The Florence tribune., 1900-08-04
od Indians and Industrious White Men Who Are Practically Destitute
 for Lack of Water.
Exceptionally Favorable Opportunity to Inaugurate the Mueh-talked- ofsystem of Federal Irri-
 gation.
LFrom tho Los Angelos Tlmes. Jnly lO.l

sSibilities in Arizona:
 The Gila River Indian reservation is hated about eighteen miles south of Phoe- t,t and extends along the Gila River for 0 tance of nearly fifty miles. Here are eted the Pima and Maricopa Indians to number of nearly five thousand, These Hans are known throughout the Terri v as good Indians They have always n peaeoiul n their habits and agricul- al or pastoral in their pursuits. They now eultivating the lands where the shlstorle races built the now-ruined Casa ande and its neighboring canals. Irriga- n has been practieed in this valley from 1hlstoric times. Many ancient Sitches can traced across the plain, showing evidences engineering skill, and testifying to the that large volumes of water were at time carried.
 The Pimas and Maricopas have been. til recently, Q self-sustaining nation. ey raise their crops of grain and corn -h skill equal to that of the whites Q settlers. setting the results which the In ms have produced, through the operation me desert land act, brought under culti- lon much land in the valley of the Gila, acent to this reservation. and have built enslve canals between Florence md the ioad station of Casa Grande. Under the 'vlsion of the United States law, all land IEht under the desprt-land net rnnS4 he de productive by the application of ter. In order to comply with the provis- of his Inv. the settler was compelled to Ne diversions from the Gila River at nts above the Indian reservation. Other ds were taken up under similar condi- ms on the upper portion of the Gila River. ase diversions by the whites quickly de- ved the Indians of their water supply. for the past i've years they have been on tnedesert without water for their fS and scarcely enough for their horses y are put III the position of either having teal, starve or be fed as public wards. i the government has been forced to issue ions to them and feed them as it does the Hers. Numerous, court decisions have n rendered establishing beyond com versy the fact that the Indian has the tJr and the better right to the water but whites have. maintained their water ply despite the dictates of the court. development of this newer civilization becone so extensive that to cut of its 5er supply would mean the desolation of ny thousands of acres of fine farms and haTds. Evidently, the situation is a fliffi- one, and the Indian Bureau is hard ssed for proper answer.
 in l5e5 an allotment of $500 was made m the appropriation for the Indian Office preliminary investigation of the avail water supply for these Indians. Mir. yell was instructed to make this investi- ion by the Secretary of the Interior. and delegated Arthur P. Davis to take tbe tier up in the field. The surveys were essarily of preliminary nature but the age possibility of the Gila River was y demonstrated. It was shown that this fam drained about fifteen fhousand are miles of the high plateau and rnoun- region of Eastern Arizona, and that the T Is remarkable for it's exceedingly light de- Consequently, the storage possibili- ot the stream are great. Recommenda- IS were made by Mir. Davis calling for ther and more accurate surveys. and in spring of 1898 Congress passed a second s.opriation of S20,0e9 for the completion his investigation. The hydrographic de- tment of the Geological Survey was m delegated as the proper office to con these surveys.
 The Gila River derives it's source from White Mountains in western New Mexico eastern Arizona, which rise to elevations rom ten to twelve thousand feet. At the ltwhere it issues from it's mountainous in,- there are over twelve thousand are miles draining through its cauons, basin has been extensively explored three large reservoir sites located and 5eyed. The capacity of these reservoir has been determined and filiugs have made under the United States laws for segregation from the public domain. point known as the Buttes a dam I50 in height above the bed of fhe stream store enough water to cover III, GOO acres feet deep, or, as it is technically ex- ssed, 174.000 acre feet. A dam at this 1t would be approximately 300 feet long he bed Of the stream and 300 feet at it's f. At Riverside. Ariz., it was found that m S50 feet long at it's base. and approxi- ely 800 feet long on top will store q much ster quantity of water, the surveys at site being still incomplete. At San los. on the Apache Reservation. the river es through narrow gorge 100 feet ?. and dam at this point 150 feet high Id be bus 2UOfeet long atThe crest. Such m would store 36I. 600 acres one foot deep. xtensiye explorations have been made to Fmine the depth of bed rock at each one lese dam sites. At the Buttes the bed is disappointingly deep, the depths ying in the center of the channel from 75 feet beneath the surface of the stream, Riverside the maximum depth on the of the dam is approximately seventy feet. while at San Carlos the depth to rCeA.ls Deheyed to be substantially less at either of the other dam sites
 he records of the How of the GiIa River been kept at the Buttes for number ears, and the estimates of available 'r rsupply are, therefore, based on actual surements, not on surmise. The ordi- flow Of this stream is ample to fill the est of these reservoirs, and on the driest of whichwe have a record it has been reat as 200, eco acre feet.
 will be seen by the above figures that possibility of storing water on this am is very great. It is doubtful if it any equal In this line among all the ams or arid America. The San Carlos site. particularly. is one of unusual t.. The size of the necessary dam. the
 
 ?, and the proximity of railroad facili- 9re perfect; while the other two sites have features of merit.
 he duty of water in Southern Arizona eater than in California. For the rais- )f the staple crop of alfalfa, a depth of ty-four inches of water is ordinarily jed to the land, which is equivalent to a for six months of one miners inch to three and one-half acres. On this B, the San Carlos site will furnish enough IT to irrigate over ROCCO acres of land. Is assumed that each two acres will sup one inhabitant, this would permit of q liafion of 75,De0 souls to be sustained | this reservoir.
 hese figures are more startling when act is realized that at the present time the canals below the San Carlos dam Ire absolutely dry. and that the country the Apache Reservation to the mouf h eSalt River is iu condition of W withered gnt, with its inhabitants both white Indian reduced almost to the condition ject want. It is estimated that 10000
 of land should be irrigated on the Indian Reservation in order to relieve condition of the Indians. This would
 over 100000 acres that could be irri- ] on the public domain. If 100,00D acres sse public lands could be so irrigated icing subdivided into forty-acre tracts, to actual settlers, at the rate of $10 to Ter acre, the condition of the Indian q be wholly relieved, and it is probable oyernment would be reimbursed for it's outlay. In addition to this, a district ing ideal conditions for irrigation, a soil which Is unexcelled, with a ahte that will produce crops in coDtinu- rotation. will be made to support u latior of 75.0U0. and will add to the z wealth of the Territory, on a consers estimate. over sb,U0O,0O0.