Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-01
Mr.. Newell Of the Geological
Survey Initiating Work.
ITS SCOPE AND EFFECT
STATEMENT MADE AT REQU ESG
OF CORRESPONDENTS.
An Engineering Corps Organized and
Making Surveys-Land Reclamation
Presents Many Problems.

were on their recent western tr1p they iho.
Mr.. F. H. Newell, chief of the DIVISION VI
autobiography, geological survey, the oihci,i
who is initiating the great irrlgauon VOL
of the government in the west. MT. Ne"eii'
q, thelreauest of the correspondents maoe
a statement of the scope and effect OF tha'
work 1t follows:
1.-The United States reclamation service
under the law of June II, 1907 mas oeen
organized for the purpose of making SUI
veys and examinations, and CONSTRUCTING
irrigation works for the reclamation OF the
arid lands of the west. the funds lot this
nurpose are derived from the disposal OIL
public lands in thirteen states and three
territories, and the work is confneo u
these. There is now available upward ol
$1,000, 900, and this amount is being IN
creased from day to day.
An Engineering Corps.
oIn order to carry out the purpose of the
law an engineering corps has been organ
lied. under civil service rules, each man
being selected through competitive exam
nation. These examinations have been
hased largely on experience in actual plan
ming and construction of irrigation works.
About 80 experienced men have thus peeii
obtained, together with some younger men,
with good technical education. FROM tlIne
to time other men are being added 10 tile
force. especially from the graduates or
professional schools. The attempt IS peihs
made TO obtain Il force of the most conpe
tent men of high principle and undoupteu
integrity. as it is believed that the great
hydraulic works can be planned ana pullt
only by men of the highest type.
I'm each of the states and territories a
general study is being made OF opportuni-
ties for reclamation, and two or three prov
.;.,Ir,- Inv. ara
careful survey From a comparison OF re-
suits one of these is chosen by the district
engineer. When he Is ready to report upon
the work, with recommendations, the facts
and figures are submitted to a board or
engineers, who pass upon these Sometimes
additional information Is sought or the con-
illusions modified. When agreement
is reached the results are transmitted TO
the Secretary of the Interior, with definite
recommendations for immediate action and
with full facts as TO cost and benefits.
Final action is thus taken only after the
most critical examination of existing con-
ditions and comparison Of these with other
projects.
IN some of the states general recon-
noissance Is still being carried on; in others,
plans and estimates have been completed
and in one case, in Nevada, actual con-
struction has begun 1t is hoped that con-
tracts will soon be let for work in several
other states.
Pay for the Works.
Under the terms of the law the works
when built, arc to be paid for IN ten annual
installments, and ultimately to be owned
and operated by the people using the water.
The Problems before the reclamation SER
vice are thus not merely engineering IN
character, but are also largely legal and
pertaining to the organization Of the rrigaz
tors into associations. such that the man
agement can BIZ placed in their hands. This
Is, perhaps, the most difficult part of the
work namely to bring together the dis
cordant elements of a community, torn by
conflicts over water, and weld these into
compact organization sufficiently strong to
maintain the works built by the govern
ment and distribute the water eQuitably.
Reclamation will come about most large
~ through the storage Of flood waters
which now run to waste in the spring.
Wherever suitable basins can be found
these will be utilized by closing the outlets
and catching the waters which otherwise
would flow down the steep slopes, devastat-
ing the lowlands. Many of these stored
waters can be brought out by gravity
canals to cover the lands adjacent to the
rivers
Much of the better land, however, lies
at attitudes too high to be thus reached,
and these lands. If irrigated at all, must be
supplied by some form of pumping device
or from artesian sources AS the water
flows down the steep river channels it can
occasionally be diverted and power devel-
oped, the water being used later for irriga-
ton This power, carried out by electrical
transmission, can be used to pump water
to the lands somewhat above the ordinary
canals.
The easily available waters of the arid
region have already been appropriated and
put to use by private enterprise, leaving for
the government only the large. difficult or
involved projects 1t Is not possible any
where to find ideal conditions, and although
great results can be accomplished. these
nil he acbjayGH only after cypaf skill nd
tact has been brought TO bear.
Government Ownership.
THE government still Is The owner of
from ons-half to nine-tenths of the area OF
each of the western states and territories
1t is IN effect the great landowner, and will
probably always remain the proprietor OF
the great mountain masses covered in part
with trees and from which come the waters
essential to the life of agriculture. Much OF
the best land in the valley. has, however
passed into private ownership. and along
every stream is a continuous succession OF
claims taken up under the homestead or
desert law. The public land, as a rule. is
on the bench land adjacent to the valleys
Nearly every scheme for the reclamatio
of government land must of necessity In
xolve the irrigation of lands in private own
ership. The provisions of the law are such
that the lands owned by individuals can be
irrigated in small tracts, not TO exceed 16C
Great care Is being taken to have this fea-
ture OF the law enforced In such way as
to require continuous residence and cultiva-
ton Of the land, whether originally in pri-
vate or public ownership. the chief purpose
being TO bring about Immediately d dense
settlement in small self-sustaining farms
Whenever a project for reclamation OF
government land is declared to be feasible
public lands under 1t are Immediately taker
up under the terms of the homestead law
and by the time the works are completed
the land is all in private ownership. Thus
whatever the initial condition NAV he
whether the arid land was owned at frs
by the government or by individuals the
results are the same, namely, the establish
ment of homes upon small farms
Main Feature Of the Law.
The main feature of the law is to secur,
the development of the arid region and tn,
utilization OF the great resources which ex
perience has shown cannot be put to bene
fetal employment by private enterprise. an,