Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-07-19
Irrigation for the Great West.

It is probably not known to many
readers of the HERALD that the last
! Congress appropriated a quarter Of a
/ million dollars to be spent IN a tOpo
graphical survey of all that portion
! Of country extending from about one
! hundred miles west of the Missouri
/ river to the SUBMITS of the. Rocky
! Mountains, and from Texas to Mon
! tana, for the purpose of testing the
/ feasibility of establishing reservoirs
/ for irrigating these lands, and the
! boring of artisan wells for the same
! purpose.
In connection with this purpose of
/ the government different parties are
sent out as committees of inyestiga-
| ton; and it was advertised that on
| last Wednesday evening Mr.. MOhler,
! Secretary Of the State Board Of AgrI-
culture, President Fairchild, Of the
! State Agricultural College, and Prof.
! Shelton, of the same institution, would
! all be here to talk up that scheme
with our farmers and business men.
/ Consequently a gOOdly number from
| the surrounding came IN, but as the
| Rock Island train, on which these /
! gentlemen were travelling, was some
what behind time, they did not reach |
this place until about ten o'clock IN /
the evening, and of course most of |
the farmers could not stay. There |
was an imprOptu meeting held, how !
ever, at the BisselI Hotel, at which,
few of the farmers who remained in
town, and a gOOdly number of our
business men were present. This
meeting was simply for the purpose
of an informal conversation and the
visitors asked many questions relative
to the crop prospects,, etc. Prof
Shelton, who has given the matter
much study, says there is no doubt in
his mind but that the hot winds which
in years pasthave occurred in western
Kansas, are simply local in their ma
ture, caused by the reflection of heat
from the dry and baked earth He
thinks that where the ground is reas-
Onably moist there never will be a
wind warm enough to injure the corn
crop.
In regard to the matter of irriga-
ton, these gentlemen think that it
could be done in two ways,-either
by damming the creeks and draws,
thereby making artificial lakes and
reservoirs, or by the means of artisan
wells This. Of course would have to
be done by the government, and as
there are extensive vested rights in
: bottom lands along the creeks, and in
, fact every place where the water
would overflow, the reservoir plan
would be, to say the least, an expen-
sive business, besides, the people do
not forget the JOhnstOwn disaster,
and would hardly look with favor up
. on the construction of high dams and
, deep reservoirs which might be a
standing menace to property as well
as human life. Besides the question
Il Of general irrigation in a rolling
D prairie country seems to us to be one
r Of rather gigantic magnitude. AS a
n rule, there is enough rainfall in this
part of Kansas during the entire year
" to mature bOuntIful crops without
L irrigation, and the only trouble in the
Y past has been a lack of rainfall Just
I at the critical time. If reservoirs
were feasible at all, it is quite prOba-
BILE that when the water was most
y needed, they would be so nearly empty
r and dry as to be of little, if any, use.
e But when it comes to the matter of
O artisan wells, it seems to Us that there
might be many possibilities opened
> up for this country. If a sufficient
e flow of water could be reached, it
h would assist materially in irrigating
s for market gardening and for fruit
- culture. Besides while boring for
u water, something else Of vital i'm
q pOrtance to this country might be
IS struck,-fOr instance, such as coal.
n gas, salt or oil, either of which would
= be a valuable acquisition.
" At all events, we think Congress
W has acted wisely in making an APP.
lie preparation for the purpose of de
a velOping the great west. There are
r. undoubtedly many broad level acres
Of arid lands along the eastern plains
20 Of Colorado, that need only the dis.
a. trIbutiOn of the waters annually garn.
IF cred IN the mountains, to make them
, blossom as the rose, and be thereby
the support of many happy homes
y There are undoubtedly many extern
II sive coal fields hidden in the bowels
h of the earth within the limits of this
< broad region, which should be brought
to the serface for the use of the PEG
= pie. Nature is lavish with her gifts
IN as much so, perhaps, in the great west
Is as in any other locality, and it is Ger
r tainly a broad and statesman like
: policy of our government to seek Out
those treasures that they may be USED
u and enjoyed by the people.
IT By all means give to the plains o.
n eastern Colorado and the extreme
" western part of Kansas all the water
= that can be obtained, and, we have NJ
~ objection to the reservoir plan here
We if it is properly managed; but at tn,
it present writing we believe we would
To ON orat Of fn