The La Jara chronicle., 1904-10-21
Example Of the Working Of Re-
cent National Irrigation Act.
HIGHEST DAM IN THE WORLD
Gigantic Reclamation Works in Arizona
How Irrigation Fund Is Created
and How II Will Be Used-Eud.
less Chain of Arid Money.

| appearing in the October number of the
| Cosmopolitan, referring to the operations
of the National Irrigation Act in the
| arid regions of the West, says in part:
| ''The first application of the new lrri-
CATION law has fallen to the territory of
Arizona. Three millions of dollars have
| been set aside by the Secretary of the
Interior from the reclamation fund for
| the construction of Il dam at the mouth
| of the Tonto creek on Salt river. Work
| upon this dam is now under way. Ce-
| ment works TO manufacture the cement
| needed in the construction of the great
| dam are being built, also an electrical
| power plant. The river is being di-
verted by the construction of a tun-
mel through the mountain in order that
there shall he no interference from that
| source during construction.
Immense Reservoir.
| ''The Tonto reservoir, whcn created by
| the construction of the dam, will cover
1900 acres The height of the dam
will be 245 feet and the depth of the
water stored at the dam will be 100
feet; the dam will be 165 feet thick at
| the bottom and 10 feet thick at the top.
| In length it will be 200 feet AT the base
| and 653 feet at the top. This will be
| the highest dam in the world. The stor-
| age capacity of the reservoir will be
greater than that of almost any three
artificial reservoirs ever built, sufficient
| to cover / 300 900 acres of land one foot
| in depth.
! "The reservoir will supply water suff-
| cient to irrigate 10000 acres of land.
| There are in Salt River Valley about
100000 acres of land suitable for irri-
| CATION. Under the present system of un-
certain water supply, only 115,OOO acres
nnIar cultiyo fipp-unOrp land how
ever, than the supply of water warrants.
| 1t was estimated that the flow of wa
| ter last year would bring full yield of
crops from about 1000 acres.
Crops Always Sure.
"The benefits to accrue in Salt River
| Valley can thus readily he seen. When
we consider that from four TO seven cut
tings of alfalfa are possible during the
year in the Salt River Valley, what will
he the yield-made certain by water
stored and ready for use-under the con-
| ditions created by the Tonto dam?
| with the certainty of pasturage in the
| valley, cattlemen will engage more ex-
tensively in stock raising; hay, grain and
vegetables will seek an open new market
| in the interior mining districts, and thou
| sands of farms will become more profit
| able. 1t is estimated that million
and half dollars worth of alfalfa hay
| and fat cattle are exported from Salt
River Valley annually. With full crop
OF from 100000 to 100000 acres, the
wealth-producing capacity of alfalfa
alone will be sufficient to pay for the
reservoir in less time than is allotted by
| laws to the farmers.
II have felt that the creation of the
| Tonic reservoir is but the forerunner
| of further systems of water storage in
| of ;rrir in Arizn hot
| ually upon all streams in the territory
| where proper sites can be found. irrga-
| ton works will he constructed that
| where the flood water supply is found
| sufficient to guarantee. more than one
reservoir will he created upon single
| stream in order that the control of all
surplus water may be had.
1.-The new era of progress in the arid
region of the United States has set in
with an enthusiasm that means success;
| for as Emerson wrote. Nothing great
was ever achieved without enthusiasm
| ."
| 1t may thus be seen by the slight ref
erence to this one project, what the gov
ernment is already doing in the arid
| States of the West. There are about
S27 100000 now in the reclamation fund
as result of the sale of government
| lands in the arid States. where irrigation
| operations are to be established. 1t takes
| bur little stretch of the imagination to
| perceive the incalculable benefits des-
tined to come to arid America" during
the next quarter of century under the
| operations of this wholesome American
| project.
Explanation of Irrigation Fund.
We frequently see mentioned in pa
pers not thoroughly informed on this
subject, that such and such a fund has
been set aside for reclaiming the arid
West. Other publications. equally igno-
rant of the true status, hewal the fact
that the people of the entire United
States are to he taxed for the benefit
of the sparsely populated West. Both
positions are untenable and are equally
widely divergent of the facts pertain
ing to the situation as it exists.
| Again let ii he said for the informa-
tion of all interested. aud all who care
to become Interested, that no definite or
specific amount of money has been voted
by Congress for the reclamation of the
arid West. The act provides that all
| moneys received from the sale of pub
lie lands in the thirteen States and three
Territories described are to be turned
into the fund for irrigation purposes, less
per cent
| Easy to Own Home.
The Act further provides that the land
shall he sold to actual occupants, who
shall return to the government. in ten
equal annual installments. the cost of
bringing water to the land that if the
reclamation of body of 100000 acres of
land should cost Si.OO0,O00. of SO per
acre, then the actual occupant would he
expected to reimburse to Uncle Sam the
$40 per acre in ten equal annual install
ments of 81 per acre each.
After ten years the entire amount ex.
pended in the construction of reservoirs
dams and irrigation systems generally
will return again to the treasury of the
United States, and can thus he sent out
again on its fructifying mission of phi
lanthropy and home building. Meantime