Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-04-11
REcLAiEllNcAR
Details Ct Plan FOR converti1o
Deserts Into Farms.
ONE NTLLIoT ACRES INVOLVED.

After n.as mouls of careful hives
Ill cation Tie geological survey has de-
oided a7on and ary Hitchcock
has appeoFed Eve Irrigation projects
to be Developed Under tle tpraas of tie
arid iaad reservation ACT Of uAs, 1872.
says William j. Curtis, the Chicago
Record Herald Washington correspond
ent. These projects are to be located
at S4teetwater Gasn. wyoming; Gum
nison tunnel, Colorado; Iraekee and
Carson rivers. Nevada; MILK river aud
/ st. Mary's lake. Montana. and ToHto
creek, Arizona. Roughly estimated
they VIII make possible the irrigation
OF 100000 acres Of land at q cost 81
81. 100000, an average Of $3.50 an acre
As a matter Of fact, however, much Of
the area Chat may be reached by water
Is unsuitable or unavailable for culti-
vation. It Is not expected that more
than 90 per cent of the total will be
found worth irrigating, which VIII in-
crease tie average cost to something
like $3.50 On acre. The cost is even
tually to be paid by the owners Of the
land reclaimed in ten annual INSTALL
ments. That Is the policy OF the gov
eminent. Much Of the land is already
In the bands Of private individuals,
and undoubtedly that which still re-
mains viii be taken up by settlers as
soon as the plans are made known,
but the government will require pledges
that the cost Of the reclamation will be
refunded according to the provisions
Of the law.
The irrigation bureau of the geolog
zeal survey will encounter many COM
pIications and legal difficulties in Sc
curing reservoir sites and rights OF
way, and the riparian laws of several
states must be observed in every par
ticular. The agents of the government
understand that the reclamation scheme
is still in the experimental state and
have been proceeding with the great
est caution in order that the first step
may be successful and attended by no
serious errors, In selecting locations
the first consideration is to insure a
return of the costs of construction to
the government, which depends entire
ly upon the availability of the land for
cultivation and the disposition of set
tiers to own or occupy it. They will
not venture upon any estimate or pre-
diction as to the time required to COM
plete the five projects mentioned. They
must feel their way and modify their
plans as difficulties and obstacles may
develop.
Sweetwater dam is TO be located on
~Sweetwater river at Devils gap, forty
miles west of the town of Casper and a
similar distance north of Rawlins,
Wyo. The total area to be reached by
Irrigation is 100000 acres, and original
ly it was supposed that nearly all of it
was susceptible OF cultivation, but sub
sequent investigations have discovered
large patches of alkali which will have
to be eliminated from the estimates.
Detailed inspection will determine the
exact amount of lands that may be re-
claimed, and only those suitable for ag-
riculture will be included in the plan.
The Gunnison tunnel scheme is eX-
pected to reclaim nearly 100000 acres
near Montrose in central Colorado, but
upon closer inspection this area will
undoubtedly De cut u0Wl
In Nevada it is proposed to divert
water from Lake Tahoe, California,
and its outlet, the Truekee river, into
the Humboldt valley, and supply set
tiers in the vicinity of Reno. 1t is be-
lieved that nearly 100000 acres may be
reclaimed there.
The MIR river project in northern
| NTanfonn fg avnAc4aH- m paclofpn moo f.tu
500, 600 acres in the vicinity of Malta
and Glasgow, but this enterprise is at
tended by serious complications, be
cause Il part of the water supply
comes from Canada.
At Tonic creek. eighty miles above
PheniX, Ariz., immense ~impounding
reservoirs are to be located to provide
a supply of water to irrigate about
100000 acres in Salt River valley.
which is already thickly settled. There
is a private irrigation system already
in operation, which makes it necessary
for the government to establish its
source of supply at a higher level than
the canals already built.
The land necessary for bitches and
reservoirs, which is now owned by
private individuals, must be secured
by condemnation proceedings. Public
land within the area to be irrigated
cannot be, entered except under the
homestead laws in tracts of not less
than 40 nor more than $50 acres.
When the plans are finally decided
upon. the secretary of the interior is
required by the law to give public 40
tiee of the location of lands to be irri-
gated, the number of acres that may
be entered by any one person, the
charae per acre for the water and the
number of annual payments required.
No sale can be made to any but bona
ide residents. At least one-half of
every entry must be irrigated. and the
reclamation charges assessed against
the claim must be paid before a patent
can be issued.