Arizona weekly citizen., 1888-07-07
A Great Irrigat. on Scheme.
fSew York tilebe.l

I
 Major Powell, ot the U. a. Geological Survey, has submitted tO Congress scheme for dsmmIne the trIt u srI g of She Missouri anu Misslssir pi, ID order to store theIr waters for the ,rrlxailou of the immense oody of arid lands lyius east of the K ,oky Aouptslns, ard be has asked az appropriation If S2500OU l vhereuith 70 begin the xerk
 The srid lands of the C-I,ed States ] which are now for the m.s. pPrt trssless deserts, embrace an iroS of l,3U0,OO0 a. miles or more thSu one third Df tne en- tlr4 area of the U1ited Srs'.s. Major Powell bellevzs that sbru' 100000 q miles of 'hsss deserts msy bs ultimately converted into fertile fzrming lands by mesus of irrigation, and thAt the value oI me land thus rerlsimei would De thereby raised fr. 10 2l.25 sn sore, their present vaiue h SS0 sn acre.
 Of C. SC this q suit Js'hot sttaiDs bic 'J sh- immediate futDr-, out MH ilf Pow ell ssy- that is is possible 10 reclaim l5O,O00 Quare miles within ccmp-rs- nseiy brief perlOd of time. Toe im or s-rce [ th;s statemept becomes Hpgs- rent when SC eoDsi tsr thet tbtre are oOl. about 3c0 UOO -qusre miles .f land n1w under cuIuv-uon ID the U5Ited States Outside of beyond and this cOU- id erstion k ths. 'u-thsr tsci th [ ,h- recl~- nation of l50,00O square milss "' 'ti5 nv desert r-sior would d SS 0OO- DO OO0 to tbs money vslue of the na-
 ,ousl domain, s sum Dearly three tirDts se great as the bstionsI debt.
 The annual preciIiisticn O moisfurs t"rouShous tbe vbole d. sert srea of 0O0 0C0 squsrr nIl-s, emb- .cine noun
 ms. valleys and pl .ins. rsnR-- from i'e inches on The dryest plains tr ttir- 'S Iu"h. ~n 'h' nnunt i--. ed .veu tO seventy five inches cn ths hisfes ID rn-
 ,Ih .r.Ns, .nj the aSrsASr i.'r tie
 hoi- reginn Is netTly ft'ter i-c-e rtis vnuld sufficr fo irria-'e lO0 o 0
 qusr- mil 2 Of srii anGs. but of rortse s1 usA nIl ih water for Irrigs'i, b prr- -oses would destroy trr navig- hi " os
 he rivers Eod fhis i- 'nug 2 Ihs' must .nt even te imprired, bu, sr,iuliy Uro-
 Actsd. 10 is ,hi fsct vh "h 'e,'u". e 'h- .nouot of reclSim sble lsnd- to l5C .OOO ,quRre miles, Rn acrps9s wh'ch u,ll be
 HiNiert t.r h. DeIt haHc ury
 Msjr Powell PAys ip rIp snssion and .n?ror' ot his -ch0me:
 "Tbe waters witch ordinarily aow 10 the ocs SD tb-r uzh he Mi srrrl .-I d .s tributaries, snd ;hr. ngn h. A-k-E-
 as, the Red, fb' Ri. GrsUdr, ur Col
 r-do. tue Ssorr nirI to Srd the Cclum-
 ia riv. rs are to b., mn,ed up si tbsIr sound1ii D hesds Htd s'o' ed m Vast rss- -rvoirs. We will thus have cl am nf store horses ID the mc untAiDs fr' u tfs OauHd sn to he Mexicep lctdsr. nd l.. .e,l. 1 k.4N "a. upon the laod tbrc3sh TIT. .stirg ,ansls. This me'hod of red. .emiDg lsnd = DO. new. IL bss been prtc'icsd for iv "r SIX 'hnussnd yrsrs. The ea'h--t aaYieuliur- known by b's'oty Wa. ly ifsiestion in the valley of the Nil EDd
