Arizona weekly citizen., 1891-08-29
Grand Schemes to Reclaim
 Yuma Country.
ACCOUNT OF OPERATIONS
A District that is scou to Become
 Ricl and Populous.
Golden Opportunities for Industrious Immisrants-Fin Fertile Soil
 and Plcn ty of Water.

It is the settled op' nion of the most
 intelligent citizens of Yuma, as we'll as that Of all others fully conversant with the character and scope of the agricul
 tural lands of Yuma county, the feas-
 ibihty of irrigsting the same, qud the favorable climate for the growth of the
 most valuable products of the United
 States, that grand destiny for this old
 city is in the near future. or the 6,4S8,-
 320 acres of land in Yuma county it has
 been determined by competent engineers
 that at least 175,O 600 acres are reclsimable
 by the proposed "Great Colorado Canal'
 alone. The dam is to be located twenty | eight miles above Yuma on the Arizona
 side of the Colorado river The cana, will embrace the lands between this stream and the Gila river, across which
 the water will be carried ir pipes or fumes extending to the Mexican, | boundary. Eminent authority also claims that canal can be taken from
 the same place on the California si6e
 which will irrigats an immense tract
 with the town of Yuma in tEs centre of
 the largest agricultural district in the
 west. When this project will be com
 menced is not determined, ;but that 1t
 will be done before many years there is scarce room for doubt.
 The following irrigation schemes have
 been under prosecution fer two or more years past, and are in various stages of progress: The Mohawk canal, embrac- ing 4O,OOO acres; the Rsdondo, 1,5OO acree; Farmers, 10000 acres; South GiIs. 2,000; Purdy, 1000; Contreras, 2,OOO acres; Saunders, 4,0O0 acres; Araby, 2,O00 acres; Antelope. 2,5C0 acres; roltec, -. all the above canals are along the Gila in this county. Great damage was done to majority of these waterways by the last unprecedented flood, but correspond ing benefit IS claimed in tho lesson learIed that it is necessary to construct more substantial dams. The sooner this fact is recognize and needed in prec
 tical manner the less wIll be the loss of life aud property that is likely to occur in the future, when the population and improvement of the country shall bs in
 creased from ten to a hundred fold above what they are at present. The Farmers canal, located near the western line of the county, is reported in prosperous con- ton, being we'll managed. The difficult
 ;es bet Teen the Mohawk canal Co. and settlers are said to be in fair way to reach satisfactory termination.
 The Yuma pumping irrigation com
 pany have recently inaugurated a new enterprise which promises great things for Yuma. Instead of depending upon
 dams to raise the water into canais and
 reservoirs, it is proposed to pump the
 water to the height required. The com
 pany have gone to work in earnest and
 have four pumps on the ground, two of which are ID position, and I hao | the satisfaction of witnessing their oper | ttion since here. They are located n | few hundred yards below the railroad | bridge at the lower edge of the bluff, on | the west side of the Colorado. just above | high water mark. The capacity of each | of the two pumps in operation Is 3,00a gallons per minute, and the guaranteed | capacity of the entire plant now being placed in position by R. Ewing, master
 mechanic of the Irrigation i1anufactur-
 ing company of Greeley, Colo, is S.C00 gallons per minute, or flow of water | sufficieut to Irrigate from 2.500 to 3,OC0
 acres. It is the design Uf the Yuma | pumping and irrigation company to con struct a ten foot canal twenty three miles long, or to the Mexican boundary, | which will cover B, eco acres, and to add | to their plant n-Ore pumps as the de 1 mRnd of settlers shali increase. About three miles of the canal ara com 2letf d
 and the water is beginning to be utilized
 10 8 limited extent. Within the scope
 of the plae is reservoir one and half
 miles iong by tEree-fourths of a milo
 wide, located about three miles below | the pumps, the object of which is 10
 settle tbe water and to have en extra
 supply OF hand when required.
 1 These pumps are operated by steam 1 boilers and will throw from 100 to 10000 gallons Der minute. It is claimed thas
 with live steam they will ra Sc T5,0O0 gallons of water % feet high with 100 pounds ot steam. Special valves are | made for pumping sandy or gravelly | water. The action of the pumps Is perfectly noiseless.
 ! The power is atmospheric pressure produced by condensing the steam. ana no skilled labor is required 10 run the pumps. Ina steam is let into ore cyl ! inder and Is instantly condensed by an automatic spray of water, creating vacuum or suction power equa! to at | mospheric pressure, and the cylinder instantly fills with water. While enc ! cylinder IS filling the other is emptying, I and at the same time receiving steam for | similar condensation and vacuum. the movement of the steam valves Is automatic. and steam can enter only one | cylinder at time.
 The officers of this irrigation company
 are Capt. F. s. 1ngalls, Yuma, presiden :; John A. Muir, Los Angeles, Cal, 1st
 wee president; Van R. Kent, Denver,
 Colo, 2d vice president; Earl B. Coe, Denver. treasurer; J. H. Carpenter Yuma, superintendent; E. M. Sanford,' general manager. This company 's
 composed of some of the best citizen in
 the community, and the business like
 manner which has characterized their
 movements so far is calculated to ir-
 spire all with confidence in the success
 of their enterprise. r as informed that
 it will be the policy of the company to
 offer most liberal inducements to actual
 settlers to become patrons in the pur-
 chase of water rights, but as yet the terms arc not definitely established.
 There are two other important water l schemes in which Yuma people are con-
 siderably interested, but Ls yet they are
 not sufficiently matured to warrant ex-
 tended notice just at present. One is known as the Yuma Heights Water Co.