The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1899-07-14
Wonderful RiVersI
Work Of the Govern
ment to Deter
mine Flows.
IN the Interest Of Irrigation.

Pub documents arr not as Il rule
highly Interesting or exciting reading
asa general class OF lira,rrr, they are
viewed as dry and uureadable-good on
the shelves tn look 1T and ill out ihr H.
brary. but not for reading purposes.
Moreover they are mailed Tree Of postage
coming from Congressman and Senators,
and they cost neither the scndess nor the
rrcir nls anything. In other words. they
ar iree aud free Things are seldom con
sidered worth having Nevertheless.
there is many an interesting ard .nstruc-
tive fact, and sometimes almost fairy
tale. hidden away in the Old black cover
cd, official looking document.
a document which cannot be said to
come uad,r the dry class. but which. on
tn contrary. is full Of interesting photo
rfaphs OF western country. is this years
annual report Of the Geological Survey
on Irrigation. by Frederick Il. Newell,
the irrigation expert and Government
photographer. Mr. Newell and has force
have bern for u number Of years meas
urinr the flows of several rivers Of the
country, and his report tells the results Of
his work. These are interesting. Many
PERSONS living on the banks of q river all
their lives never know what the river is
capable of with its power utilized TO the
full extent. The question Is frequently
asked: What is the ordinary or regular
flow of a certain river? This question: is
st frs, sight simple enough, but is found
N he an extremely difficult one when an
examination is made Of the daily dis
charge as determined by the Government
Investigations II is seen that the tiuc-
,pations day by day and year by yea. are
so treat that the stream can scarcely be
sad 10 flow with any regularity at all.
For Instance, in the James river in Yir-
sinis. the first river known to the early
se,tlers. in January the stream has a f0w
ofonly shout 400 cubic feet per second
while in February it reaches over 10000
then running up and down aud in An
cust dropping to 20O or 800 feet pei
second.
The Ycllwstone, at Livingston. Mont.
which in the June rise discharges owe
95 GOO cubic feet per second tor, as it il
more briefly stated, 25,0O0 second feet
s,sduaHy drops down TO 1000 second fee
in August, 1900 in September, and 500 il
December.
The Laramie river, in Wyoming. whici
IL Nav discharges $500 second feet, drop
down to a mere brook of 5 or 10 secon
feet during the summer and fall month:
The North Platte river varies from
eow of q, 600 second feet tolcss then 50(
and the main Plates varies from 5000
seroud feet to less than LOCO.
The Arkansas. at Lawrence. Kansas
su,tuntes from the enormous volume {
$1,000 second feet. To 900 or 200 secon
f.er aud in other places becomes pc
fectly dry.
MAILER river which lows az times lloo
a1sbout 40, 200 feet while at others il run
only 500 or 600 feet. Ia fact, almost a
,be western rivers have this similar trai
A. certain periods OF the year, owing
beavv rains or melting snow, they are IA
inc torrents. wasting great quantities
later. aud often sweeping properyt befo
,hem 10 destruction. while at other st
ms thpy may be waded across by a chi
anuerhaps be enugelX dry.