The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1902-08-23
BIG WATER QUESTION
MEASURING ARKANSAS RIVER

RebeIng Colorado Would Not Help the
sections lossr Down the River
Water sinks Before Reaching Kan
ess.
Denver, Aug. 2O.-The food of last
week made II possible for u party o.
engineers to study the conditions of
the Arkansas flood waters. The party
was composed of Prof. l.. G. Carpenter.
head Of Irrigation and irrigation engi-
neering department at the State Agri
cultural College at Fort Collins; Amos
Jones, assistant; G. w. Beach of Las
Animas and Entrine Jacob Of Lamar.
all graduates In engineering and expe-
rienced In water measuring. Their
work II described as follows by the Re-
publican:
The party started ut Pueblo Friday
and overlook the Hood ut Dodge City,
which place 1t reached at noon Satur-
day. Measurements were made and
the party proceeded to Great Bend.
where the flood arrived at O'Clock p.
m. Sunday. The flood reached Hutch
inson Monday evening, Wichita Tues
day evening about 10 o'clock and Ar
kansas City Thursday at noon.
The flood was estimated Mt $1,000 GU
bic feet per second below the Amity
canal at Lamar. 1t had decreased 10
less than 8.OOO cubic feet per second
at Dodge City, to $500 Mt Great Bend
and to less than TOO at Arkansas City.
The height OF the flood wave steadily
decreased until at Arkansas City 1t
was hut one and one-half feet In height,
though the channel Is narrower there
than at the points above. where meas
urements were made.
While Kansas people claim II 1t were
not for irrigation the water would dow
to them, Colorado people contended
that but little of the water originating
in Colorado would reach central Kan
sas, for the reason that 1t would sink
In the sand and disappear In the bed
of the stream. 1t was to determine this
that Professor Carpenter followed the
recent food and made measurements.
II there was no diversion Of water for
irrigation the flow Of water at Lamor
in irrigation season would be about
5000 cubic feet per second, or some
thing less than one-eighth of the dow
which passed that point the other day.
Professor Carpenter concludes that
since this enormous food, 30 greatly
exceeding the ordinary now Of the 'riv-
er disappeared so rapidly as 1t ad-
vanced toward the Interior of Kansas,
1t is evident that even II there were no
diversion of water In Colorado by irri-
CATION, comparatively little Of the vol
ume Of the stream originating In this
state would reach Wichita and Arkan-
sas City, except in times Of great floods.
The water shed In Colorado Is small
in comparison with that In Kansas,
which IL drained by that river, and
therefore the volume of the Arkansas
at Wichita and at other Kansas points
depends more on the water which falls
in that state than upon anything that
may be derived in Colorado.
The complaint Of the Kansas farmers
against Colorado originated with peo-
pie near Wichita and Arkansas City.
A farmer near Wichita made complaint
in 1907 that the river had decreased to
such an extent that his lands along
the stream which had formerly re-
ceived water by sublrrigatiOn were
without water, and he claimed that this
was due to the large quantity taken
out In Colorado. He hired an attorney
and sent him into Colorado to investi-
gate the condition of the bitches.
In February, 1893, mass meeting
was held at Wichita, In which the mat
ter was discussed and committee OF
lawyers was appointed to investigate
the conditions in the Arkansas river.
Representatives were AlsO sent TO
Washington to try and interest the Of
ficlals there In the matter. In October,
ISIS, the committee Of lawyers report
ed and laid stress on the riparian doc
trine that residents along the lower Ar
kansas had recourse against those who
interfered with their water. These
people, they centended, were ditch
owners of Colorado.
At Arkansas City there are some
mills propelled by water from the Ar
kansas, These people claimed that
their water power had been injured
and many who were Indirectly interest
ed helped them to agitate the question.
As the river had decreased, according
to their claim, they blamed the irriga-
tors Of Colorado for the loss of water
In the river. A meeting was held in
Wichita by men from Arkansas City
and Wichita in January, 1901. This
meeting appointed committee to se-
cure an appropriation from the state
of Kansas. Eugene r. Ware repre-
scented the governor of Kansas at this
meeting. He said the Kansas farmers
did not have a good case, and warned
the meeting that they would run
against old Spanish and French laws,
which formerly prevailed over this ter
ritory. The result of this meeting was
that the committee visited Topeka and
obtained an appropriation for continu-
ing the proceedings against Colorado,
which are In court at present.
Calls psary's Route impossible.