The Florence tribune., 1897-11-13
TIE wAgELs OF PROGRESS.
The State Of Arizona improvement Com
 pany Begins Operation.
Prom the Yuma seltinsl.l

 l Governor. AieCord returned Thurse y evening from trip to California on business connected with the Terri torial University, and stopped over m Yuma. He was busy all day yesterday completing the final details Of the prison labor contract with Pres deat Ives of the State of Arizona Improve ! snent Company an7 everything was ssf- ranged 10 the utmost saf faetl0r Vf a1l eaneernea ss 9agiets arc n5sv at ] the aisposaa ssssa m- I panysand active alerasisf ssill ls..els next Monday Tie Territory has se- cured the services of John D. Payne, a mln who has had years of experience in handling convict labor ia Kentucky and other States, having been for sey- eral years the trusted employed of Mason, Hege < O., the largest con tractors in the United States. The work will start with about forty men, under the supervision of Mr. Payne, l and eight or ten men will be added to the force each day as the work pro- gresses until every available man with in the prison walls is pressed into ser vice. It is thought advisab to take only small number of the desperate characters out at a time until the facilities for properly handling them are perfected.
 Senator Ives, when seen last evening by representative of the Sentinel, said: "I wish to State officially as President of this Company, that we will be prepared by the 18th of Feb ruary next to furnish water in abun- dance for irrigating purposes to all the settlers now between the mesa and the Colorado river, between Yuma and the Mexican line, or all who may desire to locate there
 4All anyone will have to do to get all the water desired is to notify the company before the middle of next liiDHNu OI bhS
 "The company will at once proceed to install pumping plant of sufficient capacity to serve with abundant water all who shah have ordered it
 T also wish to say, continued Mr. Ives, that will be pleased to meet ali the farmers f:l file Colorado liver valley next Saturday. November 1S. at o'clock D. m. at the court house in Yuma, for the purpose of arranging matters satisfactorily with them. hope at that time to explain the situ- ation so it will be thoroughly under stood by the patrons of the canal, and learn from them the amount of water required for the next year, which will give me basis for my future calcula- tions.
 "The present canal, which will be enlarged and extended to furnish an immediate water supply in the valley, will serve to meet the demands until the big canal is finished, when it will be advantageously utilized as lateral to the greater institution"
 G. Anderson, the expert maehinist in the employ of the Marion Steam Shovel Co.,, arrived from San Francisco Thurs day and began preparation this morn- ing for the construction of the barge on which will be erected the big steam shovel to be used in building the big canal. The barge will be built at the ship-yards here and lowed up the river to the heading of the canal, where the machinery will be placed in position ready for operation. Only small number of the convicts can be employed in the construction of the barge, as it will require mechanics who understand the work, the prisoners only being used as helpers. It will require six weeks or two months to get the big maehipe in readiness for making the 1 gravel fly