SIGNALS IN THE SUN

The introduction of the heliograph, “a modern scientific appliance,” as a military tactic in communications was determinative in vanquishing the Apaches and bringing an end to Indian uprisings in Arizona in 1886. However, before approaching this matter directly it will be helpful in understanding and interpreting the wider implications of the entire situation in which the heliographic system was used and its imperative importance if we examine some of the circumstances involved in the change of military command in Arizona which led to its effective and successful use. It was no secret that powerful interests had been pressing for the removal of General George Crook from his command of the Department of Arizona. The demand became more vociferous after the supposed surrender of Geronimo and a band of Apaches on March 26, 1886, followed by what was termed their escape a few days later. We cannot here untangle all of the various threads of this controversy, but it was strident and bitter, and some understanding is essential in order to comprehend the pressure for “victory” that was undoubtedly involved in the assignment of General Miles as successor to General Crook in the Department of Arizona.

The Story Of The Heliograph During The Apache Indian Wars In Arizona

The Los Angeles Herald was quoted by the Arizona Gazette on April 3, 1886 as editorializing: “The government of the United States ought to present a chromo to Gen. Crook and then retire him on the allowance of an invalided corporal of the cavalry. This last escape of Geronimo accentuates the appalling imbecility of this much vaunted Indian fighter.” The editorial position seemingly maintained by the Arizona Gazette was not one adhered to throughout Arizona, as that paper itself indicates in this reference to the Prescott Courier on April 6, 1886: “The Prescott Courier has discovered that Geronimo never surrendered. Wonder if that paper will now undertake to disprove the fact that Crook has been removed from this department.” There was marked disagreement and spirited feeling among Arizonans over the removal of Crook. The citizens of Prescott and the Prescott Courier were strong supporters and active defenders of “the old Indian fighter” who was right all of the way in his dealings with the Indians in their estimation.

A cursory review of the exchange of correspondence, via telegrams, between General Crook and General Philip H. Sheridan in Washington leaves no doubt as to the disagreement as to methods of dealing with Geronimo and the Apaches. On April 1, 1886 Crook concluded his telegram to Sheridan with these words: “I believe that the plan upon which I have conducted operations is the one most likely to prove successful in the end. It may be, however, that I am too much wedded to my own views in this matter, and as I have spent nearly eight years of the hardest work of my life in this department, I respectfully request that I now be relieved from its command.” On April 2, 1886, Crook received the following telegram from R. G. Drum, Adjutant General: “General Miles has been ordered to relieve you in command of the Department of Arizona and orders issues to-day. Advise General Miles where you will be.” Captain John G. Bourke in his volume, On The Border With Crook, states: “General Crook had carefully considered the telegrams from his superiors in Washington, and was unable to see how he could allow Indians, or anybody else, to enter his camp under assurances of personal safety, and at the same time take every precaution against escape.’ Unless he treacherously murdered them in cold blood, he was unable to see a way out of the dilemma; and Crook was not the man to lie to anyone or deal treacherously with him.” It then appears Crook was, therefore, forced to ask to be relieved from command or proceed against his own conscience and judgment. Crook was succeeded by Miles on April 12, 1886, the change in command taking place “in the field” at Fort Bowie on that date.

The problem which confronted Miles upon his assumption of command of the Department of Arizona was stated by him some years later in his authored volume of Personal Recollections in this manner: "There were forty thousand Indians in New Mexico and Arizona the main portion of whom were peaceable and well disposed, yet in nearly all the different tribes there were disaffected and turbulent elements ready to assume hostilities if an opportunity occurred, or if the hostilities then at large were not brought under control. Over a vast area of country of rugged mountains and narrow valleys, with water only at scattered points and difficult to find and obtain, roamed one of the most desperate, cruel and hardy bands of outlaws that ever infested any country."

