuisition acquisition ac ac- acquisition of ot this vast 1st territory b by the United States there is over every reason why h the people of or the United States should find their Interest awakened In the delta delL of oC the American Nile the gulf gult Into which the tho great river flows the peninsula of ot Lower California Call Call- fornia and adjacent Sonora In the latter state are some remarkable native na na- na- na tire tive tribes of or Indians the most noteworthy noteworthy note note- worthy worth of them being the and the Y The Peaceful Tho are aro the only l people of whom the tho ferocious Seri Sern aro are afraid Yet while fearless and excellent excellent excellent excel excel- lent fighters the they are disposed to bo be peaceful Gen Crook once said that they hey were the only good Indians that were not dead Indians He knew them well for they dwell In barren deserts on both sides of the boundary line lino near the Gila river many of ot them in Arizona Their primitive houses aro arc of or adobe or sometimes of ot grass resembling haystacks hollowed hollowed hollowed hol hol- hol- hol lowed out Inside The typical Papago coop chicken is a curiosity erected on stilts 10 or 12 feet high for tor pr protection pro pro- protection a against predatory coyotes cootes Prof Prot W. W J. J McGee who made a study of or tho the for tho the bureau of ethnology said that they were superior su RU- to any other othor Indians he had ever met met- They are polygamists and among them such a thing as an old maid Is unknown ever every young oun woman woman woman wom wom- an acquiring a husband as soon as sh she reaches marriageable age The principal sport of oC these those interesting people is an odd l kind of football played with a ball of oC solid wood that thatIs thatis thatis is much like a croquet ball Two such halls balls in fact are arc used In the tho game and the two goals are sometimes sometimes some somo times as much as ns 20 miles apart Each Bach side starts at Its Hs own goal with Its Us own ball and the tho object In view la Is to put it through the tho adversary's adversary's adver adver- sary's sans goal before beCore tho the opponent can cando cando cando do correspondingly rho Tho dwell mostly In southern south south- ern err Sonora There are today only onh- about of or them but notwithstanding notwithstanding notwithstanding standing constant efforts on the part parl of the Mexican government to subdue subdue sub sub- subdue due them the they the have preserved presenTed their Independence Indeed they are said to be the only tribe on this continent that surrounded b by whites since the beginning of modern history in the new world has never ne been con con- They are not inclined to be quarrelsome when the they fight they do not employ savage methods But they the theare are determined to be bo free and have bave never acknowledged d the right of or anybody to exercise authority over them Cheerful Intelligent and brave braye they are said to be much more humane humane humane hu hu- hu- hu mane and in some Borne ways more civilized ch civilized than tho the supposedly more enlightened enlightened en en- lightened Mexicans On the tho whole they are the most virile race In all that part of or the world Wives V vea Are Arc Swapped When not nol engaged eng in warfare against the government an an occupation occupation pation to which their attention has Jas been Intermittently devoted for tor forthe forthe the last years years they they are most of or them employed in Industrial pur pur- suits They Ther aro are skilled handicraftsmen handicrafts handicrafts- men first class sailors and aprI expert pearl fishers pearl fishers tho fishery for pearls being heing conducted on an important scale in the Gulf of oC California with v-Ith headquarters at La Paz not far from the southern end of the peninsula Amon Among the there is one rather curious and very ven ancient custom custom cus cus- tom torn which possibly might not obtain the approval of or con conservative er folks Inthis In Inthis Inthis this country It is that of ot swapping wives At present however YaquI husbands often keep the same wives for Indefinite periods but In former Cormer da days s 's there was a general exchange at an annual ceremony held for for the purpose A Yaqui who reC refused sed to swap was not considered clubby eo so to speak ti 1 p r S 2 1 rl rr rs r- r l 1 s r t tJ J v r r i s Scene in the Krupp Shops |