, 1874-01-23
4 GREAT CANAL.
Scheme to Ecrti1ize 1,6id. 1000 Acres OF
Land--11 oiV the California Grangcrx
Propose to Do 1t.

Scheme to rertilizc 1,6ld,o0 Acres OF
! Propose to Do 1t.
t From the San F,ancisco Chronicle, Jan. Is.
The Grangers have perfected grand scheme
| Of irrigation, which will PROBABLY be presented
for legislation on the subject. The correspond
ent Of tue Examiner g1yca the following resume
| Of the scheme: The district OF country imme-
! diately concerned in tbs measure includes all
the land from the foothills Of tue S:erras to :he
| San Joaquin, from east to west, and from north
| to south. It is about 130 miles long by say
so wide. but in the calculation made by tho
{ Farmers it is 20 miles wide. 1t is proposed
to construct. canal. commencing where
| the San Joaquin debouches from the
foothills, as high up as practicable. to Stockton.
Tue object primarily to be obtainelis the afford
ing Of. sufhcieacy of water to irrigate all the
land intervening between the canal and the San
Joaquin River, and at the same time to furnish
q means Of cheap transportation for the produce
this large Of land will give to the country as
q result OF the irrigation
Tho great canal il proposed to be- made 100,
enough to carry boats Of 100 tons capacity, and
will be supplied with its waters from tue follow
ing streams, which are situated as follows: l.
San Joaquin; q Fresno, about 20 miles; s.
CnowchiL. 10 miles; I. MaIiposa. u miles;
S. B7ar Creek, miles e. Mercel, Is miles,
7, Toulumne, 20 miles g. Stanislaus, 9 miles;
thence to STOCKTON, 20 miles making liz Mules
in all. though the actual distance probably
about 13G miles.
Taking $50 miles as the length and 90 miles as
the width, there would bs 1900 SECTIONS, or
1,G4i ,0ou acres, OF nomlnallY unpfoductlyo land
that would be rendered the most productive OF
any body Of land in the worll Tie cost OF tue
canal is estimated at 300 900 per mile, including
tho alueducfa over streams. Taking: tho esti-
mated iongta at this cost per mile, tho eutiro
cost would be $4,000, ,Oo0 The Stats will be
asked to issue her bonds for tho cos. Of con-
structlou, and tue law providing for Lhe canal
will levy an annual tax Of 81 per acre on every
aero Of land within tflo abo;e limits, aud also
tonnage duty Of say Is cents evcry ton of
produce passing through the canal To save the
State from expense. The tax thus raised from
the lana would amount to 81, 600 per year.
and tue tonnage Of courso would bo consider
able. aud the whole proceeds woull j be applied
to the liquidation Of the debt.
It ID proposed TO organize the cn ire area into
ono irrigation district: the 'rhole to be
uuder tho control Of comtnis lion Of prac-
tlcal mea appointed BY the 6tats, for the pur-
pose.
Each stream crossed by the cant.l shall be used
as fecder, and it ia suggested Il lat tiame-feeI-
ers may be used, through which the timber,
lumber, and wood bordering on those streams in
the mountains can be 1loated bo The canal aud
thus reach market otherwise impossible. As
the supply Of timber in this long stretch Of the
Sicrras is very great, it is believed. that this
policy would act check up on the monopoly
Business in lumber as now prt cticed. and would |
make the general improvement OF tho country |
trayersed ov the canal vastly greatly than it
would be under existing circu instances.
As contemplated by those |, rcasinS The matte1. |
the farmers are to own. their own boats, and !
transport their own produce. and the only cost
that shall attach to them sEi IL be the cost per t
ton Of freight passing thro ii the canal, except
ing Of course the tax per acl on the land.
As it ia now. the crops h.ing uncertain, the |
land uf the entire district is probably not worth
over 95 per acre.-certainly not moro than SO |
whereas certainty OF crop every year, as iuiga-
ton would make it, would enhance it to $50. |
THIS would mako the acruaI enhancement |
in the value OF the land s16,440.-
000-more than the cost OF the
canal; and in less than ten years
the pro1uctivencss OF tho lind would enhance |
tho value to $40 or $50 per acre. This euhauced
value would, Of course, give to the State en-
HANGED rey2nucs. Az tho broad wastes now
desola:e to everything EaEe saso brush and
drifting sand would TEEN with q multitude Of
happy homes, surrounded with fields eroantng
with grim, purple with fruit, and radiant with
flowers.
To avoid far AZ possible a current in the
canal, which would Interfere with the buuks, it
is purposed to ziszaS with tho hills and thus
maiutain q level. as nearly u;1y be, and when
this cannot be done, to establish locks by means
Of which boats can be let down to other levels.
aud ut which watez-power mAy be leased for
purposes.