The Florence tribune., 1901-02-16

RAOucuS Sucu unueruOW uOe6 not exist.
 Water percolates through the soil; 1t finds it's way among the rocks and below the various strata that underlie the bed of the river; and it remains there. Possibly at certain seasons of the year it has more or less of move ment, but the moment those under ground sources are tapped, the moment they are drawn upon, from that moment you commence to find exactly what you find when you tap gas strata "a gradual diminution of the supply, until eventually the supply is ex- hausted and the work and the money speut are without avail.
 MT. Platt of Connecticut. I do not wish to interrupt the Senator, but I wish to ask him a question for my own information. In regard to the enter prise of which he speaks, has the flow entirely ceased?
 Mir. Thurston. The flow that they attempted to secure from below the bed of the river has absolutely and en- tirely failed. While it was sufficient on the start, even in the dryest season, it has entirely failed; and I believe that every other such scheme will en- tirely fail.
 Mir. Teller. know of place in Colorado where million dollars was spent to get the underfow, but it is now abandoned. As the Senator says, when they had tapped it and drawn out the water that was the end of it.
 Mir. Thurston. The so-called under flow beneath our rivers is simply a reservoir of stored water. It is, as it were, in tub; when you draw it out, the tub becomes empty.
 Then we had to face the proposiuon of 8 reservoir or else move those h. dians. I do not know, if it were a simple question of expense, but what should be in favor of moving the In dians. wish to be honest aud fair with the Senate. In my judgment we could perhaps move those Indians and support them somewhere else more cheaply than we could build and maintain this reservoir and dam and keep up system of irrigation. That is perhaps true.
 This dam and the irrigation system are estimated to cost about million and quarter. I wish to be fair. In my judgment it will cost $2,000, 900 You must always figure on all increase whenever you enter upon new and un- tried experiments of this magnitude. It may cost two and half million dol lars before we are through with it. IL will be more or less expensive to keep up. It will cause more or less outlay of money to keep the bed of the reser- voir free from the sand and the soil that is deposited there by the water. That question, however, from the en- gineering standpoint, presents no seri- ous difficulty. It is only question of expense. The dam once built can be maintained forever, and an irrigation scheme with that dam and reservoir behind it will be permanent and not temporary one.
 think it is only fair, when we come to consider the question as to whether we will move those Indians or build this reservoir and these irrigation works, that we should consider some- thing more than the mere question of dollars and cents.
 If there is anything else in this amendment except straight, legiti- mate proposition to ir-igate the h. dian lands, it comes here because the committee feel that we have the right to also investigate the proposition as to whether or not this dam and these irrigation works, in performing their
 functions to the Indians, could also bs used by the United states for the irri. gation of adjacent lands and the de velopment and settlement of the coun
 try.
 I resent the idea, Mir. President
 that there is any purpose to load al
 irrigation plan upon the Governmen
 of the United States by reason of thi
 amendment to the bill. If we ha,
 failed to take into consideration wha
 we could do with the waters stored b } this dam in addition to those neede , by the Indians, we would have failel in our duty. If we had presented a ] amendment here for the sole purpos 7 of an appropriation of money to be ex
 pended in investigation and reportin l as to the sufficiency of this dam an these irrigation works for the Indians l we would have failed in our duty if W g had not also included in the san f amendment proposition to ascertai d what further benefit to the Unite 7 States and to that section of the coul '- try this same project would afford. Il The Senator from Connecticut M o Platt] says that there are intervenir