Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1890-05-08
At WORK IN NORTH DAKOTA.
The Government ntIrrigatiOn Com
mission Begins it's Investfg:l-
ton in North Dakota.
The City Artesian Well and
Work at the Asylum In
Spectcd Today.
Am Outline OF What has been
Done and What vii!
be Done.
Uncle Sans Water Witches
wrestling with the Water
Supply Question.

SSttun - "SOSA SvASSAAS''
wrestling with the Water
Supply Question.
The Irrigation Committee Arrives.
The government irrigation commission
arrived at jamestown Thurday night and
has been busy all day arranging neces
sary details for the prosecution of the
work of investigation in this field. The
members of the commission who are here
are Col. r. s. Nettleton of Washington,
D. G., supervising engineer of the United
States geological survey, who has been
temporarily transferred by the secretary
OF the interior to the agricultural de-
partment and detailed to take charge Of
this work, Prof. Robt. Hay of Junction
City Kansas, state geologist, and gen
tleman who has done some work on the
government geological survey, Prof. G..
S. Culver, professor Of geology at the
Vermillion university, South Dakota,
who has charge of geological surveys
in the Dakotas, and j. B. Greenwell of
Washington, stenographer and clerk of
the commission. Col. Nettleton is at the
head of the commission and has entire
charge of its work.
The commission has been in South Da
kota several days. They selected Huron
for headquarters and organized work
ing force to cover that state. They ex-
amined the two Huron wells and yester-
day Col. Nettleton and Prof. Culver took
an early train for Hitchcock, examined
The we'll at that point, which was found
to have pressure Of 154 pounds to the
square inch, and came on into North Da-
kota or the passenger with the rest of
the commission.
The commission will make careful
investigation Of the artesian wells and
artesian basin of the state, and ascertain
the practicability of artesian irrigation,
collecting and embodying in their report,
also, such facts and data as are obtaina-
BILE respecting wells now in operation,
the formation gone through in drilling
them and the practical results Of irriga-
ton already tried. The main points to
be investigated and reported upon are the
extent of the artesian basin and the
practicability of irrigation by artesian
wells. This report will be made, through
the agricultural department. to the pres
ent congress, and upon it the action of
congress in the matter Of an irrigation
appropriation for the Dakotas will be al
most wholly based. 1t is the purpose of
this commission to complete a condensed
history of every artesian we'll in the
plains region. Especial investigation
will be made Of results from wells which
are used for irrigation. To facilitate
this work blanks have been prepared for
use by field agents and Others from
whom data is desired. Pending the
work in the field force will be kept
busy in Washington completing re.
ports, perfecting maps, ETC., under
the immediate supervision of As
sistant Secretar; Willets. 1t is OK
pected that Secretary Rusk will per-
sonally visit many points in the ard re-
pion while the investigation is in prog
ress. All field work will begin at once.
Field agents are required to submit their
reports to the department between the
10th and 18th of June, and all geological
reports must be submitted by the 25th
OF the same month. The full report OF
the commission must be completed July
LIST.
It was was the intention OF the COM
mission when they left South Dakota to
90 from jamestown to Devils Lake and
thence west on the Manitoba road. This
program will probably be somewhat
changed. Col. Nettleton informed an
Alert reporter this afternoon that when
the commission leaves jamestown they
will probably 60 west as far as Glendive,
stopping off at Bismarck, Mandan and
other points. 1t will be necessary on
this trip to make frequent stops to OBJ
serve the geological formation and ar
ranpements are now being made for a
soecial engine and car for the commission
in order that their work may he expedit-
ed. Railroad Commissioners Underhill is
endeayoring to make this arrangement.
They will probably 60 west in the morn
ing. They will probably reach James
town returning from this western trip,
Tuesday and will then proceed up the
jamestown & Northern to Devils Lake
and into the Manitoba country.
The investigation Of the committee
will include the basin extending from the