The daily sentinel., 1904-01-18
THE PROSPECTS GOOD.

| washington TegdflluR bIle STaiu river
irrigation plans for diverting the
stream TO cover 30. coo acres of arid
land and to construct a government
dam at the headwaters of the canon
above Palisade sounds good to the res
idents of the famous Grand valley.
Here is the plan: ''The second annual
report OF the reclamation bureau given
in detail the work now contemplated
for Colorado. 1t states that the first
plan conceived for reclaiming land in
Colorado was the Grand river project
which contemplates the diverting OF
the water of the Grand river by means
of tunnel. The opportunity for a
diversion of this kind presented itself
at point along the Grand river oppo-
site the Beaver Tail tunnel of the
Denver and Rio Grande railroad.
where the two cannon of the Grand
river and Plateau Greek are separated
By narrow ledge about eight feet
wide at the base.
A strong rubhle masonary dam will
be required to divert the waters of
the Grand river into the proposed
tunnel. The dam will be 800 feet
long ON top. which will raise the wa
ter to an elevation of II. SILT, which
can be lowered four feet in time of
flood The height to which the water
in the river will be raised by the dam
especially at times of flood. is such
that it becomes necessary to pI otect
the railroad track on the other side
o. the river by building a levee for
12 mile above the Beaver Tail tunnel.
Part of the levee will be required to
be riprapped as a protection against
wave action and the drainage tunnel
l 900 feet long parallel with the Bes-
yer Tail tunnel will be required to
drain tine area enclosed by the levee.
Protection by levee is found to be far
cheaper than raising the railroad track
and rebuilding the tunnel.
The valley of Plateau creek being
narrow, it has been deemed safest to
control the waters of the creek by di-
vertint the entire flow across the mar
row ledge separating the two valleys
into Grand river by means of tunnel
tlkub lttt III hnO llntu Will
steel. The great cost of such an un-
dertaking is more than compensated
by the safety that it insures to the
canal location in Plateau creek valley.
The necessity for this tunnel arises
from the fact that canal construction
along the hillside would necessitate
some heavy excavation beside requir-
ing sharp bend in the alignment.
For a distance of about 1 200 feet in
length there is verticle lead about
eighty feet high which would prove
serious obstacle to canal construction
and which can be avoided by means of
tunnel After leaving the tunnel
the canal location will run for dis
tance of 10, 700 feet. Two dry water
courses will be taken over the canal
by means of wooden passages.
In section "a. township 10 south,
range 9S west. the canal enters third
tunnel and it cuts through gravel
hill. the sides of which are very steep
and unsafe fol hill construction.
Rapid creek is crossed ON a steel fiume
100 feet long. terminated at each end
by concrete wing wheels and aprons.
The course of the canal lies in
Grand river valley and presents rela
lively no difficulties of an eningeering
character. The slopes of the country
as rule are very gentle. A number
of water courses are crossed by the
canal route. the smaller ones of which
it is intended to take under the canal
by means of concrete culverts. The
larger one will be crossed by means
of substantial steel fumes. In order
to take the canal into Utah it viii be
necessary to elevate the water by
pumping. the lands west of the Excel
sior divide being at higher altitude.
The total estimated cost of this project
which is designated as No. /. is
SO. 500, 800. There are five other pro-
jects.