Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-10-21
WHAT THE DELEGATES SAY
Interesting Personal Gossip OF the Delegates
to the irrigation Convention and what
They Think of the Possibilities in State.

W%ashbur~. i a.t'rl y, H. fnnNcn
ton. Il have just returned. said me-
from an extended trip north and west
Of Coal Harbor and saw so,ue If the
finest land the SIN ever >liGne on.
Large crops were raised there this
year. but the lack of rain at a critical
period would have ruined the crops OF
that entire section. The assurance OF
regular crops in that section would
auadruple land values and develop the
country wonderfully. Two railroads
are penetrating that section, and as
it is beyond the railroad limits, it Is
capable of a large population. To my
mind that entire section. for 80 miles
along the Missouri valley, is capable
Of irrigation ut small cost in COM
parison to the benefits derived. Many
small streams run from the higher
land through the wide and marvellous
" fertile bottom lands and ut many
points are places which could be
damned, thus holding the spring rains
for distribution in the dryer season.
The streams could be converted into
reservoirs, which. with the dams In
the coolies. would irrigate the entire
valley. 1t would not be necessary in
that section-and l promise the same
is true all over western North Dako-
ta-to irrigate from spring till fall as
there is plenty of moisture except oc-
~casionally in June and July. With a
certainty of moisture in these months
crops of all kinds would be regular and
bountiful. A small sum spent in this
way by the general government would
result in material returns to the state
and people far in excess of the expen-
diture. l know Of no place in the
Union where the government can
spend its money with greater profit
than in the western part of this state.
Supt. d. F. Bangs of the Deaf school
Al Devils Lake is here to keep abreast
of the public doings. He is said to have
spent most of the night trying to get
next" to the barbecue refreshments.
Senator Williams is up with the
Stutsman county delegation, which.
by the way, sends more delegates
than any other county.
C. A. Sanford, the Courtney boomer,
is with us today.
Prof. E. E. Kaufman is ''agin the
government" to a certain extent. He
Is a horrible crank on dairying and
things like that. and fears irrigation
may b come so prevalent with milk
men as to require analysis to discover
milk in the pan, and that cream will
become a beautiful dream. He wants
the line drawn some zeal the middle
Of the milk can.
Frank Keller, who sat in the legis-
lature three years ago came up with
the Jamestown push. He is aston
ished at the big improvement in this
city and says the state can now be
pTOuu OI ltS capital.
w. H. Davy, one of Moorhead's pio-
reers. is here. He is much interested
in irrigation projects and predicts the
day is not far distant when the west
ern part of the state will, with it's
irrigation. exceed the Red River valley
in productiveness.
s. E. Kepler is one of the Dawson
hustlers present. :.
Geo. Irwin. the popular boniface of
Glendale. is a delegate from Dickey
county. He brought Senator Geer
along to guide him in the narrow path.
the closeness Of a certain slope city
making his stay here somewhat hazar-
dous, as it were. While George fesses
up to ~"steeling' ceilings, and things
like that, he also says they have over
- artesian wells in Dickey county
which assure good crops in their
vicinity and demonstrates the feast
bility Of that system of irrigation In
his section.
Senator Gulack is of the opinion that
artesian wells will solve the irrigation
problem for his section, Mcintosh
county. Some of those in operation
down there fill the bill. and it would
appear the artisan basin lies under
that part Of the state.
Andy Blewett is enjoying life with
the many friends made here wnen he
was surveyor general
Major Thomas. Indian agent at
Berthold agency, is here and has some
decidedly good suggestions as to irri-
CATION along the Missouri river. An
interesting interview with him is
published elsewhere in this issue. -.
Representatives Morris. Beck and
Anton Fried of jamestown have the
distinction of being free to ride on
n train. This privilege has been
theirs since the birth of a certain P. I.
tNf11 1D-k sA--