The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1899-03-23
IRRIGATION SENTIMENT cRYs.
TALLIZING.
Government Construction OF Res.
ervoips the Only Practical
Method.

The session of Congress just closed
showed more live, practical interest IN
/ irrigation work for the West than any
previous Congress in history, and tap
pears to be fact that public men are
waking up to the possibilities OF devil
oping the West through this means,
and also that the development of the
Wsst will benefit every eastern interest.
Although the attempt to secure IA gov
nmental appropd lton for the build
ING of reservoirs was finally defeated,
vet the Senate, by its vote, has commit
ted itself in favor OF the policy, and the
light for the recognition of western
rights will be vigorously prosecuted in
the next Congress Moreover, some
very interesting facts have beenbrought
to light upon the subject in the Senate
and House and eastern men have learned
IA good deal about irrigation.
1t may not be generally known that
over two hundred reservoir sites have
been surveyed and described by the
Geological Survey. Years ago, when
the uestiOn Of reservoir sites for irri-
CATION purposes was being first gener-
| ,lly agitated, Congress passed a law au-
| ,hOriZing the Government to reserve
rom settlement, sites suitable for res
srvoir purposes.
Although comparatively little has
Dtsen dom. in the construction OF reSer-
voirs by private enterprise and no Gov
ernment work whatever has been I'M
dertaken in thus line, yet the value OF
the surveys made and the withdrawal
of these sites from public entry against
the time when they will be utilized Us
reservoirs is apparent. Whether dams
are to be constructed by individuals, by
| States, or by the national Government,
the value of the knowledge arising from
these surveys is equally great. They
-nable each citizen to determine for
! himself where reservoir sites exist, and,
| in a general was, whether dam can
oe constructed to advantage. Although
| is stated, IA large number OF these sltss
have been accurately surveyed, In but
comparatively few instances have
dams been constructed and are reser-
voirs now supplying the needed water
TO lands under irrigation. his Is true
particularly of the more valuable OF the
| sites.
The one great demand of the western
half of the United States is for more
water during the times Of scarcity. This
has been particularly accentuated by
the droughts of 1898, when millions of
dollars were lost through lack of Ordi-
nary supply. Could these losses have
put into the form Of works for conserv-
ing flood water, they wOuld doubtless
l. ....,..tfH h.. Df all such tyAt u
such loses are far-reaching,, and they
Ire, moreover, of such character thai
only the community as u whole Is com
petent TO guard against them, indivi
dual or even corporate action not being
possible. Testimony generally, goes 10
show that the Government, either State
or National, must provide means by
which di asters of this kind, as well as
floods, may in the future be avoided.
Their control is not possible for the in
dividull.
The Government, too, is better con.
ditioned to build suitable and safe dars
than are individual, or private invest
ment enterprises. With an ample build
ing fund available the constructor wOuld
louk to stability ard thOroughness Of
work manship; if limited In capital he
would adopt the cheaper devices and as
sumo cert iin risk, with the thought
that from year to year the temporary
imperfections could be remedied, until
. time when the project became pay
ing one and ltrg r funds might be OBJ
tainable. In the first case he might,
and probably would, construct the Jam
of solid masonry; In the second. he
might make it of loose rock or even
largely of wood and dirt, with the in.
tention of renewing parts in five or ten
years, whenever portions of the mater.
al showed signs of decay. A cloud.
4 burst or general storm may send down
food of such dimensions as to I'LL Il g
! reservoir and oyertop the dam. wash
4 ing it away II of earth as was the ease
at the time OF the Johnstown Hood. The
/ Sweetwater dam OF Southern California
4 is an example of such substantial con-
struetion and practical indestructability
that wster can pour over the top with
out damage to it.
With Government construction, then,
dams would be assured which, while en-.
failing a greater original cost, would
from the first be safe, substantial, and
in the end prove cheaper than any pri-
vate or temporary work.