, 1891-02-03
BIG PROJECTS.
Bear River to be Diverted to
Wyoming Lands.
Water Commissioner Hoiden's
Views on Irrigation.
Work Progressing on the Big
Sandy Irrigating Canal.

ahOat here 10 the effect that a scheme IS
on foot to divert the water Of Bear river
from its original course by bIildinE a
canal from the head of Weber canyon,
or soue point OF the Weber river To tap
Bear river at some point near the Utah
and Wyoming line. Your correspondent
hunted up c. ". Holden, water COM
missioner for the district, for the purpose
of interviewing him on the subject In
answer to questions in regard to the mat
ter. Judge Holden produced and read a
letter which he had Just written to Prot.
Mead, state engineer.
Naturally the judge went on to speak
Of irrigation IN general. He believes the
subject of irrigation to be of greater inter.
est to the people of Wyoming than any
thing else. The bill which was recently
introduced in congress to give to each
state all the desert or arid land within its
borders, he thinks a grand thing. The
land to be donated will, he saws, be Sc
lected by the water commissioners. In
this district alone, which comprises that
part of Green, Bear and Snake rivers and
their tributaries lying in Wyoming, are
hundreds of thousands of acres which
need only to be irrigated to make them
productive, and the water is at hand to
bring about the result. Said Judge
Holden: Take the little stream Fonte-
nellie an which | live. 1t runs through a
,o,,-ap ~ sa1sl rooL nall. Roat oC A.
canyon and farther up the stream is a
deep valley several miles long. The ma
terial is right at hand with which to build
a dam that never can wash away and fill
the valley above will. water to be used
at pleasure for irrigating the large area of
land below and farther down the stream.
This area. said he, COMPRISES about
100 sections of land. Figuring forty acres
of land to the farm, and six persons on a
farm, see what an immense uopula-
ton this one little valley is capable OF
supporting. And" he added, see what a
revenue to the state would be derived
from the sale of these lands"
Judge Holden believes that the future
prosperity of Wyoming hinges very large
ly upon the water question. lIe thinks
it improper and lmpracticable for the
general government toll undertake to build
reservoirs and bitches. But, that each
state, or Wyoming at least. after it shall
have become the owner of all arid lands
within its borders, should build bitches
with which to bring the now almost
worthless land under cultivation, and then
sell the land in small quantities to actual
settlers on long time at a low rate OF in
terest. This he belives. would be better
to the settlers and the state than cash
sales, as the settler could start with little
money, and the interest from the sales,
he believes, would in a few years pay the
expenses OF a sta'e government.
Work is progressing on the big canal.
which is to take the water from the Big
Sandy river, near TIE mouth OF the Little
Sandy, Tor the purpose of irrigating sew.
eral thousand acres IN that vicinity. This
is the canal originally located by the
Mammoth Canal company and later by
Judge Jesse Knight, John W. Ward and
others, and it is expected by some that
trouble will be experienced in regard to
titles. Arrangements have been made,
it is said. to locate 300 Mormon families
on these lands in the spring.
Mr.. j. Lewis has rented VIM. John
sons building, formerly occupied by the
Morris Mercantile company, and will
move his stock of goods into it in A few
days.
Work has commenced on Billy Powelrs
new residence,
Ice in Green River is two feet thick in
places. Jones & Louder have a contract
to furnish Salt Lake parties with a thous-
and tons of 1t. They are working sixteen
men and ten teams and will soon finish
the contract.
DIR. Benson has retained from Bryan,
where he made a professional call 1t
was a girl and the parents. Mr.. and Mrs.
W. B. Tanner, are doing well.
DR.. Benson, the company doctor here.
says he will soon form an Ambulance
class" among the railroad men. He will
give free lectures once a week and vi
endeavor to teach the class enough OF
medicine and surgical science so that in
case of an accident on the road, or any
place where the services of a physician
cannot be Immediately secured, fellow
workmen may be able to take the best
possible care of each other. The idea
originated, DR.. Benson says, " Il Prof.
Esmark. of KEEL. Germany, under whom
he took lectures for a year. and has been
carried out there to the exteut that every
man in the German army and navy now
is, In case of necessity. u very good
physician. If the doctor succeeds in
getting enough railroad men interested
and is successful with his class, he will,
he says, write to DR.. Pfeitfer, the Union
Pacific chief surgeon, at Denver and sug-
gest that all company doctors be re
quested to form classes OF tins kind. DR..
Benson certainly deserves great credit for
making a SAT- IN the right direction and
it is to be hoped thst he will be success
iul in his efforts.
The World Enriched.
Tie facilities of the present day for Il.
production of everything that will ca:
dice 10 the material welfare nnd coml5r