The San Francisco call., 1899-09-29
STORAGE OF FLOOD WATERS

average rainfall OF any decade is undninished, but
the water IS wasted It irrigates no fields orchards
or vineyards It turns wheel, supplies no mine
creates no wealth. With potentiality capable OF
imrneasurable multiplication of the States wealth, OF
increasing its homes raising the products OF agri
culture, horticulture and pasture to vast volume
and OF keeping every gine in action every day in the
year this water waste and destroys as it goes
One is amazed at the spectacle Principalites OF
land lie idle or yield crops uncertainty for lack of
water Mines employing thousands OF men, yielding
millions OF gold and furnishing near and ready mar
ket Tor food products the land would raise are idle
more than half the year for lack OF water.
At the same time, every year, trillions OF cubic
Yards OF the needed water run uselessly down the
mountains food the valleys and are lost in the sea!
For long time there has existed 4 movement based
on the hope that the Federal Government could be
induced TO mpound this wasted water and distribute
it for Use But the Federal Government has many
calls upon it Those which are answered are such as
interest that part OF the Union where its political
power lies.
There are nine States in which this waste OF water
is vital matter They are California, Colorado,
Idaho. Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah. Washing
ton and Wyoming. But they are represented in Con-
gress bv only thirtysx Senators and Representatives
against All for the rest OF the Union and have
total population OF only 28I4,4o2, against 598o704o
Tor the States not directly concerned The center OF
population in 1900 was twenty miles east OF Colum-
bus Indiana nearly three thousand miles from Ban
Francisco A study OF these statistics reveals the
hopeessness OF further appeal to the Federal Govern
ment for money to save food waters tor the oenen1
OF our industries The Irrigation Congress, lnaugur
aed several years ago at Salt Lake and still IN ex
istence has from the first prayed toward Washington
as the Mecca where our salvation lies but without re-
rie, (olTt TtOTr1ra 2
must cease invoking the gods and put her own
shoulder to the wheel The Federal Government has
surveyed number OF reservoir sites in this State
where food waters may be impounded and thence
distributed A movement has been for some months
on foot to secure State action. This is to be in the
form OF an issue OF bonds build these reservoirs and
provide distribution OF the 70 the canals and
bitches already prepared to be prepared For the
wafer and the States share in its distribution price
is to be charged which will meet the interest on the
bonds and provide sinking fund against maturity OF
the principal When the revenues OF the plant have
paid its cost the State will the users OF the water
on scale that viii pay the cost OF maintenance only
The bonds then will be guaranteed by the State and
secured on the water property which they create An
inspection OF the rainfall tables for fifty years, pre-
pared by Mr. w H Mills will show that with such
system in action California will never know
drought OF all our rainfall and moisture only about
per cent is saved in the normal flow OF streams to
be available for irrigation mining and other economic
uses As our mountains are stripped OF their timber
this percentage will grow less for the rainfall
more Immediately into the streams, which become tor
rents for the time and is lost while ardity increases
in the foothills and valleys, and mining is impeded
more and more for lack OF water.
With storage system in operation, the normal
flow OF the streams now in use would not be inter
i, = 4
be stored It's inconcevaby vast quantity would not
only bring into action millions of acres now idle,
keeping them steadily productive but in dry seasons
would supplement the essened normal flow of the
streams and keep the whole irrigable OF the
valleys and foothills in full production and unlimited
fruitfuness The project is easily possible 1t IS
practical 1t is necessary. One has to go outside
OF all practical and feasible and economic considera
tons to find any objection to it All admit its de-
STABILITY, and none object to the Federal Govern
rpent doing it. That being impossible because OF the
political power OF population that is either ndiffer-
ent or has adverse interests to stand and dry
up in our tracks, desicCated monument to stub
born determination not to help ourselves?
When a convention is held to consider this subject
and formulate plans effect this purpose hope
that banking and business circles will be reused to
their interest in common with the miner, the agricul
turist horticulturist and lumberman, without whom
there can be neither banks nor business.
Further appeal for Federal money is useless.
Federal department has been beseeched in vain to
give us the very inexpensive help OF observation sta
tons of the signal service, the Aleutan archi-
pelago that we might be notified when by DETECTION
OF its course the Japan current parts with its warmth
and moisture in Bering Sea, and reaches under
-evaporating conditions producing dry season.
But our prayer fell upon deaf ears while the de-
partrnent secured from Congress all the money
needed to put stations all the West Indian islands
in order to the shipping on the Atlantic
board Of the hurricanes which destroy it. That
! necessary and we make complaint, but why should
much less be refused to us? When decide to pro-
tect ourselves by providing water that enables
defy the seasons, will no longer need to impore
assistance at source that is Indifferent antagon-
istic
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It is announced that Dan Burns, for the sake OF
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