The San Angelo press. (San Angelo, Tex.) 1897-1907, 1901-12-13
Secretary Hitchcock for irrigation


ta-y Hitchcock Of the depart.
ment Of the interior, in his an.
nual reEorl, says regarding the
arid lands Of the West:
Briefly stated. the results OF
the examinations Of the extent
to which arid lands can DE re
claimed by irrigation. made by
the CON mittees Of congress,
show that while one third Of the
United States is still vacant
there are relatively few localities
where homes can now be made.
This is moi because the soil is
barren or infertile, but on &C
count Of the difficulty in secur.
ing an adequate water supply.
There is water 10 be had, bet
this water is. mainly in large
rivers, from which it can be
taken only by great structures.
or the supply comes in sudden
floods and cannot be utilized
until great reservoirs have been
built 1t is impossible for a
saboring man or an association
of settlers TO build these great
works.
The pioneer coming to the arid
region found many small
streams from which water could
be taken out upon agricultural
land. He was able through his
own efforts to irrigate small
farm aud to make home. These
easily available waters have
been taken, and man can no
longer secure d foothold, al
though there still remain 600
million acres of vacant land. Ii
is possible, by water storage and
by building diversion works
from great rivers to bring water
TO points where such men can
utilize it and can enjoy oppor
tunitIes similar TO those had by
the earlier settlers. Unless this
| is done much Of the country
must remain barren, and thou
sands Of men and women, eager
to become independent citizens
must remain as wanderers or
tenants of others. Enough work
has been done by private CAPT
tai 70 demonstrate the fact that
water conservation and the
diversion or large rivers is prac'
ticable, but, like many other
works OF great public impor
lance, it cannot be made a
source Of profit. The works OF
reclamation already constructed
have, as rule, been unproft.
able. and capitalists are no long
er seeking opportunities for re-
claiming desert land when the
proba bilities are against their
receiving an adequate compen
sation for the risk and labor
involved.
MANY CONDITIONS TO BE MET,
Two distinct conditions are tc
be clearly distinguished IN the
problem of water conservation
for the development of the
West On the other hand, there
are localities where the agricul
tural lands along the rivers have
been brought under irrigation
and there is demand for water
to an extent far exceeding the
supply, and where all of the
flood water, though stored
would not suffice to satisfy the
demands of the lands now
partly titled. The other con
trasting condition is where
there still remain vast bodies OF
public land for which water car
be provided by means of reser
voirs or by diversions from
large rivers whose flow canno,
be used, Here the construction
Of works of reclamation in nc
way affects lands now in private
ownership Between these two
extremes are all varieties of IN
termediate conditions, but these
may be arbitrarily classed with
one or the other.
In the first case reservoirs, i!
constructed, must be treated II
the same way in which other
public works having to do with
rivers and harbors are managed
The water conserved should be
TO increase the flow of the
stream during the season o.
drouth, regulating the volume
so that it can be utilized TO the
best advantage according tt
laws and customs prevailing il
the locality. This is comparab ole
to the conditions where the out
let of an harbor has been i'm
proved without reference to the
benefits to the owners of the
l 4 L..