Bisbee daily review., 1902-07-27
IRRIGATION
 IN THE WEST

F. Il. NEWELL WHO WILL LOCATE l
 RESERVOIRS IS IN DENVER.
 -s - &E [ & Milk River System in Montana, csIifor-
 nia and Nevad. Location and the
 San Carlos Dam are Favored stor.
 age Sites. Dr. F. H. Newell, chief engineer o. the reclamation survey and hydro cate the gos.-nm. Ut reservoirs, was in Denver last week ..-.--
 The controlling feature in selecting locations for the expenditure of the government aid" remarked Dr. New ell,s' Is the question of immediate re turns The question is will it pay? If this question can be answered in the affirmative the work can be pushed rapidly 10 a conclusion. We will call in the best engineering talent of the country to assist in deciding questions that may arise and the construction in all cases will be of an enduring and permanent character. It is not the object to expend all the money on any one enterprise as policy would naturally demand that several small .er reservoirs might be better for the public good than one large one. IL is a matter of arithmetic. We will try to find two or three good projects in each state. We will then select what appears to be the best and will try to recommend the one that seems able to produce the quickest returns.
 Three projects have already been examined which appear satisfactory m many respects. These projects are the Milk river system in Montana, the California and Nevada location, and the one at San Carlos, Arizona. These will go into the pool with others that will be presented in the course of the , summer. IL is impossible at this time to speak with cvonfidence as 10 the To- cation that will be first selected.
 Dr. Newell spoke in high terms Of the Pawnee reservoir site, which he visited yesterday, in northeastern Col orado. The site is about twenty miles from Sterling. The basin, in the opin- ion of Dr. Newell, is well adapted for
 
 Platter river will in certain seasons be sufficient to supply vast amount o1 water for the reservoir. He spoke also of the Gunnison tunnel project. He visited the spot last summer and found it well adapted for the purpose He IS - now awaiting the report of Hydro srapher" Fellows, who will meet the doctor to go over the subject
 Owing to the urgent demands for his presence elsewhere in the west the chief will not visit Gunnison at this time. He has also looked over the region covered by Cheesnlan lake, which it is proposed to make the lead ing source of water supply for Denver In the opinion of Dr. Newell, Chees- man lake will prove great success The dam, he says. is one of the best constructed pieces of work of the kind in America and ought to stand for century.
 Returning to the character of the sites that may be selected. Dr. Newell said that the soil of the district Will be carefully studied, and the amount of land capable of irrigation will be taken into consideration. The pro ductivity of the soil." said he, will play an important part The amount of government land that can be irri- gated is an important item but as prl- yate land is to pay the same returns this feature isl not so important as others. The money advanced out of the government fund for the move ment is all to be returned in. course of - nerioti of ten years. No interest is to
 ., tc n O 6- turned in yearly installments so that payment will be easy and sure. We hope to be able to arrange so that na- tional or state legislation will not De necessary in carrying forward any one project. The idea is to make 1t as simple as possible and at the same time perfectly effective
 The eastern sentiment as to the forestry question is in advance of the sentiment on that subject found in inc west. Eastern members of con- gress will vote solidly for the pro- lection of the forest and an education al campaign in the west in the inter ests of unanimity in regard to forest preservation and forestry laws would he perfectly proper. The laws on the euhiecf are not as bad as they might be. but thefr enforcement is the weak feature. As secretary of the American Forestry assocition I am deeply inter ested in this subject and nothing gives greater pleasure to men who nave efudied the subject than to, witness healthy development of public opinion in favor of preservation of the forests. Forestry and irrigation are closeiy .ssocfsfed ludfscriminate burninga1d cutting of the forest are grave dang CT to immense reg30As and anything th.t can be done to awaken attention "a theee subiecfs ought to be hailed