 srr riy, or even ehrlisr TngA ''i. s-s kuown ID be valleys o' C ups. Iu the -esiou of the Eve rlver- 0f ibdIs ST. culture wss wholly per d-pt upor ira
 -tinn ard the same m-v he saId ct Peru snd Me1Iro Long before tte Eu- mid resi6u- Of eHftn were cuiiivA'Fd tbs derert land were n de- med by ifTiza- lion Al aiy tbere are area ID CAli- sornis, U'Bb, Colorado srd q 1tksr srii states under irrigation, bat on , very small pnrti,r Cf the vsitr Is used CT q consequently R emsll part Of the 10 is redes m. a. There arr many sdvs ntsgss ID Irrie esfiop. The farmer dc sLot de- pend on ino0nstsni rainfall. He bRE 70 Ae with Ho dToogt TO st.Tms. TO floods. Tbs water iR Icusec upOD bis l<Dd where T. ls wS tsl Gid CLly in
 uch quEnti.ies ss gre uee1ed
 "h will rtquire st leEEt two yesrs tO Ay out the gtnup9-r ori Of tnis eICT- mou~ undertskirF. The pr,j ct is Ter fecily f.s.ible. Na'urs, in c'esvrrg he solid rock into cau, -ps. has already made tso fi1es of cur q; IDS i'r D., sJd 1pder DO other oiTcumstsnCes e uid ST inisl reservoirs be ccns'IU d WIh s-onomy ss is possible iU this csse. ! he a0s, of tbeIr srecti,h sI mBIntsipenoe slll be very sGall proportion of the value of the land redeemed.
 So far rom any Iriury being Ur"ught to the people living sioEg the MlssDnri and MissI--irp, ty the s, rsge Of the surplus waters of their tTioIisfi-E, he valleys of theee rivers will be gr-stiy benefited, as Major Powell clearly shows. He ssys;
 The development of IrrigstIon along the base Of tbe R ,cky nruntsiDs Is tf iouble importsree because Of it's in- Ausnce on the agriculture of he lowe- Hississippi. To store up th~ water "f the Missouri ard I,s main fhn-ats for he purpo-e of irrigstion is Io dIui' ish Ire volume ot tbst fl Jod of thr l"ver Mississippi vhich is most deeirur-ive by saon of its occurring ID the heArtOf the f rmirR season. MOreO CT b. great d ffioulty ot the problem O. ihr lover MIssIr~ippi arises ss'm he feet 'bR' he r:ver normally makes s dep sI, tter@. thus clORginR it's course and giving to its ehsonel sn unstable pOs;tion. Ire psiL pal sDu-ce of the sedin eDt is tte Missouri river. sp9 is csrTied fOFUsrd chiefly during tfe flood. With abolition O. great Missou'i a.. d. the dim+D'sr7 load Of the l. ver MissTsippi sOnld be diminished. srd ihF Ecf uri 2 rover ot ,he less loaded floods fl ID the OtIo srd the upper Missis IrIi would e-fsh- Ii b for the lover MississiprI l.N~r grade and 6 deeper chsputl For every acre reclaimed Co aRrIcu tore iu Mo s-ps .uo'her ere will be rsc's'r1sd ir l. n's- Isna; and, ID general, al lsDdE re+. md ny urn .snCn oo the grsR, tlHI- vii ne -qusled by the lsudS rad.' md 'r n floods in the great valley Ct the j. Eer Mi. eissipp'.
 The terrible Aoo's, which gre noZ devasis,Ipg the fertile ields sls bg tie Missis-Iop,, des royiDs millions cf !r' ? erty, And doing unsDfHkabie h~fu tO the many people who live upon 'b low lsnrs. gives reculisr interest ss the pres ert dI.cuesion Ct this very important sub cot.