Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-08-25


of the projected engineering work, which i
on a large and comprehensive scale. |
may be safely said, however. that the re
demption of the Humboldt basin b.
means of storage reservoirs, and with sub
| sidiaries below, can be readily accom-
/ plished. There are 200 600 acres of land
and probably more, that would thus be re
claimed As already said. the natura
meadows and water supplies of the Owyhes
river in northern Nevada can be so utilized
as to bring about the reclamation of ar
| equally large area in that direction.
| THE GREAT TAHOE PROJECT.
"But the great project suggested by
| Lyman Bridges, the engineer in charge OF
| the Nevada Basin, will affect not only q
great area in Western Nevada. but also nu.
merous valleys, second only in value as to
| their extent, in Eastern California. Lake
Tahoe is. in this light. the center of an in
dependent drainage area of vast extent
Engineer Bridges project, briefly stated
| may be summarized in this wise:
ITO begin with, the construction of q
tunnel three and one-half miles long, from
the Nevada slope, for the purpose of tap
ping the lake and drawing off, through ex-
tensive canals, a body of water sufficient to
irrigate all the available lands in Washoe
and Churchill counties, SO far as Carson
valley is concerned. Sufficient water may
thus be obtained, without injury to the
lake in other directions, to
RECLAIM 100000 ACRES:
At cost of not to exceed 81, 250, 900. This
plan contemplates the damming of the
Truckee river at its mouth, and to be made
a separate drainage basin by means of other
works, In which Bonner, Webber, Inde-
pendence and Pyramid Lakes, are to be
used as great storage basins.
1.-The Truckee river, in a distance of
ninety-seven miles, has fall of twelve feet
to the mile. so that the storage require
ments can readily be handled. From the
Truckee systematic other being known as
the Carson systematic sagebrush and
bench lands around Wadsworth, and for
miles east of there, can be brought under
cultivation. In the same way, the noun
tain valleys on the eastern slopes of the
Sierra Nevada, with the bench lands within
the range of the irrigating district thus
outlined, can also be similarly utilized.
This is the engineers proposition. His
business is to show the Senatorial Commit
tee how it can be done.
THE PROBLEM OF THE AGE.
"The policy of the committee may be
summed up in a general way, as follows
1t is fact that the area of Goyernm emit
land that does not require irrigation is
largely exhausted already. The Govern
ment, as the land custodian for the people,
is confronted by the problem of how To util-
ize the two-fifths of its whole public do
main that is so nearly useless without
water. There is plenty of land, if irrigated
and under cultivation, as is shown by irri-
cation operations in countries whose con-
ditions were of similar character to ours,
to support in comfort population of 1OO,-
100000 people. The policy of the General
Government, so far as outlined, is then
about as follows:
"First-A survey of the area, with the
view of segregating the irrigable and nom
irrigable lands, the examination of the
water sources and supplies, and presen-
tation of the best methods of conserving
and distributing the same. This work is
under the direction of the Geological Survey,
the Director of which-Major John W
Powell-is the guest of this committee. It
includes typographical surveys and map
ping, and the examination of water
sources, their volume, variability, etc., by
q corps of young engineers, who are now
being specially trained in this work. 1t
embraces, also, the careful surveying, by
civil engineers of approved reputation, of
the country selected for storage sites and
modes of distribution.
"Second-The temporary withdrawal, by
Act of Congress-through the General Land
Office and as indicated by the engineers of
the Geological Survey-from settlement or
occupation, of all such areas as may be re-
ported as necessary to form comp etc irri-
CATION districts, storage basins, etc.
"Third-This is seen in the appointment
OF the Senate Committee to thoroughly ex-
anime into the subject, and to report
thereon to Congress"
Reporter-"How have the members of
the committee been impressed by their in
vestigation thus far into the subject?"
Colonel Hinton-"Why, sir, they have
grown to vastly larger idea of its magni-
tude than they had when they started out.
1t is the greatest thing that the United
States has ever undertaken, and the only
wonder is that the Government had over
looked it so long. Think of the import
ance of bringing under cultivation and set
Element two fifths of the public domain of
the country that, without water, is practic-
ally uninhabitable Why, who can fathom
its magnitude?"
Reporter-"Have the engineers and the
committee found sufficient water for the
purpose desired, if it can be controlled and
properly diverted?"
SOlODcl I1lutOu- fleulV Oi IL. lner6 Is
more water than was supposed in the
Northwest, and which can be brought
down on the Nevada plains. And the en-.
gineers' projects assume less difficulty the
more they are inquired into"
Responsibilities will be no difficulty
You think, in constructing storage basins :?
Colonel Hinton-"None at all. They
can be readily built, at least in most cases
The Bonner, Weber, Independence and
other lakes on the eastern slope of the
Sierra Nevada all have outlets through mar.
row canyons, with plenty of flats for basin
purposes"
GOING SOUTH.
From here the committee and assistants
went to San Francisco. After brief rest
there they will go through the San Joa.
quin valley into Arizona, New Mexico and
| Colorado, and will dispense at Cheyenne
about the 1st of October. Senator Stewart
is Chairman of the committee, and all
members of the party say he is rusher
He has kept the committee and engineers
| on the jump ever since they started, and
| not an hour has been idled. One membe,
said be believed it was the hardest worked
| and most economical committee that Con.
gress ever sent through the country.
The party were met here by Morris NJ
| Estee, General Chapman and other mem.
bers of the State Board of Trade, who
| accompanied them to San Francisco.