The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-08-10

spared from FIRE, and said the government
would have TO employ an agent 20 follow
| every hunter or prospectOr. and this woald
be absurd. He believed in permitting the
people 10 cut su the timber they
,o5 an'ed without fear So,DS Of Rr0'es1 Gu,
mber just for the fun Of il. The govern
| ment can make more money by allowing
the people free access to the forest Old
| trees of years standing have 20 be cleared
out 10 make way for the younger ones He
| defined the law relating 70 domestic use 10
| mean within the boundaries of Montana
/ The fiuming companies are cutting large
/ quantities of timber but this is sold 10 the
/ families Of the territory and no more is cut
/ than there is need for. He did not believe
/ In placing any restriction on the timber
| cutting on public lands
Testimony was then taken concerning
the preservation OF the Yellowstone park
i by storage reservoirs, and Senator Stewart
said this was an important matter and
/ would require more extended investigation.
/ Col Sanders said be divided Montana into
sixths. ODe-sixth as timber land, two
| sixths as available lands that might be
reclaimed through q system of irrigation,
| but now arid; oDe-ssxth agriculture, one
| sixth mineral, and one-sixth useless.
Col. DeLacy then testified and gave his
views, which cover an observation of the
past thirty years, the length of time he has
resided in Montana His testimony COW
cred in substance the report of the Mon
tana Society of Civil EDgineers. which he
partly prepared
withstanding the subject under discussion
was a dry one.
The committee leaves at $50 this morn
ipg for Butte, remaining there few hours,
and will leave for Spokane Falls, arriving
there at $50 a.. N. A session will be held,
and the committee will strike out on Mon
day morning al $50 for Yakima, reaching
that point the same day, and will start
Tuesday for Tacoma Portland will also
be reached the same day. and on Thursday,
August Is, Walla Wslla will be visited,
leaving Friday, going via be Union Pacific,
Boise City, ldanO, Will be reached on Sat
urday. AT each of the stopping places
meetings will be held Utah, CalifoI-
MIA, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas,
Wyoming and part OF Kansas will also be
visited, and it will be seen that Il is no hol-
iGay jaunt.
Major Richard }. Hinton, of the United
States geological survey, The engineer as
evening By an INDEPENDENT reporter and
asked for his Impressions OF the arid lands
of eastern Montana, and especially that
section comprising the great Yellowstone
valley. He secured a map of the region
and spoke Interestingly as follows.
have here map aud report forwarded
TO the committee by the board of county
commissioners of Custer county, and pre-
be taken as a typical illustration of the
needs and prospective value of irrigation
in your magnificent eastern section
Custer county, as you are aware, is watered
by the YELLOWSTONE aud is tributaries;
also by those OF the Missouri
ana the Little Missouri rivers
and Beaver creek. The valleys
of the Yellowstone a-e among the most re-
nlaIkable within The dry area These val
leYs are ordinarily from twenty 10 fifty
miles long and from one 10 four miles wide.
The soil is a rich sandy loan, full of min
ersl elements, which when water Is ap-
piled immensely increases in fertility.
Where irrigation has been tried these lands
ave proven of great productiveness. The
Yellowstone system alone gives SS4, 600
acres, all of which may be brought under
cultivation by means cf irrigation In do
ing this not over cne-azh of the water sup
these valleys to day tneTe are about 1000
persons. Under a full system OF irrigation
they would readily support from $4,000 70
so 600 The Yellowstone and its tributa-
ries pass through Custer county for dis
tance of 100 miles. It's volume OF water Is
very large, carTy ing At ordinary stages
over 10000 miners inches-that Is, q cubic
inch OF water with : four inch pressure,
OF passing through an orifce about nine |
gallons OF water during that moment. |
There are fifteen other streams within the |
limits OF Custer county, running at ordl- |
inches Ii must be remembered that al the |
period of snow-meitij4 = that is the early |
sun mer, the vOluu1. IS greatly increased, |
certainly not less tAsn one fourth The |
total quantity of water carried by Custt T |
county streams and available for irrigation |
is not less than 1,05O.OOO miners inches. |
There are at least goo 600 acres within |
the borders of the county that |
could be PLACED Under water II stor- |
age basins and ditches were Low in ex- |
isfence. The total area irrigated by bitches |
at present in operation is about 26. 900 acres |
and the amount OF water uSe1 Is about the |
same number OF inches. This statement |
will show what may be achieved by a |
proper system of storage. The value there
Of can be readily appreciated II you con |
sIder that the untitled lands OF Custer |
county-a principally in itself-conld not |
possibly fetch on an average over SO an |
acre. IL we place the cost of storage and |
at SS an acre it would net eX- |
coed. for the DOtsl area | have given, |
s., ,OCO, 900 Could such works be Al once |
every acre would the next day |
be worth at least $50 each, and much of u /
q great deal more. The lands of 4
Custer county are in the major portion |
a part of the public Domain of the |
L Dited States Certainly the general /
may have the right 10 take /
such steps as may seem appropriate 10
improve It's own property and enhance its Il
value, especially when the difference is as
great as between 100000 and SoO,OOOOOO /
But IL Is not ALONE the Natlel lduus OF CuS-
ter county that will increase in value by a /
proper system Of irrigation works. The /
bench or mesa land would be found to be, |
with water applied IN It, among the finest /
producers of wheat in the whole of this
vast wheat field of yours. The plateau
lands, still more higher and inaccessible,
will, by reason Of cattle being aHle to reach /
water. be made much more valuable for
pastoral purposes. Now, may il not
be possible for the engineers of /
the geological survey 10 End sp-
propTiEte drainage areas at the Il
beads of the various valleys. large and i
small, in Custer county, which. at small Il
expense, may be made into safe reservoirs /
for the retention not only of the precipita-
ton bit OF the overflow of these streams, |
so that, with the aid snd By means of the /
irrigation bitches which the enterprise of |
the farmers and citizens in general will |
construct, the whole Of the area of which 1 |
have been speaking may be thoroughly re-
claimed, so that the desert msy blOsson
and bloom as the rose But that Is 3 ques-
ton. ! have given you these figures snd /
facts about Custer county as an object les
son which will illustrate scores of other |
areas but perhaps not so equally endowed
with water supply as is Custer county"
Az TMnENSE EDnD