The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-05-23
OUR ARID LANDS.
Their Capability for Irrigation to be Thor
Oughly and Soon Investigated.


WASHINGTON, May 22.-The arrange
ments for the survey of the arid lands in
the west for which Congress appropriated
$3.50, 900 at its last session looking to their
irrigation and utility, has been the subject
of repeated conferences between Secretary
Noble and Major ]. W. Powell, superin-
tendent of the geological survey, and final
arrangements were completed yesterday
Major Powell will accompany the eXpedi-
ton, and the following gentlemen will be
associated with him: State Engineer Hall,
of California, will have entire charge of
the work in California and to the Pacific
coast west of the Sierras In addition to
this duty, he and Colonel E. S. NettletOn
will be the supervising and consulting en-
gineers Of the expedition. Mr.. Lyman
Bridges will have charge of the work in
Nevada and California west of the mount
ain crest and in Utah and the mountain
basin. Mr.. Arthur P. FOote will have
charge of Idaho; Mr.. Herbert NJ. Wilson of
Montana; Mr.. Alexander o. Brodie of the
Rio Grande district to Ell Paso; Mr.,
Edward S. Nettleton of Colorado and east
of the Rocky mountains.
A special committee of the Senate on en-
igration, consisting of Senator Stewart,
chairman; Senators Hiscock, Allison,
Plumb, Henderson, German, Blackburn,
and Jones, of Arkansas, will leave st. Paul,
Mimi, August l. The first stop will be at
Billings, Mont, from which place the COM
mittee will proceed to Helena. At Helena
hearing will be given to the representa-
tives of the water committees. The party
will then go to Pacatello, in Idaho, and ex-
anime westward the Snake river basin as
far as Boise city, Idaho. They will then
return to Pacatello and proceed from there
to Salt Lake city, at which point hearing
will be had for Utah. The trip will then
be continued westward through Nevada,
stopping at Humboldt, Carson, Reno, exam
ing the western foot hills and lakes of the
Sierra ranges. The committee and party
will next cross the range into California,
stopping at Nevada city and other points, and
then go down to the junction with the
northern California road, which will take
them to Marysville, Chico, Oroville and as
far north, probably, as Redding, then back
through Calusa and other points to Sacra-
mento, then down the valley to San Fran
cisco, where an extended session will be
held.
Nevada said a member of the expedi-
ton yesterday, 'has appropriated 500, 900
for the purpose of retaining arid land,
and when the irrigation work was COM
pleted it would have the effect in few
v
ton" He thought it strange that state
of such magnitude and wealth as Califor
mia had not appropriated money for this
object.
After the session in San Francisco is con-
Guided, the party will go south by the
Southern Pacific road or coast line, to be
hereafter determined, to the western portion
in the San joaquin valley, which will be
closely examined, as will all of southern
California, as far as Barstow in the ex-
IRENE southwest. The Los Angeles and
San Bernardo districts will be looked after,
and the Colorado department will receive
special examination from the committee.
From this point the party will go to Ari-
IONA, but no arrangement has yet been
made as to the points to be visited, except
that they will go as far eastward as Dem
ing. The committee, after visiting New
Mexico, Texas and Colorado, will close its
labors in Wyoming territory.
AS will be seen, the journey and work is
very extensive and the time short, as it is
expected that an extra session of Congress
will be called in October, and it is expected
that the preliminary work will be well in
hand by that time.
In order to facilitate the work, Major
Powell has requested all organized water
districts bounded by the proposed tour, to
send to him in this city, not later than July
IL, whatever data they may have bearing
upon the proposed investigation. 1t is
also suggested that in places where there
is no organization, it would help the COM
mittee if the water districts would unite
upon an organization so that when the
committee arrives it could obtain all the in
formation possible. 1t is expected by
Major Powell that the committee will be
about nine weeks or more on this trip.