The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-08-19
IPRIGATlON-

COOLIDGE, Kan, August 1S.-The farm
erS of Hamilton county were among Jhe
first to take advantage OF the irrigation
law enacted at last winters session OF the
Kansas legislature. y district was
formed some time ago but no definite
steps were taken toward pushing the work
until the present growing crops gave as
surauce OF success, when the surveys were
begun. The preliminary surveys OF the
ditch have been verified and charter
granting the privilege of taking water
from the Arkansas river has been secured
from Colorado through its secretary OF
state. The head of the canal VIII be near
Holly. Col and at the confluence OF the
Buffalo with the Arkansas, some i've
miles west of Coolidge. No attempt will
be made to run the water back on the
"high line" at present. The ditch survey
runs along under the bluff, following sinu-
osities. but as there is fall of eight and
nine feet TO the mile the most OF the
flats" at the mouth of the ravines and
arovas can be covered by decreasing the
fall around them and giving greater fall
in recovering the bluff line by running
higher along the higher sub-blutts where
the soil is not easily disturbed by rushlng
waters In this way about 10000 acres OF
first and second bottom land may be irrl-
gated at little expense. and the entire
areas under the ditch converted into wheat
and alfalfa fields.
This ditch will cover a good portion Of
the territory of the Lord Babcock bitches,
this district being especially formed by
the dissatisfied renters of water from that
company who claimed that they did not
get such service as they had right TO eX-
peyt: besides the farmers have lately been
served with notice that they will be re
quired to take out water rates the
farmers claim to be eXorbitant.
To further prove to this corporation that
v1,-.,f 70 Ar.fI nm a
farmers are organizing two additional dis
tricts, one as a continuation of the first,
the other TO the north on the high lands.
The original district Will supply the
water for these and others that may here
after be organized in the immediate
vicinity as not only Will water be taken
direct. but the underground current
theory which Judge J. W. Gregory, Of
this city, has developed, will be put into
practical use, and from the most recent
surveys near the mouth OF the Buffalo,
the engineers claim that any quantity OF
water may be easily secured with little eX-
pense by this method.
The Lombard ditch on the south side of
the Arkansas river is pushing the work
very fast. This company purchased the
Santa Ed railway land grant for some forty
or fifty miles east of the Colorado line.
The Lombard ditch will operate the kaw
ditch in connection with theirs which is
already constructed about thirty miles and
when finished the combined bitches will
have 110 miles of main ditch and several
hundred miles of laterals and feeders They
too viii Use the underground current in
many places to recuperate the loss of
waters secured from the head gate and
which will be distributed along the canal
The intention is to furnish water to the
renters Of their lands along the canal, eX-
acting no rentals for the first two years
and but small percentage of their crODs
for the following three years, but they fig
ure that a small proportion OF the last
three years crops will repay water service
aud interest on the inve stment, and they
will in addition nave the Improvements
which Will consist of course. of the wild
Ia ads being converted into cultivated fields,
and the orchards for which they propose
furnishing the trees. But the best portion
Of their investment will be the enhance
ment in the value of their lands, as 10y fur
niShing plenty of water at goods rates TO
private farmers owning their own lands,
the country Will become thickly populated
and farming lands with perpetual water
rights, which will be given with all their
lands when sold, will be in demand at fair
nriGas