Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1890-05-15
OFFICIALLY STATED.
Special Agent Hinton Issues u
Circular Letter Ancnt the
Irrigation Commission.
The Scope of the Commission us
Stated III the Act Great
ing it.
How the Field Work has Been
OrgalliZed-,rhc Men in
Charge.


Charge.
The Irrigation Commission.
From Richard j. Hinton, special agent
in charge Of the government artesian
we'll investigation, The Alert has receiv.
ed circular letter which gives some IN
teresting official information of the work
of the government irrigation commission
now in North Dakota. MIR. Hinton IS ut
Washington. Under direction of the
secretary OF agriculture, he has charge
OF the investigation and will answer all
inquiries. The following quotation from
the act authorizing the investigation
will show the exact scope aud purpose of
the commission:
10 authorize the secretary of agricul-
ture to make such preliminary investiga-
tlons of an engineering and other char
acter as will, SO far as practicable, determ-
Inc the proper location for artesian wells
for irrigation purposes within the area
west OF the nlnety-seventh meridian and
east of the foothills of the Rocky
mountains, twenty thousand dollars, and
u report of all operations and expendi-
lures hereunder shall be made to con-
gress Immediately after July first, eigh-
teen hundred and ninety:
Provided, That no part of said amount
shall be expended in sinking-wells or the
construction of irrigation works, and
the work done under the appropriation
shall be completed aud report of the
same made within the appropriation, and
nothing herein shall commit the govern
ment, to any plan of irrigation or the
construction of works therefor.
In his circular MIR. Hinton says:
The Office emphasizes the brief period
provided in the above provision Of law,
as a reason for earnestly asking all posi-
ole aid in the obtaining of material and
data. An engineer and geological force
are already in the field, making the nee
essary reconnoisances to ascertain the
character and limits of the geological
basins, and OF their governing topog-
raphy.
The press and public of the region in
tarested can largely aid, however, in the
collection of the required statistical data
and information. Division agents have
been appointed in each of the states of
Dakota and of Texas. with three for the
central section, which includes western
Kansas and Nebraska, eastern Wyoming,
Colorado and New Mexico Among their
duties will be the forwarding to citizens
Of circulars and blank forms to fill up, in
relation to the location of artesian wells,
their cost, ownership, depths of borings,
strata passed, flow of water, volume of
stream obtained, pressure, elevation of
location. use OF water, whether for town,
house or farm purposes, what use If any
is made for irrigation, and the area COW
cred thereby. These questions and 9TH
ers cognate thereto, are embraced in the
circulars. Information is also asked in
relation to all flowing springs and waters
that are subterranean in origin, and
which may proceed from sources similar
to artesian waters. For the purposes of
this investigation all subterranean waters
may be considered artesian, that are per-
manent in flow and rise higher when
reached, than their sources.
This Office asks your aid in the dlssem-
inatiOn of these facts. In order that all
those interested may place themselves in
communication with the agents of this
department engaged in the investigation,
there names and addresses are given.
The work of the commission has been
we'll organized. Division field agents
have been appointed as follows:
For North Dakota-T. S. Underhill,
state railroad commissioner, Antelope,
North Dakota
For South Dakota-Stephan G. Up
dyke, professor, state agricultural col
lege Brookings, South Dakota.
For Western Kansas and Nebraska.
eastern Colorado, one degree, and public
land strlp-J.>W. Gregory, editor Senti-
mel, Garden City, Kansas.
For Colorado and New Mexico, east
1O5 degrees o: west longltude-L. G.
Carpenter, professor ct irrigation engi-
neering, state agricultural college, Fort
Collins, Colorado.
For Texas, between 81 degrees and 1O5
degrees Of west longitude +. r. Roesler,
civil engineer, Dallas, Texas.
These agents may be addressed as
above, and they will duly forward blanks
etc, with return free envelopes.
The field geo]ogists are the following
gentlemen:
For the two Dakotas: Prof. G. Z.
Culver. state university, Vermlllion,
South Dakota; Prof. Geo. E. Bailey,
school of mines, Rapid City, South Da-
kota, will serve as assistant geologist and
engineer, for the Dakotas and Wyoming,
west of the Missouri river, or the Tooth
meridian.
For Nebraska: Prof. Lewis E. Hicks
of state experimental station and univer-
sity, Lincoln, Neb.
For Texas: Prof E. H. Dumb]e, state
geologist, Austin, Texas; Prof. Carpenter
may be addressed on geological questions
for Colorado and eastern New Mexico
The supervising engineer in charge OF
field work is Col. Il. s. Nettleton of Den.
YER, Colorado, and the general field geol-
ogist is Robert Hay OF Junction City,
Kansas. Both these gentlemen will ex-
anime the entire field and their where