Arizona republican., 1903-05-12
WATER FOR THE INDIANS
Plenty of It at Sacaton and It Is Eas
 fly 0btainable.

A. J. Hansen, who some time ago took contract from the government for the sinking Of five wells for the irrigation of the agency reservation at Sacaton. has just finished his work and was in town yesterday. He says
 the results of the undertaking are much more satisfactory than it was ex-
 pected that they would be, and that it is probable that the government will go further in supplying the Indians with water. These wells were intended in
 the first place for furnishing water for the experimental farm which has been
 established at the agency. The land
 belonging to the agency comprises
 three-qCarters of a section. There will
 be much more water than will be need cd. Mir. Hansen says that the flow
 from the five wells is 300 inches. or 52OO gallons, minute, sufficient for the irrigation of two and a half sections.
 The surplus will be turned upon the adjacent lands belonging to the In-
 dians
 MT. Hansen has five wells of the same dimensions as those he has sunk at Sacaton and running his machinery oa-
 iy half the time he is successfully irri- gating 1l2O acres. He believes that the solution of the problem O: caring for the Indians of the Sacaton reserva- ton lies in the digging of plenty of wells. All the irrigable land on the reservation is underlaid with lake of water whose surface is not far below that of the land. It is more easily ob- tatned almost anywhere on the reserva- ton than it is even at Kyrene. where the experiment has long since passed the experimental stage and has solved the irrigation puzzle for that locality.
 The water supply in that whole re- zion seems to be ineXhcustible. A con- tinuous flow from the wells at Kyrene during the time the machinery is run ming does rot perceptibly lower the level of the water.
 Mr; Hansen and Assistant Superin- tendent Meskimons have been mak- lng investigations fer the purpose Or developing a still greater supply. IheN found Tear Blackwater. near the mead of the reservation. an immense olKe crossing the Gila which brings. all the water in the river to the surface at that noint. They took shovel and pushed it Gown into the sand half tho length of the handle; when the shovel was withdrawn the water followed if. Then they took an iron pipe and with out the aid of machinery drove it down fifteen feet. in water all the way. They left six inches of the pipe above the surface and the water gushed out of if forming what excited the people of Tucson last summer and led them to believe that an "artesian well" had heen discovered in the bottom of the Santa Cruz
 The investigation showed that enough water could be developed above that dike to irrigate the whole reservation rom Blackwator to and including the Marlcopa reserve tion. The government IS appropriating for those Indians about S4OOOO annually. If S5OCO0 were ex pended in a sufficient plant just above Tat d-Ee there would be no more suf- fering among the Inrians It could be run without any other expense than those necessary for repairs There is an abundance of fuel in that vicinity. and the Indians would be glad to fur nish 1t. When there is water flowing in the river it would not be noccesarv to run the plant for any of the land now under cultivation. A part of the money would have to be spent in the making O. ditches. although through most of the country there are good ditchcs.
 The re@ult of this investigation will be made known to the government. and | it is believed that fi Vorable action will | be taken