The Arizona sentinel., 1888-02-25
PURDY CANAL.

| T0SlU0uO OI uIAoj plOJOOlOu Oh' enterprise, and the canal has finally been given his name.
 Messrs. Purdy, E. B. Wagy Palemon Avila and Frank Avils are the owners, it being a private undertaking. The two latter gen tlemen are brothers-in-law of MT Purdy. Messrs. Purdy and Wagy have always and are now managing the affairs of the canal, and it iE due to their good judgment anG inexhaustible energy that sucf good success has attended the en terprise.
 The Purdy Canal heads on the north side of the Gila river in Yuma County, about four miles from the west boundary line ot Maricopa County and eight miles southwest from Agua Caliente Springs. Its course is generally west, changing, however, here and there with the topography of the country. Like the Toltec Canal not being held by a precipitous wall attending the usual "mesa foundation, it gradually makes away from the river, thus acquiring, in it's course, an increasing width of tributary country. Eleven miles from its head, and four and one half from Texas Hill, the wall of the table-land which forms the southern boundary of the Mohawk Valley commences to form, and, at this point, the grade of the canal is at the height of the top of this wall, and the course of the canal proceeds across the high land. It passes Texas Hill about one mile to the north. From Texas Hill the river runs southwest, and the canal a little north of west; hence the table-land which will be irrigated by the canal rapidly increases in width below Texas Hill, and con- tains fully 16,000 acres of splendid land, the soil of which cannot be surpassed, and which has steady but scarcely perceptible slope to where the "mesa" drops off to the river. In addition to this, there will be brought under cultivation by this enterprise 10000 acres of bottom-land.
 The canal will be twenty miles long when completed. It is being constructed ten feet wide on the bottom, with a slope of two feet to one, and has a fall of thirteen inches to the mile, which fall will be slightly increased for the last half of its length. Eleven miles from its head a small branch will be turned off the high table-land, and, after straight drop of twenty-five feet, conducted for the irrigation of the bottom-land lying between this point and Texas Hill. This fall of water will give ample power for a flour mill and for the making of ice for fruit storage, etc.
 Where the canal heads, the river has hard, gravelly bottom and bedrock comes close to the surface. For this reason, no matter how dry the season, there. is always an abundance of water at this point. The river being narrow, a tenn porary low-water dam can be easily and inexpensively put in, and any desired head of water secured. A depth of four feet of water will be kept running in the canal.
 Seven miles of the Purdy Canal is already completed, and the water turned in, being wasted at the end of six miles so as not to interfere with the work. Twenty teams and some thirty extra men are now at work constructing the canal, and a number of farms have been fenced in and are being ploughed for sowing. A quantity of vines and trees have been set out, and houses built. Messrs. Purdy and Wagy have let contract for the planting of fifteen acres in various varieties of grape vines, and ten acres in oranges, lemons, lines, peaches, apricots, English walnut and other trees. They will be set out this month (March, 180S).
 Nearly all the bottom-land lying under the Purdy Canal has been taken up, but there are still 15,000 acres of bottom and table-land vacant. Owing to the system pursued by the gentlemen carrying on this enterprise, most desirable people have settled along the canal-an industrious class of men with families, who have commenced to improve their lands and who purpose to create homes.
 Water rights are secured at reasonable rates, and, when secured, the water attaches forever to each and every acre of land it applies to, and at affixed rate, no matter how often the ownership may change or how the land may be subdivided by sale and purchase. In this way settlers feel secure against any possible "freeze out, and can never be made the prey of speculators.
 Messrs. Purdy and Wagy expect to have the canal completed to Texas Hill by the first of June, and