The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-06-01
Storage of Water.

I new comprising a third of the whole
| United States, and the subsequent in
crease of population and of all indus
J tries. is to a large extent dependent
/ possible. taking q year as a whole, to
i secure a greater IOunt than now eX-
lists, but it is possible to increase the
available supply many fold by saving
that portion which now goes to waste.
In order to increase the available
supply two methods are especially
prominent. The first is that of storage
of the floods or winter waters, and the
second is by running water from under
ground, or from streams from which il
cannot be taken by gravity. Pumping
/ is essentially the problem of the great
plains region, and to a less extent, for
many parts of the west.
The great advantage, or one of the
great advantages, of pumping water
for irrigation is that the man who
would develop a tract of land, or the
/ farmer who cultivases it, is practically
Independent. Most of the successful
pumping plants are and always will be
small and matters of individual con-
Germ. Pumping on a large scale, while
it will undoubtedly be done in many To-
calities, will. from the nature of the
case, never be as important as the rails
ing of water by small, cheap or home
made devices. A small pumping plant
can be installed by almost any farmer
or mechanic, and with a little ingenuity
and care can be made highly profitable.
If not successful the first time, it is ca
pable of indefinite modification and
change. A mistake made at the out
set does not ruin the whole enterprise,
as in the case of water storage.
Power of Pumping.
ssrrba r,o1var ,,cad for T,,,ronipo, water
is as varied as the kinds of machine.
In some localities horses or oxen are
successfully employed. and in others
various forms of motors operated by
gasoline or steam engines, by water
wheels or by other devices. The most
common source of power. and by far
the most important, is that from the
wind. This is particularly the case on
the great plains, where thousands, and
possibly millions of windmills, have
been or are about to be erected. The
power is sufficient for all purposes, and
the kind of mill and pump matters lit
tie, although in the long run the best
must be used. Every encouragement
should be given to the increase of small
pumping plants suited to local circum-
stances, for by the use of these farmers
learn quickly how to produce the best
results with the least amount of water.
come experienced and competent to
take up irrigation farming on a larger
scale.
1.-The Importance of water storage has
already been recognized by the congress
of the United States, but the efforts of
Senator Warren of Wyoming and other
western senators have not been as
strongly sustained as is necessary for
ultimate success. They must be con-
tinually and strongly backed by the
great commercial and transportation of
the country, as well as by the people at
large. IL the locations are wisely Sc
lected and. the structures are econom-
ically built, there is no doubt that stor-
age works Will return directly and in
directly their cost, and ultimately a
reasonable percentage on the invest
ment, especially if we take the increased
values of all taxable property. The
funds thus used, If appropriated by the
state or nation, will ultimately come