The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-12-18
.HUNTLY FLAT
DITCH BEGUN
CONSTRUCTION OF NEW CANAL
UNDER WAY.
GROUND HAS BEEN BROKEN
Work Is Started in Several Places
and All Doubt Concerning
Project Removed.

vAll reasonable doubt as to sue
cessful elimination of the project has
| been dispelled. The canal to supply
the water necessary to irrigate the
fertile acres of what is locally known
as the Huntley flats is now an assured
| project may be said to be-
After all the months of surmise and
| speculation as to the outcome of the
enterprise launched by local and out
side capital and the many weeks de-
voted to the settlement of preliminar-
les actual construction is under way
and the first earth has been turned
of what will speedily terminate in an
enterprise of the utmost Importance
to the city of Billings.
Work Has Begun.
With the same lack of ostentation
! and in the quiet, businesslike manner
that has marked all their actions
since first they gave serious consid-
Grafton to the project, the gentlemen
at the head of the company's affairs
| have been letting contracts during
the last few weeks and preparing to
begin actual operations. For this rea-
son only comparatively few as yet
know that construction is already un-
der way, that ground has been broken.
! The first blow of pick was struck
| Wednesday and number of men and
| teams began operations at the foot
of the bluffs above the city, along
which the canal will wind it's way.
They are employed on the canal pro-
per and will continue construction
westward toward the Intake.
NJ Yesterday another force instituted
Vthe necessary preliminary work that
will end in the tunnel that will have
to be driven through the bluff. Rough
| ly stated this tunnel will be 1890 feet
in length and in it's construction 1000
yards of rock will have to be moved
In addition much more will have to be
taken out when it comes to the ap-
proaches. A good idea may be formed
of the amount of work involved in the
completion of the tunnel when it is
stated that in building the west ap-
proach an open cut OF at least 60 teer
in depth will have to be made.
Until sufficient headway has been
| made in the tunnel to justify the intro
| duction of power, drilling will be done
by hand Afterward it is very likely
that machine drills will be employed,
as occasionally happens, that contin-
uance of hand drilling is regarded as
more feasible.
J. W. Crowley, who had large
contract on the Mormon ditch COM
pleted last summer across the Wyom-
ing line, is the contractor who has
undertaken to build the tunnel.
Contracts for ditch construction
have been awarded to number or
persons, although the entire distance
between the city and the source OF
the ditch has not yet been so covered.
A start now having been made, it is
given out that soon dirt will be flying
on every section. Proposals for the
unassigned portions are in hand and
the remaining contracts will probably
be awarded in few days.
Fifty Miles Long.
The canal when completed will be
SO miles long, exclusive of laterals.
In making the necessary surveys at
tention was first paid to the line run
by the state at the time reclamation
of the state lands in the flats was
undertaken under the provisions of
the Carey act. Subsequently another
survey was made which resulted in
only partial adoption of the old
state survey This was done because
greater elevation was desired at the
mouth of the canal, something that
was obtained, and the canal will termi-
nate at a point considerably higher
than would have been the canal the
state intended to build. By reason Of
the greater height it will be feasible
to irrigate an area much larger in
kextent than would have been possi-
BILE under the original survey.
How Organized.