Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-07

from which water is taken for irrigation
is rated by the state engineer and provided
with a measuring weir. Each morning
during the irrigation season the reading
OF this weir is taken by the water commits
%sioner, who in turn notifies each ditch SUI
perintendent in his district, or upon a given
stream, just how much water his ditch is
entitled to for the ensuing twenty-four
hours. This information Is handed along
to the ditch riders. who then figure out the
amount of water each consumer within his
division is entitled to. In times OF violent
fluctuations in the flow OF streams the
rating is taken twice in the twenty-four
hours. But as a general thing one rating
per day is sufficient.
The number Of ditch riders employed
upon a single ditch depends upon the size
OF the ditch. The larger bitches in Lari-
mer and Weld counties employ from four
to six each. A ditch is divided into sec
tions and each section is in charge Of a
ditch rider. One ditch rider is usually able
TO attend TO about ten miles Of ditch.
There is a pathway constructed along one
bank OF every main irrigating ditch for tho
use OF the ditch riders, and such other on
cials as are called upon to occasionally in
spect the works. The ditch, rider usually
makes his rounds with a horse and cart.
but sometimes he goes horseback,
There is another life connected with
ditch administration that is much more
arduous-the life of the overseer OF the
high line bitches that are built away up
on the divides OF the Rocky mountains to
bring water from one watershed to another.
Some Of these cross the Continental divide
itself. bringing water from the Pacific TO
the Atlantic slope. These are at an alti-
So . N mn 60 -. - 1nxsaI
where 1t is winter about two-thirds OF the
year. OF course there ore no individual
consumers to deal this water out to. but
the bitches being built in such precarious
attitudes need constant watching TO pre-
vent breaks and washouts. These bitches
are from seventy-nve to 100 miles from
the bitches on the plains. and the over
seers are Obliged to establish their homes
in these mountain heights for several
months each year, taking their families
with them and living in rude log cabins
near the scene of their duties. The life,
however, is not devoid Of its pleasant fea-
lures as the air is delightfully."- pure and
cool in those high attitudes during the en-
tire summer, and mountain trout and wild
game are found in great abundance.
The water commissioner Is also ca,,ed
upon to send deputies TO superintend these
niBn-llne dltcnes. Inc deputy must keep
an exact record Of the amount Of water
measured into the main stream from these
bitches. SO that It may be known by the
commissioner just how much to measure
out OF the stream to the main irrigating
ditch down below on the plains. And
again there are Numerous small iTrigating
bitches found all through the lower noun
tain attitudes that are used for the irriga-
tion of hay lands upop the mountain
ranches. and these have to be watched to
see that they take no more water than
they are entitled TO. So the water com
missioner appoints deputies to look after
these as well as the bigh-line and the
plains bitches.
The filling OF storage reservoirs can be
supervised as a general thing by the water
commissioner himself, as this work is done
outside OF the buster part OF the irrigating
season. The larger bitches and. in fact.
many OF the smaller bitches, have con
nected with them separate systems OF
telephone communication. so that the labor
OF supervision has been greatly Eimplihed.