He further comments, "I was advised by many wellinformed people of the uselessness of undertaking to subjugate the hostiles as, they state, it has been tried for so many years without success. "Those Indians could go over mountain country better than white men;' 'they could signal from one mountain range to another; 'they could conceal themselves;' and 'when they turned upon their enemy they were ruthless and cruel.' "I listened to all this with a degree of patience, and the only reply that suggested itself was that though all that was said about their skill and enterprise and energy was true, yet with our superior intelligence and modern appliances we ought to and would counteract, advantages possessed by the savages." "I had it in my mind to utilize for our benefit and their discomfiture, the very elements that had been the greatest obstacles in that whole country to their subjugation, namely, the high mountain ranges, the glaring, burning sunlight, and an atmosphere void of moisture.

Thus soon after assuming his command in Arizona "of an expedition pursuing the treacherous and blood-thirsty chief, Geronimo," the General became painfully aware of the inadequacy of communication facilities. The sparse telegraph lines could not be protected against the wily Apaches who chopped down the poles, and otherwise made them ineffective by "very adroitly pulling down the wire, cutting it in two, and tying the ends together with a rubber band," which completely broke the circuit, and made the detection of the points of severance difficult. The clear dry air was deemed perfect for visual signaling. In fact, the first tests made by the Signal Corps were reputedly made at Fort Whipple in 1887 when flashes were sent over a range of thirty miles. (This was the same year that an experimental telephone line was built at Fort Whipple.) Miles had now determined to put the heliograph into service. Returning to the Miles' account as recorded in his Recollections we read: "I therefore requested the chief signal officer at Washington, General Hazen, to send me a corps of skilled officers and men, and the best instruments and appliances that were obtainable. I also directed my engineer officer to block out the country in such a way we might establish a network of points of observation and communication over the entire country." In response to his request to the chief signal officer he was sent "a detachment of eleven qualified and experienced men of the Signal Corps," and equipment consisting of "34 heliographs, 10 telescopes, and 30 marine glasses." Under the direction of this detachment of men and in cooperation with the engineer officer the men of the command were trained and the heliographic system established. Miles again in his recollections tells of his knowledge of this instrument in this manner. "The heliostat [heliograph] is a little invention of an English officer which had been used inIndia many years before. My attention was first directed to it nearly twenty years ago when in the office of the chief signal officer of the army, General Myer, who then had six of these instruments. As they were not being used, I suggested that he send them to me at the cantonment on the Yellowstone, now Fort Keogh, Montana, and I there established the first line in this country, from Fort Keogh to Fort Custer. [There would appear to be some discrepancy between the statement of the Signal Corps and this one by Miles as to the first experimental use of the heliograph, unless they can be made compatible by accepting that both are correct and the Montana use was not an experiment by the Signal Corps as such.] I now determined to test them to their full extent and made practical use of them in the Department of Arizona. Thus began the experiment to vanquish the Apaches by means of faster communication by the military, the results of which were to become apparent within a few weeks.

Signalling with the HELIOGRAPH in India

"Guided by the bright flashes of the heliographs, the Army followed the trail of the elusive Apaches through terrible burning marches, when men opened their veins to quench their thirst, and even pack mules perished," is the romantic though realistic statement contained in the volume Tradition of the Signal Corps, which adds these words of importance. "Geronimo, who had been persuaded to give himself up, watched the mysterious flashes of a heliograph relaying news of his brother, who was on a reservation 200 miles away. Overcome with superstitious awe, Geronimo sent word of the white men's strange new power to the chief of his last remaining band of Indians. On Geronimo's advice, the entire tribe surrendered."

