Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-09-12

Avk~s "a SECURING NosAVM@A A~os
tion 90 Help I'm the Enterprise
Senators and Representatives Will
be Called Upon to Urge the Scheme
In Congress.
Think Of an artificial lake of water
high up on the crest OF the continent,
I,26O feet above the flight of seagulls.
where Is to be stored for irrigation pur-
poses during the dry months i0.sit.-
10000 cubic feet OF water--a lake ten
miles in length, three miles in width.
$50 feet In maximum depth. "a feet In
mean depth, and covering 1851 acres
of land with water deep enough TO
float an ocean steamer-a deep, wide
and long enough 10 irrigate 400 UOO
acres OF desert land and thus make
homes OF plenty. where 2,Sl2 farmers
may each dwell upon loo acres of per-
petually watered land and never give
a single thought to rain This Is the
big reservoir that the people of The
West propose to build on the Laramie
plains in Wyoming.
IL Is said TO be the greatest irrigation
project ever evolved. and the arid West
is united upon 1t. Western Senators
and Representatives have been advised
by their constituents TO assemble at the
next Congress fortified with enough
reasons to convince the Government
that 1t is its duty TO render substantial
aid to the enterprise. The West VIII
do its part in the way of State appro-
priations and private subscriptions.
In the building of this gigantic reser-
voIr II is proposed to divert the surplus
waters of the Big and Little I.armarie
rivers, and store them away in a nat
ural depression known as the Big Hoi-
low, the northeast end of which is I'VE
miles west of Laramie City. rhe lie
preston lies between the Big and Lit
tie Laramie rivers IN the Laramie
plains. The surrounding land slopes
away from the rim of the basin IN all
directions, thus making il an admirable
place in which to store water for irri-
CATION purposes. The basin itself has
been formed by erosion and has no
outlet. Nature has walled 1t around
with rocks and no leak has been found
large enough to interfere with the stor-
ing of such an amount OF water.
In the Hood season when these noun
tain streams are deOouching their mad
waters upon the plains, thus dealing
disaster to the hopes OF the farmers
and ranchmen. it Is the intention to Ill
vert their entire surplus flow into the
big basin and there confine II until the
dry months. The ditch to supply the
reservoir with the waters OF the Big
Laramie River vii be nearly twenty
miles in length. hut through an easy
country for its construction. The ditch
from the Little Laramie will be much
shorter.
In the dry season II Is proposed to
draw the water from the reservoir
through a tunnel nj the northeast end
of the basin and discharge II again into
the Big Laramie River a short dis
lance below Laramie City. thus keep
ing the river well filed with water dur
ing season which has been usually
almost dry. The outlet ditch is to be
Ave miles long from the reservoir TO
the river. In its construction II will
be necessary to construct three-quar-
ters Of n mile through solid rock. In
driving this tunnel will be found the
burden of expense in carrying out the
project.
The Rig Laramie flows into the North
Platte River. and the waters mus
turned into Il would serve for irrga-
ton not only In eastern wyoming. Dut
also into the western part of Nebraska.
While the reservoir at Laramie Is the
largest. 1t is by no means the only one
that the West proposes 10 build. III Is
the purpose of the West to make the
Laramie reservoir trial proposition at
washington. and should national lesls-
lation be gained Its In favor then viii
the Government be told that 1t has L.
<.fl N ierll
be similarly reclaimed and subdned.
The West at present has number OF
great reservoirs either completed or in
view for immediate completion. The
following are among the most impor-
tant sites:
Laramie site, capacity 100000 acre
feet.
Sweetwater site. Wyoming, capacity
326,965 acre feet.
Piney Greek system consisting OF
three sites. Cloud Peak. Piney and
Lake DE Smet). capacity 10000 acre
feet.
south Platte site, Colorado, capacity
Al 800 acre feet.
Loveland site. Colorado (storing wa
ters from Big Thompson and Cache la
Poudre riyers), capacity 1914 acre
feet.
The function Of reservoirs is primari
ly industrial, but great stress is laid
upon the argument that the reservoir
will serve as possible amelioration OF
food conditions. Many of the greater
reservoir sites are along the headwa-
ters of the Missouri River and its trib-
utaries. and 1t Is claimed that when
these reservoirs are constructed they
will hold the surplus water in times
az annual floods and freshets and thus
nreyent food devastations along the