The Delta independent., 1899-12-22
The cimarron Ditch.
Washington, ID. c., Nov. 80, i

washington, u. u, NOV. ~, 1888.
To the Editor of the Montrose Press
Replying to your query When and
how shall the Cimarron canal be com.
pleted,' would say it should be begun
early in 1900 by all means, beginning as
soon as the weather will I.ermit. l
should say that as soon as five or six
miles AT the upper end is survey ed, that
from ID to - teams should be orgauized
and kept at work constantly under
first class foreman who understands how
to move dirt sdvauiageously. Also, this
foreman should have full authority to
keep the time, decide as TO adequacy of
teams and drivers aud have general
control; that each man should furnish ii
good team and driver. with scrap-r and
should care for his own ,am and board
himself. and receive the cash value, III
stock of the company, for the work done
The time for debate has passed. There
will be many who will continue doubt
ing the advisabili'y or feasibility Of the
enterprise; such however has been the
case since the days Of "DoC bling Thorn
as" / hav? talked with engineers from
Gunnison who spent week in surveying
aud computing the cost Of this canal and
they told me that the matter OF throwing
the water over CeIro Ii al Is ,nsis nitcaui
con- pared with our rough estimates;
that il is all easy work and can be
crowded through without the expendi-
ture II much money and that the deliy
erug "f i~euty feel of water over the
summit would pay for The builciIg,
While We know that We can ket at least
three rliues this during low wafer and at
least one hunared feet du ing the time
When water is comparatively low. by
begin linl the first Of June with "a garg
OF teams and continuing until enow
fires. the ditch will be 81 far adganced
that ryb0dy wili waL, so.ie STOCK.
l. must not oe permitted o lag ;,s prob
,.Uiv there will be IA greatly increased
water supply during the next two or
.nree years. AS We have evidently had
during the last two years "a touch ot the
.e,.rnIned men enough in Monirose
county 10 build this tiitch and It must
he bui!t at once. The people VI the
tusa OF Moutrosr, merchants and bust
ness men peIeraily should come up
promptly and take "a reasonable amount
of stock ia this and assist in pushing it
through early. The stnca Will always
be above par after aater Is obtained.
ard If well managed. il Will be hrs;
class investment, in addition to tbe
general benefit To the community. 1t
would be "A good inusiin-nt to the
business men OF Mon.rose. even though
t!ey got no direct retur.s irom III, ir
stock. in the general increase IN pOpu-
latioo and trade. A few years ag,, the
stock in the Ironstone and Hvluerun
aud other bitches from the Upcompah-
gre could be bought for almost any
price. Now II is practically impossible
10 get stock in these dit.hes at all. The
stock in The Ciuiarrpn canal @Ill he
infinitely better because one company
of ranchDen aud stock growers wiiI own
and control the whole thing. Whenever
there is ris. in the river ihey will get
the beuetit of the whole rise. When
thcr. is scarcity of water they cn 50
rotate and manage 1t us To make IL do
from twice to three times the servics
that can be obtained from water from
other stream OF the county where nu-
merous bitches hold conflicting interests
and mnst have some at all times even
though seepage and evaporation con-
same the most of it.
Yours. very truly.
John g. Bell.