The Annual Report of the Secretary of War for the year 1886 includes the following statement excerpted from the report of Brigadier-General Nelson A. Miles: "Soon after reaching Lawton's command Geronimo came into our camp and recounted his grievances and the cause of his leaving the reser-vation... A part of this story I know to be true. I informed him they must surrender absolutely as prisoners of war to the Federal authorities, and rely upon the Government to treat them fairly and justly Geronimo replied that he would do whatever I said, obey any order, and bring in his camp early next morning, which he did. Natchez sent in word requesting a pass of twenty days to go to the White Mountains, but this was refused. They had found troops in every valley, and when they saw heliographic communications flashing across every mountain range, Geronimo and others sent word to Natchez that he had better come in at once and surrender . He [Natchez] sent in word that if Geronimo would come out he would return with him. I told Geronimo to go and bring him in, and the two subsequently rode in together, and Natchez formally surrendered his camp. It was then late in the afternoon of September 4, and soon commenced raining in torrents." [Italics ours.] vation... A part of this story I know to be true. I informed him they must surrender absolutely as prisoners of war to the Federal authorities, and rely upon the Government to treat them fairly and justly Geronimo replied that he would do whatever I said, obey any order, and bring in his camp early next morning, which he did. Natchez sent in word requesting a pass of twenty days to go to the White Mountains, but this was refused. They had found troops in every valley, and when they saw heliographic communications flashing across every mountain range, Geronimo and others sent word to Natchez that he had better come in at once and surrender . He [Natchez] sent in word that if Geronimo would come out he would return with him. I told Geronimo to go and bring him in, and the two subsequently rode in together, and Natchez formally surrendered his camp. It was then late in the afternoon of September 4, and soon commenced raining in torrents." [Italics ours.] Miles took command of the forces of the Department of Arizona on April 12, 1886, and Geronimo and the remainder of the Apaches surrendered to him on September 4 of that same year a period of five months. Additional months were required for the ultimate "clean-up" or completion of the entire task, but it was due to the effective use of a new technique of communication, the heliograph, that the campaign had been brought to a speedy and dramatic conclusion. The importance of the heliograph had been proven as Miles further states in his report to the Secretary of War in 1886: "The reports of Lieutenants Dravo and Fuller will show the workings of the most interesting and valuable heliographic system that has ever been established. I have made this service useful heretofor, and it would be found valuable in any Indian or foreign war. These officers and the intelligent men under them have made good use of the modern scientific appliances, and are entitled to much credit for their important service."

We shall not here record further the various phases of the military operation as it concerns the Apaches save to say that in the months following they were rounded up and sent out of the Arizona Territory. It appears that by the end of October, 1886, all of the Apaches had been removed to Fort Marion and Fort Pickens in Florida. The arguments continued for a long time as to the propriety of the Arizona campaign between the defenders of Crook and the supporters of Miles, but our immediate concern is the importance of the use of the heliograph in the Apache campaigns, and we cannot pursue the matter of these dealings to any greater extent. The Apaches had been forced to unconditional surrender within a few short months under the continuous hammering of the forces under the command of General Miles and the heliographic system was pro nounced a determinative factor in vanquishing the Apache.

On November 8, 1887, a public ceremony of appreciation was held in Tucson at which time General Miles was presented with a one thousand dollar ceremonial sword. Miles reports the occasion in part this way, "I was presented by the citizens of Arizona with a very beautifully ornamented sword in token of their appreciation of my services in ridding their country of the Apaches." It is interesting to note some other incidents with possible relationships to this one, not that they bear directly upon the use of heliograph but rather because they may amplify our understanding of the entire situation of controversy that was and was to continue to be involved in the circumstances of the subjection and treatment of the Apaches and the future military operations affecting Arizona.

As we stated earlier there was much disagreement among Arizonans over the removal of Crook and the assignment of Miles in April of 1886, and that particularly in Prescott, adjacent to Fort Whipple, the feeling was quite high. Prescot tonians were exceedingly unhappy not only over the removal of Crook, whom most of them admired, but because they believed Miles to be a "representative" of the powerful interests outside of Arizona, a tool of the political administration in Washington involved with a group in the Tucson area that had been clamoring for Crook's scalp, and many did not consider Miles adequate for the command of the Department of Arizona.

The story is legend that when the citizens of Prescott, the then Capital of the Arizona Territory, held public exercise upon the arrival of Miles as the new departmental commander at Fort Whipple they made manifest their displeasure in a very forthright manner by presenting him a tin sword. It is further told that General Miles was so angered that he swore he would have the Department of Arizona deactivated, Fort Whipple abandoned and the headquarters of command transferred. This story has been recounted to me numerous times over the past thirty years by Prescott pioneers and by the children of some, who vouch for its authenticity, though I have been unable to find any written reference or record.

