Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-05-19
THE COMMITTEE ON IRRIGATION.

THE COMMITTEE ON IRRIGATION.
WASHINGTON, May 1S-One of the most
important committees appointed by the
senate to make Investigations during the
summer is the committee on irrigation.
That committee, in connection with the
geological survey, is now preparing to en-
ter actively upon its work, and it will
start from St. Paul as headquarters in
July.
There is no object of greater Importance
to the American people, now that the
lands available for agriculture are being
rapidly taken up, than to solve the prob
lem whether or not the immense arid tract
in the western territories can be
made available for purposes of Gull
tivation. The scientists of the
geological survey are a very efficient aid in
this inquiry, and the information which
they furnish will illustrate in a general
way the purposes at which the committee
aims The purpose of this inquiry is no
less than to ascertain whether it will be
practical to reclaim an area equal to 150,-
600 square miles or about 100 900 acres,
which is half of the entire cultivated land
in the United States at present., and worth
in money many millions of dollars. En-
inent scientists are Of the opinion that this
can be done, and it is the chief
purpose of this committee to as
certain and report whether or
not such scheme is practicable. The pro-
ject is based upon the idea which was first
given to the public some ten years ago by
Major Powell, the present director of the
geological survey, in his report upon the
arid lands west of the Tooth meridian.
That report is still the classic upon this
subject.
Major Powell has been continuing his
investigation since that time and has in
duced congress to adopt his theory, name
ly, that it is possible to reclaim a very
large proportion of this arid region, and
poses. But it is not to be understood
that it is the purpose of the geclo-
gical survey, or the senate committee.
or of the government to do the actual
work of irrigation itself and to improve
this land in order that private persons may
have the benefit OF the expenditures
which the government would make in
that;direction. Nothing of the scrt.is con-
templated. The theory of the entire work
is that the actual irrigation of the land is
the proper province either of private capt.
tai or of the states or territories, and that
the only function that the government can
properly perform in this connection is to
determine whether or not the theories
which have been laid down as to the
possibility of retaining this land are
practicable.
The government proposes not to irrigats
the land for the people, but to determine
whether or not private capital can be
proftably employed in the experiments
necessary to do this. In other words, the
government steps in as the agent of all
the people to settle a scientific question,
whether it is possible to do what they,
Major Powell and those who have become
with him, believe is practicable.
The western states and territories within
whose jurisdiction the arid belt is located
are convinced that this work is practical
BILE. The best proof of this is that
the state of Nevada has already
large sum of money to
be used in connection with the inquiry
which the government is about to make,
and an engineer has been appointed,
Colonel Bridges, of Chicago, gentleman
of large experience in Nevada, to cooper
ate with the geological survey and with
the senate committee in this general in
quiry. Colonel Bridges is now in Wash
ington, and has been for some weeks, ex-
amining the maps which Major Powell's
preliminary survey has already prepared.
and generally assisting in blocking out the
work which is to be done this summer.
Colonel Bridges has already received his
which places him in charge
of a considerable part of the inquiry in the
arid belt. He will start in a few days for
the field of investigation.