The Record. (Gardnerville, Nev.) 1902-1904, 1903-10-02
THE BIG IRRIGATION
CANAL
A DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK
BEFORE CONTRACTORS.

mics beyond C1ark's station. The
dam will be of sufficient height to pre-
vent the onward passage of water
1t will be for diverting and not for re-
straining purposes. 1t will follow the
contour of the hills on the south side
Of the river to point about two miles
beyond Wadsworth, where 1t reaches
the elevated plateau that Is the watei
shed between the Truckee and the
Carson rivers.
The ditch will follow the canyon for
about ten miles and it presents some
difficult engineering features. There
will be three tunnels, one of which will
all be cemented for the entire length.
The canal is to be IA feet wide at the
bottom and SO feet at the top. 1t will
carry 13 feet of water lin the center.
This stream will flow at various points,
according to the nature of the ground
at a velocity of from two TO three feet
per second.
1t is calculated that it will take
about year to finish the canal The
water will be carried to point on the
Carson river and the two streams
brought together, whele reservoir
will be built at cost of lmillion and
a half dollars.
From various points along the canal
lateral bitches will fhe run, following
the higher ground and putting nearly
all the land capable of successful irri-
CATION for distance Of forty miles.
The first canal will be taken out a
few miles this side of Wadsworth and
will be carried across the canyon by
an inverted siphon, which will run
noithward nearly eighteen miles to the
Pyramid reservation, comprising APP
$1,000 acres. The larger
portion of this is now sage brush land,
but is very arabic when placed under
water and is in thermal belt, where
even citrus fruits are possible.
These lateral bitches will cover ey-
cry portion of ground that is capable
Of cultivation.
While the work of the main canal
will be completed in about year, and
q small portion of the land that can be
watered directly from the canal will
probably be ready for entry some time
about May lst next. That will be but
a beginning. The scheme contem-
plates reaching far out into Churchill
county to lands now far remote from
any water supply and it is probable
that the government will continue TO
extend its laterals for the next five
years at least.
Many inquiries have been made
as to when these lands will be open for
entry and Engineer Taylor is author
ity for the statement that it will pro-
badly be sometime next spring before
entries can be made.
The reason why the lands are not
ready for entry now Is because the
lands have not yet been subdiyided in
to the smaller fractions and it would
be impossible to tell where the entries
would fall. Most of the land has been
into townships but only some
in sections. The lines for the smaller
have not yet been estab-
llshed and man filing upon piece of
land would stand little show at pre-
sent getting tlings upon the exact
piece of land he desires, which would
cause an amended filing and consider
able annoyance to the prospective set
tiers and to the land office.
Mr. Taylor has several parties of
surveyors In the field laying out lines,
in all nearly one hundred men, divided
between the various camps. The work
will be prosecuted all winter, for the
season is very mild there.
The government will only allow
this land to be taken up in SO-aere
tracts and only TO bona flde settlers.
The water right Is inseparable from
the land and will cost the settler about
cl.OU pei uOiS pei y e"'' - -
the land will thus be paid for, but five
years more, paying Sl.50 an acre per
year will be required to recompense
the government for its outlay,at which
time a perpetual free water right will
also be secured. This system will pre-
vent lands being taken up for sPeeu-
lation and sold at the end Of five
years. The land by this time will have
become so valuable that there will be
no danger of its passing into large
holdings, thus being perpetually reser-
we'd for home sites.
This system when fully carried out
will mean the addition of 10000 people
to Churchill county, all of whom Will
dwell beneath their own fig and vine.
BY the way, the fact must not be
overlooked, that to State Hydrogaa-
pher l.. II. Taylor is due the thanks of
the people of the State of Nevada for
the manner in which he has been con-
Quoting this mammoth undertaking.