New-York tribune., 1874-08-15
A WATER WAR.

su.pr-TuE MODE or IRRIGATION f-Aii~
,rrKuprs TO DEFINE THE RIGHTS VI
,>-rrpvsrFD-lTGAL PRINCIPLES N'oLD N'o'D,,
,,rvov AN AsoNAL CoRREsroNDhnrof VI of
GREELEY, Col, July 2O.-lhe plosivso ps". has
V,I. Linz ont water for rrigating purposes LAS
Coioraoo ~ 49, an ~ once the limit OF the supply has
roen reached aud a conf ct in regard 10 or,k"' ~ ,oot
- ,0o, ns Colorado Springs situated at inc io
~ PIKE. Peak takes water from two streams , enc
t.in and the Mouument-the Ia''e' s"''' .h 20
former nv no means large. The FOUNTAIN" i" = ten
p,ehlo AZ miles and in its valley iaiu'7 - rn
opened almost through the whole d'S'". - having
,is ho. alvays been limited. Colorado spi4iS' -
~ -, a town of loo inhabitants, needs ~ "iu0"
,,., a er,staiu below has applied iof an Num- nun
,,, ~, ,hc Water Company 10 RESTRAIN tueui ~ .h
inc tbe stream II is understood th'' '"e d
vnt,in are about TO seek the same telneus VIZ" 49,
g. Tho water OF the Monument wmeh elnpuo9 NV -r1o
,,nr,aip a short distance below CJoraho Springs ~
-, - q, he carried up to the highest courts
HOW DENVER Is SUPPLIED.
,or now has 20IOO inhabitants; 1t takes winter
IRON, Clear Creek and from the Platte ana IN sOne P
# the city there scarcity for gardens anu sn'uo
,,aes more on account Of the deficiency OF tue HsHS
anal, than IN the supply afforded by the riVer' Ou' -
fore-eeu that az the town grows, larger uenSuu w.
ho roade when the farms down the Platte Na4eY WI"
ne p,pched for water, atleas during TWO Fan non'"e
rbrou Oh the last part Of May, and throngn June anu
-, 80 Inlv abundance OF water comes out oi 'ho
maintains derived from melted SHOWS u must oo
manifest 10 one who reflects little that Wheh Den'o'
shall have an addition OF ten thousand 70 her popuaou'
win corresponding increase OF suburban land brought
fn,o cultivation the absolute limit Of water VIII be
reached Then the only resource VIII be 10 cohSlruo'
,sorxo,rs in the mountains for the receiving OF the
sprnls wafer but there seems 20 be suspicion that
reservoirs will hold nearly as much water rs sHuho
projectors claim, aud the same time 1t Is matter o
wonder that nothing is heard of reservoirs DelhH re-
sorted to in countries where irrigation mas ohs oesn
nractced as for instance Upper Italy where IN the
time OF VIRGIL a comparatively complete system must
have bren established. The ancients certainly hau
tanks and cisterns and they make a figure IN
Judea. the remains of which astonish Dy Vner
magnitude and such 10 be found in lnila Dnt they
would he little value in irrigdting any consldefawe
amount OF land 1t is probable thai they were nsed
only in times OF droutb, and not for growing crops
through the whole is the need in COLORADO
and New Mexico for must be understood that these
Two Territories have rainfall than Italy or Eastern
Asia or even India. The famine IN the latter country
this year has arisen are told from the iaufe oI
seasonable rams, which usually are abundant 10 raise
certain products forming large portion OF tue 1904 OF
the people. without irrigation.
North from Denver s4a fine farming region that Is
IN the valley OF several streams. and more or less ro
be is experienced on Clear Creek and on the Bouders
hut as vet there outbreak In the Cache Ia Pondre
Valley however, the lower end OF which greeley is
situated 30 miles from the mountains, there Is trouble
enough. and il has only begun unless wise meas
ures shall prevail Including just consolidation OF all
interests aud storing Of the surplus water. Wheu
the town OF Greeley was located, and many thousaud
acres Of land were purchased II that the Cache
"a Poudre tue stream, 100 feet broad Win i'Iloi
Is feet to the mile and it seen TOO that not exceed
ing acres cultivation along the whole Va!eE
some say not than 500 acre. aud thus an unappro-
,r,,r stream was presented TO whoever had courage
dir ana
rrica'Irg the adjacent lands. The Greeley people ~
iogls this river aud they constructed. two canals
COSTING not than s50o0 and having an extent III
Guiding laterals OF more than 100 miles.
TIE GREELEY CANALS.
Immediately after our settlement the few farmers mp
the river bought al hc land they able 10 purchase,
and they proceeded to take out bitches or to en-
large o,d Oucs settlers came from the states aud
entered land and in short time the whole val
ley became occupied Beside this, colonial scheme was
devised at Fort Collins Is miles above Greeley, which
included the taking out Of large canal and IN addl-
ou another large canal has been taken out across the
river This year has been far dry one; less than
the usual amount Of fell in the mountains, and
there hes not been good soaking rain snce Spring
indeed there for year or more, and, as
Dicbt be expected the river Is lOw though the total
amount is by no means small. One OF our canals is
taken ont Of the river IS miles above Greeley on the
north side being named No. q and II runs something
over 50 miles north Of the town and extending east OF IT,
and along this canal grain fields presenting at
this time OF the year an almost unbroken mass OF
green. while the great American desert crowds
up TO the furrow being brown. dry, desc
late covered with the short gramma grass, and
enyeued only by the prairie dogs as they Sit barking
by Their dwellings. Eve miles above, town, what
is called canal No. is taken out on the south
side of the river and waters several thousand acres
of grain and below town, and the town itself with
-.Il4 attd nd
thousands Of shade and fruit trees About three weeks
ago the water hogan to fan in No. s. aud in
short ceased rum indeed the river itself went
dry. Imagine, II you can, the condition OF town OF
$3.50 inhabitants depending wholly water TO keep gar
dens and all vegetation alive, much deprived OF water
as If they thousands OF miles from river. Here
houses built with untirng labor and many
hopes here our last dollar hae been expended,
and dissolution aud utter run appeared be-
fore US Although the -hOne day after day with
fierce glare pail OF backness seemed % cover us, and
with inexprcssble sadness tender vegetation
wher and paintings OF young forest trees per
ish. Still. it is to lie sald that No full, for
had recently been bull. at OF $1,000 and the
work well done that II held The whole Of the river.
thus farmers the Iorth side used their abuud
ance' ana yet Wlth tht utmost dliigence, for the
period bad arrived When Inc gram must have
water; many the instances whe were
out 20 hours IN the "a while children brought their FOOT
and some had Their only sleep on the ground Oy Ae slde
Of the running Nast the Volume OF water
carried by No. 2. being 20 feet vide and lcet
deep there Is surplus aud II j. customary the
farmers TO exchange water, and 80 double up the
amount when the whole is poured upon the fields
through the previously constructed cbannels B1t the
town must nave water ana accordingly the Colony
Trustees ordered that ri the emergency ~. ?
give water, two days IN six, 10 No. 3.
Meanwhile the farms between our two hcadgat had
been friDg, ana they worked night and day 10
build dams. that they might take the water when It
should come; ana ruy they did take f. an much OF
AZ that hours pass aud drop reached the town,
aud considered whether IL was not best to mold
back ~ No. 2; out hn3iy the dams were broker.
down came the water Ia floods aud Tor days there
was mOls agalL.
PETITION FOR AN INJUNCTION.
Then three of the Colony Trustees went up to Fort
Collins TO what had become Of the water, and the
large canals mentioned above found carving