The Helena independent., 1893-12-24

fertile valley OF Fayoum and cannl
Leading the high waters of the Nile into
II. This RESERVOIR wns fourteen miles
long and eleven miles wide, or an aroa
of 4s0000OO0 squire yards. Tho west
and north sides OF this reservoir were
artificial embankments sometimes solid
masonry forty feet high, which speaks
we'll FOR the skill OF Amenemha's engi-
neers. These embankments, some
twenty miles long, have stood the test
q the ngea and formed permanent
lake; while email reservoirs built in our
day often burst their barriers with most
disastrous results to life and property,
And yet some put these Egyptian en-
gineers away anterior to tho civilized
ages. Perhaps the stone age, for they
built the most durable stone structures
pyramids, temples and reservoirs.
But such grand W. rks undertaken by
such people, to make Egypt tho gran
AIRY of the ancient world, should cer-
tainly spur us up to the necessity OF ir-
rigating enough OF our fertile lands to
raise our own "5read and butter" at
least.
Montana has as much and as fertile
arabic land as Egypt; and as much
water better located to irrigate it; but
Egypt has one advantage over Montana.
The waters OF the Nile spread a coating
OF rich fertilizers over considerable
portion OF its soil every year; still our
Ea1I ~ f,,.ho 81 fhs,N Ia
But Montana needs irrigation as much
as Egypt; and the difficulties to be over
come in irrigating our lands are hun
dred fold greater than in Egypt, where
there are but two sources of water-one
river and artesian wells. For we have q
hundred streams and many obs. .sucting
mountains and some areas Of urtesian
water; so that instead of few large res
ervoirs we must have many smaller ones.
It is true we have many valleys like the
Fayoum in Egypt where We could con-
struct reservoirs as large as Moers,
whsch would hold water enough to irri-
gate quarter Of the state. But the
surface of the state is so irregular and
has SO many mountain barriers, that
such vast reservoirs cannot be used here
with advantage.
The Prickly Pear valley would make q
reservoir but little larger than the
Moeris; and it could be made at much
less expense as it has natural walls on
all sides, with a gap or two to be filled
This valley, however, is occupied and we
have no Amenomhat to drive the settlers
out.
There are two other valleys be-
tween the Prckly Pear aud the Three
Forks, which which could be immense
reservoirs at comparative small expense;
but to the. we find the same objections.
There is, however, a locality on the
Upper Yellowstone, in the National
park, where reservoir could be con-
structed at small expense and with suf-
ticient capacity to irrigate the whole
valley OF tho Yellowstone. and the lower
valleys of the Big Horn, Tongue and
Powder rivers. This reservoir would
occupy place in the north of the park
destitute of any special attractions and
never visited by tourists. And besides,
it would make beautiful sheet of
water, second Yellowstone lake on a
smaller scale, but near the Mammoth
Hot Springs-only a.pleasant drive from
this principal caravausary of the Ma
tional park.
Itwould pay the government to make
this reservoir as matter of improve
ment to the park. Tho filling of mar
row canyon above Gardiner would make
beautiful lake some fifteen miles long,
covering country now unoccuped and
surrounded by mountains; and which
has no prospect OF subscribing any more
useful purpose. Its waters would make
the Yellowstone valley the granary-the
Egypt Of Montana, and fill it with a
most desirable rural population.