Arizona republican., 1899-10-23

nature of furnishing a water supply
for an urban or suburban population.
If the Salt River valley We're not in
habited. and the land was still public
domain. it is improbable that a water
storage proposition could be made to
pay; but with large canals already
built and thousands of acres needing
water, the conditions are obviously
very different It is the first condition
concerning which 1 have written and
spoken, being the one which confronts
the general public and congress IN its
efforts for the reclamation of the va
cant arid land.
In company with Mr.. James D.
Schuyler and Mr.. ]. B. Lippincott. T
visited the Tonic Basin and dam site.
and was greatly impressed with the
physical conditions. The only unset
tied question apparently is the depth
OF bedrock and if it is found to be fav-
orabIe. it is evident that you will have
one of the most attractive enterprises
for water storage in the entire south
west. l hope that you will have no
difficulty in securing the necessary
capital for starting this important
work which, from its magnitude is Of
concern not only to your company. but
10 the public in general
Very truly yours.
F. H. NEWELL,
photographer"
I think that Mr.. Newell could have
gone further without injustice to his,
own position. He could have said that
the conditions prevailing in Arizona
are such that any Arizona reservoir
having an adequate water supply
would pay Reasonable Seturns on the
investment, because the demand here
for lands With water is so great that
there would be an almost jhstant set
tlement of any lands sure TO be water
ed. While the quick retuEns from land
reclaimed in this territory would en-
able the reservoir to /meet its interest
charges almost FROM the outset
The Tonic Reservoir as now pro-
posed will have "a capacity of 10000
acre-feet. which we estimate will be
amply sufficient, experimenting the
present fiowage in the canals. to fully
irrigate all fhe 100000 acres now avail
able under those canals, and probably
300. 900 acres additional now lying va
cant. But. first of all, the actual needs
Of th9 existing canals on each side of
the river will be supplied, whatever
tn8se needs may be. AS you will see.
this is far short of the millions of
acres estimated by some people as ir-
rigable from this reservoir. but the
facts are good enough. The construc-
ton of the Tonic reservoir will mark
an era in the history of the territory. |
and from the completion or the work
viii date the unimpeded prosperity of !
the most favored section of the west. !
1t Will end for all time the litigation (
over water. 1t will make Phoenix 4 !
second Los Angeles. 1t will make the /
Salt River valley a teeming coIhmu- I
nifty of progressive Americans-and it I!
Will make Arizona a state.
In other subject are the people I
Of Arizona so intensely interested as
in storage. In the conservation Of the /
flood waters Of this territory lies the /
main hope of the people in building
here great and prosperous state. This .
hope is fully justified by the facts, AMI
as already stated, the facts are good I
enough, and it is to be regretted that
much INSTRUMENTATION is disseminated
BY those who have given a superficial