The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1894-03-24
THE KIMBALL GRAPHIC
CLATE r. TINAN.
Tie Official Paper of Bruls County.

CLAIE Il. llNAN.
The Official Paper Of Bfuls County.
Capt. curtiss' scheme.
Capt. w. H. Curtiss. who has been
spending the winter at Plainyille, Kan.
sas, has employed some Of his spare time
In writing communication to the Sioux
Falls Argus Leader on artssian we'll irri-
cation. The Captains views on this
matter are well known to the GRAPHIC,
for lie has sat by the hour in this Office
and expressed them.
1t is worthy Of note, perhaps, that the
first articles to appear in the press OF this
state on general use Of artesian wells
were written by Capt. Curtlss and appear
ed In the GRAPHIC.
At that time the Captain confined
himself to advocating putting down the
wells as rapidly rs possible-if not in
one way in some other-and referred
more particularly to counties and town
ships. In his articles to the Argus-Lead-
er the Captain gives his ideas on q sys
tenn Of irrigation by individuals. After
pointing out the great loss to the slate
during the past six or eight years through
partial crop failures in certain localities
he suggests way in which every ia, M
or can have an artesian we'll OF his own.
The Captains plan. in briefs for the
state to borrow a million dollars or go
which he thinks it can do at three or
four per cent t-and then loan the money
at the same rate to farmers for artcsian
we'll purposes. the state taking q lien on
the land, which shall have prior right
over all others. the loan to be paid back
in small annual payments.
Capt. Curtiss' scheme is very pretty
one, but there are MANY reasons why it is
not practical, saying nothing of its in
tense paternalism, which in itself is
enough to kill 1t. Granting that that
portion Of the state outside Of the artcsian
belt would consent to state aid which is
extremely improbable, for there would
be more or less loss to the state, Of which
the said portion would have to pay its
share -artesian we'll drilling has not yet
reached that state OF perfection to war
rant a general and indiscriminate use of
private funds for artesian wells. No bet
ter evidence OF this Is needed than the
fact that among all the artesian we'll
drillers in the state not one will contract
to furnish an artesian we'll at any reason-
able price * they will at all. They will
contract to, Nll hole SO many feet in
depth of csftain size, thst is all. They
will not as vet guarantee certain
amount ol water, in fact, they will not
guarantee anything. Before the state
would advance sufficient funds to an in
dividual for artesian we'll purposes it
would require some assurance OF a return
of the loan. At the present time no
farmer could do that, for in event OF fail
ure to secure satisfactory well it would
be impossible to pay either interest or
principal, the farmer would lose his farm,
and the state would have it on its hands.
Othersm more successful on the start, per
haps, might make irrigation total
failure, for it requires much knowledge
and experience to irrlgate.
The state is Young yet. The artesian
wells are younger still. We as yet know
but little OF the artesian basin and still
less of irrigation possibilities. Iniivid-
uals are not wanting and capital is not
lacking to utilize to the utmost the water
below us when Its best and most practic-
able uses have been fully determined.
At present We are in the experimental
stage. When It shall have been learned
that artesian we'll irrigation is all that
Capt. Curtiss claims for it; tina. all that
Is necessary to launch farmer on the
road to wealth and prosperity is a 1000
foot hole Oh his farm. plenty Of money
will be forthcoming indepedent Of the
state.