Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-12
ABOUT IRRIGATION.
The Senatorial Committee Arrive in the
City of Fort Worth.
Conclusions that have Formed During Their
Tour Through the Arid Landslide
Storage System for Texas,

of Nevada, members of the COMMITTEES
sent out to inquire into the feasibility OF
retaining certain lands lying in various
states and territories by irrigation, ar
rived in the city yesterday morning from
the West. They were accompanied by
Mai. J. W. Powell, director of the
United States geological survey; Col. h
J. Hinton of the United States geologl-
cal survey: Dr.. Hines of the Associated
Press: Col. H. B. MaXsOn, United
States deputy surveyor in charge OF pup
lie lands in Nevada and Arizona; Eugene
Davis, SeTgeant-at-arms- Il. ;. bos-
well, stenOgrapher; Charles j. kop-
pier, clerk, and 2. c. NORMAN 1hey
arrived on a special train in charge of l..
s. Frost of the Texas and Pacific, ana
remained in Fort Worth only few
hours, fearing if they delayed that their
progress would be cut off by bridges 60
ing down on the few remaining roads
open to them. They had been
DELAYED twenty-four hours at one point
west by beng caught between two wash
outs.
The committee did very little here.
OnIv four witnesses were examined,
State Geologist Dumble, Commissioner
L. L. Faster and w. s. Marshall OF tins
city. asl7d Charles G Pratt Of Abilene,
wHa are intimately acquainted with the
lafids and water supply of west anqs
Northwest Texas From the evidence
TINS far the committee are led to believe
that the storage system will be the only
successful Dlan for West and Northwest
Texas, and more especially the PLAINS;
but as the rainfall is not suthclent 10
supply the amount of water that Will De
required, artesian or other wells must be
resorted to for the deficiency.
The committee have been so well
pleased with the Typographical surveys
placed before them that they do not hes
itate TO predict a great revolution of sem
timent il regard 10 the dry districts OF
the west when their report is read. The
eupfneers have been instructed to report
all public lands needed for storage and
susceptible to irrigation to the
interior department, and they will be
Withdrawn and not be subject TO home
stealing under the law as it now Is.
/ The committee believe that the home
| stead laws will be immediately changed
! in regard to the irrigable lands.
! Mai. Powell says he is having topo-
| pranhicaI survey made of the eastern
| portion of the state, and that he will ask
! for $50 geo to be used in making such
survey of West Texas as will be most
useful in showing the necessities and
/ advantages of irrigation. He thinks
| there will be no trouble in getting the
aDDropriation if the Texas delegation IN
/ CONGRESS favor it, and that 1t can be
made TO do great good. He says more
than half the area of Texas can be lrrl-
gated with profit.
! Senator Reagan did not want to be IN
| terviewed, but talked briefly and pleas
| antlv to q GAZETTE representative OF tne
/ object Of the present Investigation. tie
Is heartily in favor of an appropriation
to pay for the necessary surveys, ana
| thinks great good may be accomplished
in the wav of retaining lands now lost
! 70 cultivation. On the railroad question
! he expressed himself as favoring COM
mission, and thought if the constitution
did not now warrant Its creation, an
Aamendment should be at once adopted
u that would permit it. He thinks the
people of Texas. and all other states, car
find q ready remedy for unjust
discrimination by applying to the rail
road commission, and thinks II they SUI
fer it Is their own fault.
Senator William Stewart, known II
Nevada as ''Silver BIl'' and Usage
brush Bill" is a large, powerful
looking man, with gray hair anC
long, gray beard. He looks to bt
about sixty wears of age, but is erect anC
vigorous, and those who had been on the
trip with him say he can OutWalk a45
man in the Union. He is keen OBJ
server and an interesting talker on po'
Iitical subjects He had little to @$ay
about the work Of the committee beygn(
the fact that it had been very arduoRs.
and that he thought they had gathereC
information that would be Of use to tn
country He had many compllulftes1ls
for Fort Worth, whose size and com
merciaI Importance surprised INNS con
siderably.
Col. Richard J. Hinton of the. United
States geological survey, who was ac
companying the senate committee, ha
this to say of Senator Reagan:
'sWhile l am q Northern man, Re
Dublican and an eX-UniOn soldier,
think Senator John H. Reagan OF TeXa
IS one of the graudest old men have eve
been associated with.
The party proceeded from here to Gar
den City, Kan, except Senator Reagan
who went to his home IN Palestine.
Garden CITY Senator Jones Of Arkansa
and Plumb of Kansas will join Senate
Stewart, and they will proceed to Chey
enne, Wy. t, where the committee vii
t | adjourn TO meet in Washington when con
gress assemblies.
1t is very probable that the commute
will suggest some changes in the govern
ment timber laws, designed to bette
guard the timbered lands of the publ
domain. It is also almost certain
: though of course the members did not S
/ express themselves, that the committe
will recommend the appropriation aske
by Maj. Powell. This appropriate
amounts, all told, to $3.50 900, to be use
in the sixteen states and territories lyin
west of the one hundredth meridian.
s'The Manly Art of Self Defence
Giving s.blovvsor bloEgs'' is often more though
| of than that e4her art of self defense,
which consists ID. offending ones own systel