Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1888-05-26
IRRIGATION ASSURED
In three Weeks, or Less, the
Tongue River Irrigating
Ditch Will Flow.
Weary Waiting of Years to be at
Last Rewarded by Copious
Streams.
ALMOST FINISHED.

and the sojourner within our gates,
"Wsit until the ditch is finished and
we will be all right" We have
waited; our friends too have in the
majority OF cases been patient; the so.
journer as = general thing has wearied
and gone to walt somewhere else, but
IL is written, "To him that waits all
things are possible" and after these
long years OF expectation the Tongue
River Ditch approaches a possibility;
not only approaches but is imminent.
Accepting the invitation Of Col.
Bryan, one OF the directors of the
ditch company, a JOURNAL reporter
yesterday rode the entire length Of the
ditch and inspected il in detail with
the following results: Beginning at
the dam where the flow of Tongue
river IL held for inlet into the ditch a
crew of men are at work making
everything solid by dumping in wagon
load after wagon load in front OF the
extension to the dam. This is merely
measure OF precautlon to guard
against the possible force that may be
exerted by the June rise. From the
head gates to across Pumpkin creek
and down to Squaw creek, dis.
tanee OF perhaps three miles, the ditch
is in perfect condition, having beeL
scrsped out and enlarged to ten feet in
width at the bottom and fifteen on
top, with a depth Of four feet; st
Squaw creek crew are engaged in
building a substantial flume to carry
the water over the creek. This work
is being done in Thorough ly and sub
stantial and workmanlike manner and
when finished need never be looked
after again. From Squsw TO Mill
creeks but little work is needed 10 put
the ditch in order, but at Mill creek
the heavy work is in progress. The
extensive riprapping of the river front
of Kings Bluff, OF which a detailed
account was given in the JOURNAL o
few weeks ago, is in q most satisfac-
tory state Of forwardness. To this
work Mr.. Estabrook is giving bis per
sonal attention with most satisfactory
results, the entire work being equipped
to point above high water mark and
the remainder is promised to be fin
ished within a week. This work
when finished will have consumed
fifteen hundred logs averaging sixteen
feet in length, and countless tons Of
rock, the whole combining to form q
crib and riprap protection toseventeen %
hundred feet Of river front sloping up.
ward and backward from the water,
an average OF fifteen feet in height. IL
Is one OF the most substantial Jobs
ever done and reflects the highest de-
gree of credit on Mr.. Estahrook. On
the embankment supported by this
work, will rest the flume which is TO
carry the water of the ditch around
Bluff, At this point large crew OF
men are now at work framing the
timbers for the flume and AS soon as
the crib work is completed aud the
grade made reedy, the construction of
the flume will commence. and as the
timbers will by that time be all framed
the work of laying the flume will be
short. This done, the ditch is prscti-
cally completed to the reservoir and
with the exception of little scraping
here and little strengthening there,
there will be nothing to prevent the
water being run down to the Leighton
farm. Barring accidents this will
give water the full length Of the ditch
within twenty days, and the upper
half down to Mill creek will without
doubt enjoy this blessing within a
week or ten days.
When We come TO realize how near
at band is this long looked for acqui-i.
ton, we cannot help but feel grateful
TO the few who have In the face Of SO
many and continuous disasters re-
turned again and again to the work Of
completion Of the ditch. and who in
the present depressed state OF affairs
have been so free to spend their
money in the prosecution Of this work
as II thousands we're waiting to be
come their patrons. But their time
will come, and once at hand will con
tinue, aud no one will begrudge them
the prosperity they have fairly earned
when they attain 1t.
A rough estimate OF the amount OF
arabic land lying under the ditch
from the dam 10 the reservoir fxes II
at Ave thousand acres. of this there