However, with reference to the ceremony held in Tucson in November of 1887, these two facts need to be recorded. In December of 1886, California, south of thirty-fifth parallel, has been added to the Department of Arizona and the head quarters were fixed at Los Angeles, so Miles was now domiciled in Los Angeles, whether or not because of the legendary presentation of a tin sword to the commanding general. The ceremony honoring General Miles was held in Tucson away from the site of Prescott and Fort Whipple and in the area near the last of the Apache activities and at the place where the severe critics of Crook were supposed to have centered. Be all of this as it may, it is included simply as an heretofore (we believe) unrecorded footnote to Arizona history.

But we have transgressed afar in our foray into anecdotal history and we must return to the actual account of the develop ment of the heliographic system which was accomplished under the command of Miles, and adds an interesting chapter of its own to the history of Arizona and New Mexico, because the story of the heliograph in the Southwest does not terminate with the cessation of Apache hostilities.

Regardless of where the heliograph had been used experimentally first, whether by Miles in Montana or the Signal Corps at Fort Whipple, the first successful use of this modern scientific appliance for sustained military purpose by the U. S. Army was under the command of General Miles in Arizona and New Mexico. However it began, the two factors converged in the Southwest in 1886.

As we have already discovered Miles requested men and materials to establish a heliographic system in the conduct of the Apache campaign and his employment of the device was successful and this because the climate and terrain combined to create a most advantageous circumstance for the use of visual signaling over long distances. The dry clear air and the mountain peaks piercing the landscapes gave an ideal setting for the use of the heliographic method of communication.

Miles, again referring to his Personal Recollection, states that in accordance with his instructions to his engineer officer, "Posts (heliographic stations) were established over the country most frequented by the Apaches, a district some two hundred miles wide by three hundred miles long, north and south. On the high mountain peaks of this region, I posted strong guards of infantry supplied with casks of water and provisions enough to last them for thirty days in case of siege. They were provided with the best field glasses and telescopes that could be obtained, and also with the best heliostats. It was remarkable what advantage they gave us in observing the movements of the Indians or of the troops in the valleys below, and in reporting it promptly to the central station or headquarters; also in communicating with the various commands, post and stations."

Under Miles command the entire area of Arizona and New Mexico was comprised of twenty-seven stations; thirteen in New Mexico and fourteen in Arizona reaching from Fort Whipple to Fort Stanton. Some stations communicated with only one other station and some with as many as five. Each station was fitted out, in addition to the heliographs, with field glasses and telescopes. They were manned by two or three operators and usually provided with one to five guards. During the Apache campaign the greatest amount of work was carried out in and around Fort Bowie. However, as Miles reports in his Recollections, "at one time, when the system was in full operation, to test its efficiency a message of twenty-five words was sent from the extreme eastern to the extreme western station, over a zigzag course of four hundred miles, and the answer received in four hours, the total distance traversed being about eight hundred miles."

Miles also gave a good description of the heliograph, as a simple means of signaling "by alternately interposing and removing some object in front of the mirror which forms the principal part of the instrument, long or short flashes of light are made which indicate words and letters to the eye in the same way telegraph indicates them to the ear. The mirror is usually mounted on a tripod, and the distance through which this method of communication may be carried depends on the clearness of the atmosphere and the size of the mirror."

The Apache campaign having proved the value of the heliograph and the climate and terrain being so satisfactory for its use, further experimental work was carried on after the campaign was over and an especially important series of tests was made over the established system in 1889 and 1890. These tests involving speed of message transmission and accuracy were carried out under the direction of Wm. J. Volkmar, Assistant Adjutant General, and Chief Signal Officer, Department of Arizona. The complete description of this operation, especially that of the executed plan of May, 1890, is found in the volume Report of General Practice of the Heliograph System, Department of Arizona, in May, 1890. While we can not repeat all of the information found in that report, portions of it are important, particularly since it is little known and only recently has interest been revived in the subject by some research being carried on at Fort Huachuca seeking to compare those results of 1890 with newer phases of signaling and methods of communication.

