The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-02-16
AUSTIN CAN DO wHATDENvERHAs DONE

The question of irrigation is now at
tracing universal attention, and very
properly, too. The project for bringing
the water of the Colorado into Austin by
pipes or canal is a very praiseworthy and
a very practicable one. 1t can, moreover,
be made profitable speculation for those
who engage in 1t. We speak by the book.
Who that has seen the beautiful city of
Denver can doubt the practicability.
Denver is located on an arid cactus plain,
5,197 feet above the level of the sea, four
teen miles east of the Rocky Mountain
foothills. Great arid plains stretch out
for hundreds of miles to the east, north
and south. Not tree can be
seen on these plains except along
the river banks, and yet
Denver can we'll be called the Garden City
of the west, vying with Washington with
its gardens and handsomely planted
streets. Denver owes all this to irriga-
ton. "The power which has wrought all
this change in a short score of years."
says Ernest Ingersoll in his interesting
book, "The Crest of the Continent"
"truly making the desert to bloom, ID
water; or, more correctly, that is the great
instrument used for the power is the Will
and pride of the intelligent men and
women who form the leading portion of
the citizens. Water is pumped from the
Platte by the Holly system, and forced
over the city with such power that in case
of fire no steam engine is necessary to
send strong stream through the hose.
The keeping of turf and garden, after it
is once begun, is merely a matter of
watering. Fountains are placed in nearly
every yard. Denver defies the desert and
dissipa,es the dreaded dust" Out of the
barrenness of the cactus plain has arisen
one of the most beautiful cities on the
American continont-or anywhere else,
for that matter. Every house has
its grass-p!ot and garden in front
to refresh the eye. The streets
are broad, straight, and every
where shaded with lines of cottonwood5
and naples, irrigated with water from the
nighttime ditch, which is paid for SINH
larly to gas, and water for drinking pur-
poses. On each side of every street flows
constant stream of water, often as clear
and cool as that from a mountain brook.
The source is a dozen miles southwark,
whence the water Is conducted in an open
channel, There are said to be three hun
dred miles of these irrigatrug bitches, and
three or four hundred thousand shade
trees in the city. Much of the farming
and gardening districts of the surrounding
country is irrigated in the same way, and
produce plentiful root and cereal crops,
and the finest Strawberries in the world.
4 x
We are not booming Denver but com
mending her example to Austin. We
possess but few of the disadvantages of
soil and climate with which Denver had
to contend, and Austin can become as
beautiful and populous and thrifty city
as Denver with much less trouble and ex-
pense. In 1870 Denver had less than
1000 inhabitants; in 1886-twenty-fiv five
years after the erection of it's first log
hut-there was a population of more
than 10000 souls. She had her periods of
"hard times" and "grasshOpper years, u
in the interval, but she survived them, and
prospered through the indomitable energy
of her citizens.