The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-02-08

~ y SN1k s" Wv W" WIZ
OF tho annual water rental 1t would DO
$40 o. per aero. Tho average valuation
Of this samo land, including improve.
ments. was SiS Us por acre.
These ranclIrp.uoar Yuma, Of which l
speak, vera takun up under tho desert
land net. They are hold now ut 500
por acre. | am informed that ~irrlgablc
land around Riyuraide, ReJiauls and
similar places In Western California. IN
II state Of cultivation comparable to
these Yuma lands, IL hold ut $500 to Si00
per mere. TlIOro 10 something IN u natno
after all. you 500. | have boou talking
about Arizona irrigation. A worry dit.
ioront and, II 10 claimed, n far simpler
irrigation problem Is In procoas Of solu'
ton ON the opposite slide Of tho river
from Yuma, In California There lea
tho Colorado Desert" stretching out to
tho south aud west, into Lower Caliior.
mia (Mcxico) on tho south and TO tho
Coast Range OF mountains on tho west,
comprising soma 1000, 900 acres Of tori.
tory within tho bounds mentioned. Tho
Southern Pacific rond passes through
this desert. mud, like all tho overland
roads, lays claim to eyoty alternate sec.
ton Of land bordering OH it, track. The
government owns tho roat, all Of 1t open
TO settlement. Directly opposite the
town Of Yuma. lying along tho river Is
The reservation OF tho Yuma Indians.
about 1900 acres In extent. At the last
session Of Congress two bills became
lava; nj giving to tho Colorado River
Irrigation Company the right OF WHY for
Its canal through this Indian roserya.
ton, the other throwing open tho regsr-
walton TO survey and settlement. The
irrigation problem spoken OF refers pri.
marily TO these two bodies OF land.
LARGEST iEHIGATISG CANAL IN THE WORLD.
Starting at tho northern end OF the
reservation, whore q sufficient elevation
Is attninablc, and where the water can
be taken from tho river BY hoadgates
instead OF dams. the company In Ques.
ton has surveyed u route for n gravity
canal down through tho entire length
OF tho reservation and thence out onto
desert. the canal dividing at the en-.
trance to the desert and skirting both
edges in order that the pitch OF tho land
hbHt w HNAliLVu Al tASI ulltCtlull. 1IU
total length OF the canal as surveyed is
about 200 miles. its breadth l56 feet AND
the depth of water to be carried 10 feet;
in other words, the largest irrigating
canal in the world. Work Is now in
progress on the heading.
You will readily perceive that such an
enterprise partakes oil the nature OF the
gigantic. Such indeed it does; and yet
1t has not boon undertaken hastily nor
without a prope. study OF all the feat
ures involved. AS q matter OF fact the
enterprise Is not by any means Il new
one. Thirty years ago ii was preached,
aud the state OF California proposed TO
give to the promoter the entire body OF
land If he would irrigate it and the
government would transfer title to II to
the state. Tho government failed to
make the transfer, aud the scheme fell
through. This present; company pro.
poscs nothing OF tha, kind. It's aim is
simply to dispose OF water.rights and
rentals to settlers on the land which it
covers, believing that there Is ample
remuneration in that for any legitimate
enterprise. 1t is going ahead on that
eS'" SNhhPSkShh CuSiiCoib uhNc ilhN6
the plans necessary for the canal, the
soil is ready and waiting.
II COLORADO DESERT.
l spoke OF camping out on the deser.
at thi, time OF year. In company with
some gentlemen interested in the canal
enterprise l have ialoly been over al.
most all OF the territory involved; have
seen what they propose 10 do and how
they propose to do it We traversed
country where it Is said that not Il
dozen white men, outside OF the survey-
ing party and an occasional cattle
herder, had ever previously been. l
have seen the far-iamed No. ! hard
wheat country OF tho Dakotas and a
goodly number Of other tracts in various
parts Of the United States noted for
their richness OF so:l and salubri,y of
climate, but l Rn sure that | never saw
anything like the unendiDg IN lies Of
this so'callcd desert. | had thought
alter going over the bottom lands OF tho
Indian reservation. which will be
thrown open TO settlement, that it
would be difficult to find soil which ap-
peared TO be castor OF cultivation or
more likeiy 10 give abundant returns
to the %cultivato<. | was undeceiyed bv
this desert panorama. Imagine a great
plain ninety miles long by forty
miles wide, stretching from ono
mountain range 10 another, from
the San Bernardinos on the
east to the San Jacin,os IA branch OF
tho Coast Rangc) on tho west, in shape
ike n big platter, the interior portion
depressed just enough to allow Of the
downward flow OF water from the cana,
lines running along the edges, under
the lee OF tho foothills. Across this
plain wo drove for days. not a hill, nor
a stone In sight, tho land trcndinc
away to the horizon, with only an &C.
caslonal ciunp OF mesquite trees to
break the monotony, the surface as even
rs n floor, and, wherever a little mois.
ture remained from some long.passed
shower. carpeted with Il thick growth
OF rank srnssos. Hero and there rains
on tho mountains and foothills had
sent down streams OF water which hud
iurrowod their way through the plain
seeking larger water courses. Down tho
sides OF these gnllies, the black soil
showed to tho bottoms without a
change; and it was In crossing QUO OF
the larger ones, tho dry bod OF the Car.
ter rlvor, that VIC measured tho depth
OF the deposit, and found 1t to be, as I
have stated; twenty feet.
such was tho desert MS wo saw it. II
il so named, l suppose, because there is
no water upon 1t. Certainly ,horo is no
sand. simply tho deep, fno loan that
needs only tho touch OF water to quick
on 1t into lille. l should like to 20 moro
into dctails concerning this rather uu.