Volkmar states in his report these facts about the establishment of the heliographic system developed by him beginning in 1889, "In attempts at signaling about twenty years ago, while serving as a lieutenant of cavalry in Arizona, the clear atmosphere and lofty mountain peaks of that territory greatly interested me. I felt that such an interést would be shared by many officers now, were the matter attractively presented.

"The improved modern heliograph seemed the best means: to that end and promised great benefit to the public service should general field operations against Indians become necessary.

"From such practical knowledge of the mountains as I had formerly acquired and could now obtain from recent reports of other officers, I felt assured that all principal garrisons might be connected by an effective system of long range flash signals.

"In putting this theory into practice, an early step was to arrange Arizona and New Mexico into heliograph divisions, each to be managed by the acting signal officer of a military post, under supervision of his immediate post commander.

"Measures were also taken to cause reconnaissances for finding suitable heliograph stations, which, connecting with those of other divisions, would form a general chain extending from Whipple Barracks, Ariz., to Fort Stanton, N. Mex., with branches leading to all important garrisons not lying directly upon that main line."

The American Morse Telegraph Code was substituted for the English or Continental Morse for use in visual signaling by the U. S. Army in the summer of 1889, making necessary further training for the program being readied in Arizona and New Mexico. Much of the fall and winter was used for code training and in May of 1890 tests were made.

During the period from May 1 to 15, 1890, twenty-six officers and non-commissioned officers were involved in 129 operations, sending and receiving messages, at the 24 heliograph stations in the system. This included some 3,785 messages containing 92,406 words. Used in these operations were service, station, Mance, Grugan and Garner heliographs. This number and variety indicates that there was considerable effort being made to improve and strengthen the ability of the heliograph instruments. There was a testing of all existing improved

Paintings by Frederic Remington

LAWTON'S PURSUIT OF GERONIMO, above; from "Personal Recollections of General Nelson A. Miles" -stories of the Apache campaigns SOLDIERS OPENING THEIR OWN VEINS FOR WANT OF WATER, below Photo taken at San Carlos in 1887 of General George Crook - center, in white helmet - and members of his staff

During the 1890 tests the report from Bald Mountain station, near Fort Whipple, describes the detachment as “seven men, six operators and a cook;” and the equipment as being “one large Mance heliograph, one Grugan, and one service, field glasses and telescope.” This same report describes a photo that was taken of the station in operation as follows, “It is a picture of the working station, two heliographs being worked simultaneously, one being adjusted on Baker's Butte and the other on Whipple Barracks. It shows distribution of men, two at the keys (one to each instrument), two recording, and two adjusting or keeping 'shadow spot' at center of paper disk, which, perhaps, is the most important thing in signaling.” This same report by Lieutenant C. W. Fenton also gives some clue as to the actual and technical difference between the heliograph and the heliostat in explaining some difficulty encountered in the operation, in this manner, “The Mance Heliograph, after repeated trials on the Mance system, that is, throwing the flash on or off a station by the action of the finger key, failed to give satisfaction, and so I converted it into a heliostat, using an improvised screen to reveal and cut off the flash. This was a very much better arrangement and convinces me that the heliostat principle is the correct one, especially when the wind blows as hard as it does on the high peaks and mountains in Arizona,” Only a careful study of the map of the system can give one the pattern of distribution of the stations and the areas covered, and since the number and location of the stations and designations are much the same for the Apache campaign of 1886, and the Volkmar experiments and tests in 1890, the map prepared for that testing is the one used herewith. For anyone conversant, even in slight degree, with the Arizona and New Mexico terrain involved in the location of these stations it is a

HELIOGRAPH LINES & STATIONS IN ARIZONA & NEW MEXICO

most interesting distribution and very graphically indicates the importance of the terrain as well as the climatic conditions required for successful operation of the heliographic system.

That the tests of May, 1890, were successful is vouchsafed in this article from the Prescott Journal-Miner of May 21, 1890, under the caption "Arizona Beats the World on Long Distance Flashes."

