Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-08-27

a Session of the Arid Land Senate Com
mittee Yesterday.
SAN FRANCISCO, August Goth The
United States Senate Committee on Recla-
nation and Irrigation of the Arid Lands
met this afternoon in the rooms of the
State Board of Trade, Senator Stewart of
Nevada presiding. The only other mem.
Der of the committee present was Senator
Jones of Arkansas. Senator Reagan OF
Texas was unayoidably absent, being con-
fined to his room by sickness. Senator
Stanford and Congressman Morrow were
present, however, and were interested lis
teners to the statements made. Mayor
Powell, Director of the Geological SURVEY,
ana EOgineer Hinton assisted the commit
tee with their advice, and Mr. Davis of
Washington, D. c., acted as Sergeant.at-
arms. OF the subcommittee of the State
Board of Trade M6sSrS. EStee, Mills and
Chapman were present. Among the others
who crowded the room were Professor
Hilgard, r. B. Blowers of Woodland. c. C.
Wright of Stanislaus, Will S. Green of Co.
lusa, George Maxwell of Fresno, L NJ. Holt
of San Berlardino, f. NJ. Pixley, Frank
Cunningham of San Diego, r NJ. Gird of
Chlnoi, H. B. Maxson, Deputy United
States Surveyor of Arizona, Brewster Cam
eron and Charles K. Drake of Tucson, A.
T., Lyman Bridges, Bernard Marks Of
Fresno, W. NJ. Collier and w. Hammond
Hall
In calling the meeting to order Senator
Stewart planned the reason of the session
and stated hat it was not the intention of
the committee to examine witnesses. Any
statements, however, which any person in
terested in the subject of irrigation might
desire to make, would be listened to with
attention, and suggestions would be will
lngly received.
NJ. NJ. Estee, Chairman of the sub COM
mittee Of the State Board of Trade, then
presented the pamphlet which had been
prepared by his committee. In doing so he
said it had been the design OF himself and
associates to prepare, not boom pamphlet,
but clear and concise statement regarding
the arid lands of the State and the value of
irrigation.
W. Hammond Hall, ex-State Engineer,
then spoke at length regarding the irriga-
ton problem in this State. Mr.. Hall also
produced mass of statistics, reports and
maps bearing upon the subject. After he
had made his statement various questions
were put to him by Senators Stanford and
Stewart. Regarding the prcductiveness of
the lower San Joaquin valley prior to its
irrigation, he said that during discussion
in the State Senate in 1876 he heard it
stated by a good authority thst it would
require twenty-five acres of land there to
support one long horned Texan steer. By
irrigation, at the present time-aif4lta be-
ing raised BY irrigation-the same area will
keep 100 head of cattle.
Regarding the lands in Tulere county,
Mr.. Hall said that unirrigated, arid lands
there were held at $40 an acre. The reason
for this was that the irrigated lands in the
comparatively near vicinity made it posi-
BILE to put those unirrigsted 10 some little
use. Should the irrigated lands in the
vicinity be placed again in the same condi.
ton in which they were twenty years ago,
these SlO-au-acre lands woIld not be worth
more than 81 an acre.
In answer to a question by Senator Stew
art, Mr.. Hall said that he was in favor of
the Government surveys as at present car
rled on. He instanced the great value they
had been to the Sacramento valley in pro-
tecting that valley from overf0ws. In the
San Joaquin valley they will be of i'm
mense value, as they will show how and
where water can be stored for irrigation.
But still the surveys were less needed in
these two valleys than in any other portion
of the Stale, except in the bay counties.
The people in the latter counties were too
well off to care for the surveys. In the
northern portion OF the State, however,
these surveys were of vital importance.
In the Lower San Joaquin he believed
one cubic foot of water would irrigate 100
acres of land. Mr.. Hall then gave the ex-
perience he had once had with twenty acres
of land in the outskirts of an irrigated dis
tIict. On this land in one irrigating sea-
son he placed sufficient water to have cov-
cred the land to q depth of twenty-three
feet. When he first started in irrigating
this land the soil water was sixty feet be-
low the surface, by the time he got through
rushes, etc, would grow rankly unless
plowed under-in other words, the soil
water had reached pretty near to the sur
face.
W. Green Of Colusa, George S. Man
ming of Fresno, L. N. Holt of Riverside
and DR.. Blowers of Woodland also gave
their views, strongly in favor of the bene-
fetal results OF irrigation in California.