El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-24
IRRIGATION
Opens An Opportunity For Dis
play OF American Craftsmanship
The Oriental System-Impor-
lance sOf Stopping the Floods
Doinfpd 0frf

pointed Out.
Special Correspondence OF the HERALD.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20.-Water
storage for the reclamation of arid
lands was subject recently discussed
in q lecture by Frederick b. Newell,
the irrigation expert of the geological
survey. Mr.. Newell has proba bly,
made as close study of the subject of
irrigation as any man in the country
and he views the question from a very
broad stsnipoint, having reached his
conclusions after traversing nearly
every foot of the great west and observ-
ing the operation of different irriga-
ton systems and the effect of various
stste and local laws and regulations.
Expansion of TERRITORY, externally,
he says, is distracting attention from
problems equally as great, If not more
i'm portant, namely those of the extern
sion of agricultural areas and the utili-
zation of mineral resources we'll with
in the limits. of the United States.
There Is an ample field for statesman
ship in directing the utilization of I'M
touched opportunities, since we still
have one-third of our entire country
existing as vacant public land, rich in
possibilities. AS an instance, fully
nine-tenths of the vast extent of Ari-
IONA, Nevada and adjacent areas re-
main in the hands of the general gov
eminent Much of the soil is highly
productive under irrigation, while the
nfofn
mineral wealth which can profitably
BIZ developed when labor and easy
transpor tstion can be had.
The west is full of great mining DOS
sibilities. What are needed for fair
development are good transportation
and good labor. Both OF these items
are today in many sections beyond all
reasonable expense. Why? Because
the situations are arid, the country
supports no population of its own, and
as everyt thing must be transported at
tremendous cost, labor brought in de-
mands immense wages. Give such
sections water for irrigation. and the
valleys would be settled by farmers,
living for the miners would be cheap,
the railroads would follow
a staple agricultural community, and
would be reduced. The
keystone of western progress is water,
and the construction of storage basins
to save the water.
In the tiny Asiatic province of Amara
are found on a small scale some CT the
TENS in existence and ir-
rigation there has been practic-
ed since the world was young. Every
thing in the little state Is on Lillipu-
tian basis. The country naturally is
cut up into small foothills with cor
ly intensive. Nature has cut out many |
small canyons and stone and earthen |
dams have been constructed cross |
them. forming storage lakes which |
catch the rains and hold them to later !
water the thirsty soil of the fertile |
little valleys below, where the precious
fluid is led through small distributing
canals. The rainfall is not many in
,hes, but on the uplands the Turkestan
alfalfa and drouth resisting vetches
ire grown experimenting the crops of
The valleys and furnishing forage for
The ponies and the broad tailed sheep.
From 1858 down to the present day,
aid Governor McCord, of Arizona, in J
! recent address, the officers of the
United States engineer corps have been
advocating the building OF reservoirs
% q means of protection, and not for
he purpose of irrigation. They have
laimed that the only way to regulate
he volume of water and prevent the
destruction of property, If not
+ life, was to control the flow of water
came. They have claimed that it
7as practicable to impound the waters
n spring-time, when the rains come
nd the snow melts, and allow it to
scspe gradually, ms tead of in great,
foods. Now, the advance
1ent of civilization has made the con-
ervation of these waters not only val
able but necessary for agricultural
imposes. |!
The indiscrfminate construction of
for holding food waters has
4 the past and will again lead to
rouble, vexation, and great loss. IT
without due regard to the
lture, it will frequently happen that
ieher up the catchment area other
Enterprises will be undertaken which
ill prevent the filing of the lower re-
srvoir, render 1t useless, and destroy
ae value of the lands below. By gov