Phoenix weekly herald. [volume] (Phoenix, Maricopa County, Ariz. Territory) 1896-1899, 1896-07-09
THE WATER QUESTION.
a Solution offered by a Reader of
the Herald.

n solution Ohered by IL 2ader OK
the Herald.
EDITOR HERALD:
To go back and notice what hos Lap
pe0ed aud what has been done at this
tims will be in order so es to form some
conclusions as to what will be. In 1867
and 1868 q party or surveyors that we're
looking out a route for bhe Atlantic
and Pacific railroad passed through
northern Arizona. With this party was
q corps of scientific men, professors Of
note. Prof. Palmer, OF the Smithsonian
institute, was the professor of botany
There WIS also professor OF nineorol-
ogy and many other scientific men Of
note. When this party arrived at
Flagstaff, Williams, Walnut Greek and
Aztec Pass they cus large trees OF pine,
juniper, cedar, walnut and other tim
Der. They noticed the grain of wood.
They found trees that they esti-
mated TO be over two hundred years
old. In counting the grains they would
find from ten so fifteen grains of uniform
thickness then they would and two OF
three grains very thin and shrhnk, in
fact there would be two or three grains
10 one. The conclusion that this party
from ten to fifteen years, there was q
drowth and two or three years that but
little rain fell over the plateau or high
country in northern Arizona.
10 1866, 1867 and 1868 northern Ari-
IONA was rather dry and the Syringe
low. 10 1878, 1879, 1880 and 1881 there
was also q drowth, and so far 1896 has
been dry-so much so that ell stock
that was alive in northern Arizona has
been moved out. Springs have sill gone
dry and no grass has grown fer year
past. The present prospect for rain
is 40 rain. Water in the Salt River
Valley will soon be very scarce and no
remedy.
What is to te done? To build great
reservoirs on the tributaries of Salt
River or Verde will cost large sums of
money RDd there must be surplus of
rain or snow TO fill these reservoirs,
than they are liable to wash out and
ruin large tracts of land, besides loss of
life. The extra tax that would be
placed or water to pay for this reser-
voir water would ruin the farmer, and
at best there would be liable to be 8
short supply OF water at times.
Now the question ia asked, where is
the remedy?
On the Arizona canal there is a fall
of water l6 feet and if utilized woald
furnish one thousand horse power.
There are no dams to build, no tail race
to cut, a cheap she'd or house for shade,
and put ia pleos turbine water wheels,
attach dynsmos, generate a thousand
horse power of electricity, sink
wells along the Grand, Mari
copa aud Phoenix canals whore
water may be had in from twelve
to twenty feet, use the Centrifugal
pump, and pump the water into the
canals, the water will again sink to be
pumped up again. There will be. q
little loss in operation is all. A pump
that will require twenty-horse power to
drive should shrow 500 inches OF water
from 8 well twenty feet deep. The cost
of machinery. enough to I'll the three
bitches, ought not to be- 500 O00 One
nan can run the power snd one the
pump, SO here is the expense-two men
and say so cents a day for oil The
water wheels and pumps will be built
of steel, simple and durable. Why this
plan has not been carried out is a mys-
terry? Will some OF the kioksrs tell Us
through the HERALD why this plan will
not work and is not best? H.