Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-02-07

compared with the wor derful results
to De obtained.
The Missouri river. as it flows
through this state, is a stream from a
third OF a mile to a mile Ia width and
thirty to forty feet in depth, dividing
the state in the middle. Each spring,
when the rising sun melts the snow
on the Rockies, the river rises, 1.-THE
June RISE" as it Is called. being from
twenty to forty feet and o sading
the stream out to double its natural
width and rolling 1t along at a rate Of
about sever miles per hour. This vast
volume OF water at present rolls away
to the sea, doing no good to anyone.
The thirsty plans to the a s OF 1t
and fully one hundred feet bslOw it
in altitude, fields which a very small
part of this water would render the
richest on the globe, are often burned
up with the drOuth at the very time
when the towns along the river are
protecting themselves against floods.
The believes that a part Of
this wasted moisture can be readily
made 10 irrigate the state, and his bill
is the first step In that direction.
The Missouri river is fully one hun
dred feet above the Jim, which lies q
hundred miles to the eastward and
which is a small and sluggish stream,
flowing but part Of the year and con
tanning too little water to be Of much
service, in any direction. Bluffs OF
considerable height border the Mis-
sour, and these have heretofore pre-
vented any serious contemplation OF
the present project. These bluffs
follow the river for hundreds of miles
up the stream and they maintain q
fairly even height. 1t is stated, how
ever, that bet this city and the
capital OF North Dakota, which lies
about two hundred miles north, there
is a depression which reduces the
divide to less than a hundred feet.
This is the point which the commits
sion appointed under the bill Is ex-
pected To find. The bill provides that
the governor shall appoint three per-
sions thoroughly familiar with the
Topography Of the state, and compe-
tent engineers, who shall make a care
full examination OF this bluff and
ascertain il artificial canals ear be
made to divert the waters at the time
of the June rise owe from the valley
Of the Missouri river to that Of the
Jim and distribute them upon the
"a liz vi tHc tNCIly SCutlhi SOub-
ties. The possibilities Of the project
are made evident by a short tussle
with mathematics. During the food
period the river will average half a
mile in width and the depth is at least
twenty feet greater than usual, even
in the driest season, while the flow IS
at least seven miles per hour. Thus a
volume of wafer two billion cubic feet
in extent flows by a given spot in each
hour. This would could cover seventy
square miles Il a depth of II foot.
n inc hours of this flow would cover a
county and a week would cover the
entire valley Of the Jim-twenty coun-
ties in extent.
The feasibility of the project has
been argued at length, but the senator
stoutly maintains t!ist there would bs
no question OF that. His theory is
that by going up the river far enough,
possibly 10 the latitude of Bismarck,
a canal could be led along the bluffs,
which would constantly climb as the
river fell, and would at last reach the
height OF land and from there could
be spread at will over the plains be-
low. The Missouri at the latitude of
Bismarck is about two hundred feet
higher than at Pierre, and the differ
ence would enable the canal 10 climb
rapidly.
When the immensely Of the bene-
fits are considered the senator
believes that there would be
no difficulty in securing capital sufi-
Gent To put the scheme into prac-
teal operation. Even should it be
found desirable to cut a canal through
the bluffs, he thinks she costs could
easily I've met. At any rate he pro-.
poses that the state shall examine the
project and his bill p, opposes an appro-
priatlon TO see what there is in it. He
cites the experience Of California,
where nothing is thought Of going
fifty miles for a small stream and
carrying it at large expense down from
the mountains to the plains; he cannot
see why a similar plan is not feasible
here. where the soil is equal to that Of
any state and the china is as favor
able, the only lack being water. Even
that lack can be filled right at hand
without, he believes, great diff Guilty.