The Waco evening news. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 1891-1894, 1892-01-25
ABOUT IRRIGATION,
Report OF Colonel Edward :. NettIeto
Chief Engineer.


Chief Engineer.
NEW YORK, Jan. 25.-The Times has
the following special;
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25.-Colonel Ed
win s. Nettleton, chief engineer of the
irrigation investigation, has completed
his report on the seasons work. His
commission having expired, he is now
out of the service of the government and
his staff has been disbanded till congress
passes some of the bills which have been
introduced.
Colonel Nettleton's investigations EN-
braced a strip of country from the Mani
toba line to the Gulf of Mexico, and
from Minnesota to the Pacific coast III,
declares that the artesian basin of til.
James river valley is the largest eve,
discovered. While it underlies thai
valley from one end to the other, it eX.
tends far beyond the west side ana
covers altogether about 10000 square
miles, OF "a body larger than the state OF
Ohio. The truth of this is fully estab-
llshed by the character of wells thai
have been drilled in all parts of the basin
and on either side of it. The artesial
rock of that immense basin tips to the
north, though the pitch is not continual.
The water is struck at depth of from
500 to 900 feet at Yankton, or along the
northern lines of Nebraska and at 1900
to 1850 feet at Devils lake in North
Dakota and between that place and tbs
Manitoba limo Tho 1Df+p,,, ,Nr& L.,
at Devils lake is 1920 feet from the SIR
face and AZ feet below the level of the
sea. The Yankton well is 1900 feet
above the sea level. The bottom is GA
feet above sea level The dip of the ar.
teslan rock from Yankton to Devils lake
Is thus shown to be about 700 feet.
The opinion prevails that the basin
lies wholly between the Missouri and
Red rivers but Prof. Nettleton dissi
pates that notion. 1t is demonstrated
that the eastern line of the great reser.
voir is west of the Minnesota boundary,
but 1t extends long distance west of
the Missouri river The same body of
water is struck at Mandan, Chamber.
lin, and at points almost as far west a.
Deadwood. 1t can be reached any.
where in the Costeaus or Bad Lands.
The Red river valley, between Fargo
and the Manitoba line, now has between
400 and 500 drift wells. By this system
flow of water is obtained by drilling
on an average about 200 feet. The sup,
ply is inexhaustible, but the flow is
nothing like that of the artesian basin to
the west. The water which the Red
river valley people are obtaining is car
ried between layers of rock and clay
which pitch to the eastward. While the
same water can be found as far west as
the James river and even beyond, it re.
qulres the depression of the Red river
valley to make it available. From 427
of those Red river valley wells there is a
constant flow of 1885 gallons per minute,
an amount sufficient to cover twenty
acres to depth of foot in twenty-foui
hours. The professor is an enthusiast
on the subject of irrigation, and advises
all farmers to use it, even if they can do
no better than to employ a cheap wind.
mill in ordinary wells for the irrigation
OF truck gardens. He says that every
farmer ON the prairies should store the
surplus water. The point is that irriga
ton, even on the smallest scale, is i'm.
portant.