"The heliograph practice in the Department of Arizona closed on the 15th inst., and Lieutenant Fenton, in charge of the Bald Mountain station, returned to Prescott on the 16th inst. Colonel Volkmar, who came out from department headquarters to inspect the service, also returned on the 16th inst. The practice has proved entirely successful and satisfactory. One message of 150 words was transmitted across the line at an average speed of ten words per minute between stations, the entire distance from Fort Stanton, New Mexico, to Whipple with the omission of but a single word, and with but few errors.

"The following composed the list of stations on the line: Western terminus, Whipple Barracks; thence to Bald Mountain, Baker's Butte, Mt. Reno, Mt. Graham, Bowie, Camp Henley, Fort Cummings, with a branch to Fort Bayard, thence from Fort Cummings to San Andreas, to Fort Stanton, the entire length of the line being 800 miles. The remarkable clearness of the atmosphere here makes heliographing particularly successful, the longest single flash in the world having been made on the 14th inst., when Lieur. Wittenmayer, stationed on Mt. Reno, near Fort McDowell, flashed a message to Captain Murray on Mt. Graham, a distance of 125 miles. Receiving this message, Captain Murray turned his instrument and repeated the message to Lieut. Hart at Fort Huachuca, a distance of 95 miles, the second longest single flash ever made, and covering a distance of 215 miles with a single intervening station. It was demonstrated that the American instrument was superior to either the English or the French. The longest single flash ever made in Europe was by the French, a distance of 70 miles, and second longest, in England, 65 miles.

"The instrument used in making the 125 mile flash was a service station American mirror eight inches square."

It is reported that this record of 1890 was broken in 1895 when a record of 183 miles distance was established between Mt. Ellen, Utah, and Mt. Uncompahgre, Colorado. However, this does not dim the accomplishments in Arizona where the fact of the importance of the heliograph as a communicating technique in military operations was conclusively proved; the setting of a new world record in distance signaling was established, and an improved American instrument was proven better than other contemporary appliances. True, at the time the proficiency of the heliograph was perfected and proven a new device was already being prepared for trial that would supersede it in time for general communicating purposes, namely the wireless, but the heliograph had its day and that day belongs to Arizona in a special way as a part of the great American frontier where new devices are ever welcomed and their merits tested and proven and achievements acclaimed.

The Fort Huachuca Historical Museum now has a Mance heliograph on display which was made available by Colonel Robert D. Smith, a former Army doctor now living in Phoenix. There are not many of the odd instruments extant as this writer discovered when there was none at the Smithsonian Museum, West Point or Annapolis. Though I was to learn there are instruments at the Historical Museum of the U. S. Army Signal Corps at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, and here Helen C. Phillips, Chief, Museum and Historical Division, has accomplished much in bringing together data and materials presenting the interesting story of the heliograph. It is good news that under the direction of Orville Cochran, historian, Fort Huachuca is developing reference materials and museum features telling the story of this appliance that played such an important part in the history of Arizona, and established another milestone in the advancement of the science of communications.

TRANSIENT

Sunshine and flowerlets sweet, Tinkling bracelets on her feet, Necklaces of sparkling dew Birdsong and skies of blue . . . Springtime is passing through!

HORSEBACK HERITAGE

The horseback heritage of history Has left its hoofprints deep across the West. The tall men rode into the mystery Of far mirages on an endless quest For ever more adventures new and strange. The tireless cowboys rounded up the herds Of longhorns on the open Texas range And bedded them with love songs' quiet words. The Indian bareback riders with their cry Of wild ferocity or savage mirth, Left echoes hanging far against the sky, And tracks indelible upon the face of earth.

THE MINERALOGIST

Man scales the sides of mountains and ascends The ice-scarred creek beds lined with minulus And starry phlox; he seeks for minerals And semiprecious stones left in rock By seeping water: in rigid ledge he finds Calcedony with traceries of white Or ebon arabesque; in barren hills He burrows for sharp crystals' symmetry; He finds the eery caverns where cave flowers shine, And from the depths of earth he excavates Green malachite and gem blue chrysocholla: For him unfolds the drama of the earth. His pulse, attuned to movement of the spheres, Heeds not the ticking of our nervous years.

