Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1901-03-06
RANGES HOT STUFF. He Dissects the Ivy Irrigation Bill Ex- posing the HideOnS Skeleton to
 Public View.
Clark County Comes in Incidently for Brief but UnfavorabIe
 Mention,

TOT puDllcdtlOn, ana nave been warned
 not to say anything mean about our
 neighbors down about Phenix who
 have in its embryo state, a monstrosity
 titantic tinlockle octopus fathered by
 Assemblyman Ivy, a democrat of Mar
 icopa county. When born it is to be
 called the Ivy Irrigation Water Steal.
 The fact that the Verde valley is at
 least 200 miles (as the water runs in
 the bed of the stream of the Verde
 river) from Phenix, and that we should
 be included in that water district is
 case as cheeky and base as hades, and
 an act if it ever passes the legislature
 can never be enforced, and is clean
 cut proposition to steal the water of
 the Verde river for the benefit of
 lot of water sharks who we'll knew
 when the Grand canal was built there
 was no water for it, to say nothing of
 the still grander schemes of the
 Arizona, Mesa City and Highland canals, on the south side in the Mesa
 City country, and if such law was
 passed and enforced it would break
 up the entire Verde valley settlement
 of over 1200 people with 15 schools.
 In 1872 there was scarcity of water
 in Salt river, long before the Grand canal was built. I stayed in Phenix
 the greater part of the summer and
 fall of that year and the Maricopa
 and town ditches were the upper dam on the river for water on the north
 side. Both these ditches were taken
 out at the old Swilling dam. The
 Tempe and Hayden ditch was the
 upper or outside ditch on the south
 side. The putting of the Hassayampa and Agua Fria into the district is only for coloring matter as both
 streams are as dry as the Sahara des ert for 100 miles before they enter the
 Gila river. There is no other stream
 that has water to irrigate any land of any very considerable quantity that
 is tributary to the Salt River valley except the Verde river. There is not over 300 acres irrigated on the Has,
 sayampa and not over 100 acres on
 the Agual lFria. When I came to this
 valley in the fall of 1868, Beaver creek
 for about four miles above its mouth
 was perfectly dry and such has been the case every year since to my cer-
 tain knowledge, by actual observation,
 but near the head waters of the stream there are fifteen irrigating ditches and not less than 1000 acres of land in cultivation. At that time there was no water taken from the stream for or any other purpose. In
 lS66-7 the pioneers built two ditches on Lower Verde taking the water from Clear creek. The head of that was dry in 1868 and has been so every summer since then for two miles. Other ditches have been taken out further up in the canyon and to- day there are eight ditches on Clear creek and about 800 acres under cul- tivation. Yet these Salt river water sharks want to put these streams under their control. With the same propriety and justice they might turn the waters of the Hassayampa and Agua Fria loose and expect an in crease in the Gila river below where their dry sand bed is situated that have not been wet except in times of freshets since the first settlement of the territory by the white people.
 The waters of these four streams goes no man knoweth where. I have travelled along the Verde river from Chino valley or Del Rio to where it empties into Salt river, a distance, as the river runs, of 200 miles. There are but two tributary streams that empty into the river on either side that has any running water the year round. Those two are Oak creek in the Verde valley and Fossil creek in the Verde canyon. In June, 1900, I was United States census enumerator for a portion of this valley and the en- tire country from Camp Verde to the Horse Shoe Reservoir dam site. I camped several nights on the river and four times 1 crossed the river after my horses and waded it with an pair of gaiters on, without getting my feet wet. There is not ne-half as much water at the Horse Shoe dam reservoir site as there is in the box canyon, eight miles below Camp Verde and below where every acre of ground irrigated in this valley is situated and 1 do not be- iieve there was as much water run hing into the river from Fossil creek 1t the mouth of that stream and for a distance of about fifteen miles there was as much water in the Verde river as I ever saw there at that time of the year, and I have been there several times, in the summer time. Being somewhat of water sleuth, 1 have made close study of the water situation for several years. So much so that I was judicially passed upon as an authority on irrigation, which is a matter of record in the dis trict court at Prescott. As I have the before me ill the dissect-
 ng room, in making diagnosis of the animal or insect, 1 notice that the head of the thing is to be kept in an office in the capitol building at Phe nix, and the owners of the 56 irriga ing ditches of this valley will have to step down there when wanting to do my business with the thing-only a of 120 miles as the crow flies ,r about 200 by rail. It takes S2,500 per year to feed the head of the con ,ern and after he gets all into good quarters he is to make himself famil | ar with the streams of the territory while sucking the public teat. The | is to have S1,200 per year md travelling expenses, and Is to have lext to the front teat. These two are 10 be regular sock-it-to-'em Joes, so as to legally, physically and otherwise be able to send the waters ,f the Verde river to Phenix. I also notice it is provided with public teats
 or about 100 other snoots at cost of
 rom two to five dollars per day. The
 revision made for paying these suck ITS is all to come out of Yavapai coun-
 Y as she is, or Clark county, if the 'hild is born. The plan for raising he revenue is somewhat on the plan we make any trouble we have to ,ay for it ourselves, but if we are real ice and good they will only take the