CAVALCADE OF COLOR

I like to watch the cars go by; Tints diverse invite the eye: Various reds, sundry blues, A multitude of shades and hues, Vying with the flowerbed Or rainbow arches overhead. Charging stallions of knights gallant Trappings no more colorful vaunt. Many autos yesterday Were black or brown, tan or gray; But parti-colored cars since 'fifty-five Entrance with tones, vibrant, alive!

CAPTURED MOMENT

A moment, an hour, a lifetime Close-bound in the eerie cry Of one swiftly winging night-bird Etched on an amber sky. Out of life's years that moment, Though flown on lifting wings, Left a song that soared and settled And here in my heart still sings.

yours sincerely THE PASSING WINDMILL:

You can no doubt imagine our pleasure when we turned to the back page of the March, 1967, issue of ARIZONA HIGHWAYS to view the fantastically beautiful picture of the old windmill and rainbow. If you look closely, you will notice that the windmill is a Dempster, manufactured by the old Dempster Mill Manufacturing Company, Beatrice, Nebraska. This caused us some nostalgia in that this company has virtually ceased the production of windmills. At one time, of course, they were internationally known. Another very famous Beatrice company, of course, is the Beatrice Foods. This international corporation is famous for dairy products. I could not resist commenting, as Nebraska is celebrating its one hundredth year of state hood, on this piece of machinery which is slowly disappearing from use. Congratulations on another issue of your beautiful magazine. Frank Marsh Secretary of State Lincoln, Nebraska

WHO PULLED THE PLUG ON HORTON CREEK?

Reference to the most interesting article in your April, 1967, issue on Tonto Creek, I'm the guy who pulled the plug on Horton Creek! In the summer of 1936 I was stationed at the Indian Gardens CCC Camp with the U. S. Forest Service. My job was to super vise a crew working on Fish Stream Im provement. We built log raft covers, small dams, etc. to improve living conditions for the trout. Two ichthyologists were with us: Mr. Tarswell and Merl Gee. R. C. James was camp superintendent. We had begun at the head of Horton Creek, working downstream. We had com pleted the improvement work almost to its junction with Tonto Creek. One morning as we drove to the job, we made a horrifying discovery. The truck road was on the right side of Tonto Creek. It crossed Horton Creek, and continued up the left side of Horton Creek, pulling away from the creek for 50-60 yards and then swinging back close to the creek. When we crossed the creek (Horton Creek) it was bone dry. We were all amazed since it had been running normally the night before.

Above the crossing where the road came back close to the creek, we could see the creek was full. We quickly unloaded and began looking for the missing water. We soon found where the water stopped. We had built a small dam, about 30 inches high as I remember. The water was forming a nice pool behind the dam, coming up about two inches from the top, but not a single drop was going over or through the dam! With the aid of some lime we discovered the water running out the bottom, just like a bath tub. We opened the dam and let the creek flow freely. Lo and behold, the weight of the water behind the dam had broken a thin crust over an old crevass and the water was running out this old channel. Some explo ration showed that Horton Creek had an out let back into Horton Creek underground and about one-half mile above the forks.

The "wheels" felt we should not let Hor ton Creek disappear this way, so we went in; cleared out what debris we could and then cemented over this 3 to 4 foot wide crack. Eventually we bridged the whole crevass and restored Horton Creek to its former channel. Since your current article says Horton Creek disappears I guess our "bridge" didn't hold. But this is how Horton Creek fell out of its bottom.William L. Chapel, Jr. Lt. Col. USAF (Ret.) Tombstone, Arizona

LARRY'S PRINTS:

The feature Larry Toschik's Wonderful World of Birds in your March, 1967 issue, was particularly interesting to me. Ducks and geese have always been favorites of mine. Mr. Toschik's delightful sketch on page nine entitled Ben Anderson's Liz and Sire Comus could almost be a sketch of my own dogs. Have you ever thought of producing prints for framing of some of his work?W. T. Barnard St. Louis, Missouri

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