Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-01-28
Immense Irrigation Project Which
Will Reclaim Millions
Of Acres.
DAMMIxG THE pEcoS RIVER.
Desert TO be Converted Into a Para.
disc BY Means Of System
OF Canals.

Special Correspondence.
Carlsbad, ~ NJ. Jan. 26--The Santa
Re railroad has just completed and
opened In the Pecos valley, near here,
the largest irrigation plant IN the west,
q work which VIII make tho hitherto
arid southeastern corner OF New Mexl-
co an earthly paradise. BY damming
the Pecos river two great reservoirs
have been created, and from these 40
niles OF canals viii carry the water
Go 100000 acres OF land. The ilume
which carries the main branch Of the
canal system Is a wonderful concrete
waterway, surprising the famous aque-
ducts OF the ancient Romans II crosses
the river below the reservoirs on four
concrete arches 100 feet long and 70
feet high. The stream of water which
flows through the. 0ume Is 20 feet wide
and is feet deep,
This Is only one feature or the vast
project which Is to make habitabe ana
fertile 6000O000 acres or more OF what
has been the great American desert
Much of this work. like the santa re
canal system, is being done by private
enterprise, but the most important part
OF Il will be carried on under the aus
rIces of the United States government
Under the Hansbrough- NeWlands IT.
rigation law passed by the Fitty-seN-
enth Congress the immediate reclama-
ton Of 100000 acres of arid pubic
land IN Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming,
Nevada and Montana Is contemplated,
The secretary of the interior has al
ready approved five irrigation projects
These plants are to be located at
Swectwater dam, Wyoming Gunnis0n
tunnel Colorado; MIX river and 81
Mary's lake, Montana, and Tonic creek,
Arizona. The cost OF the work Is
roughly estimated at $3.50 an acre,
which IL eventually TO be paid back
10y those who take up the land In 10
annual installments. The money re-
Ccived from the settlers Is to be used
In extending the system Of Irrigation,
thus nsurIng Il large and permanent
fund for the reclamation OF govern
ment land.
The Tonic reservoir In Arizona VIII
BE- the most extensive of these five
plants. 1t will irrigate 100000 acres.
The site proposed for the great dam Is
on the Salt river In the mountains
about GO miles northeast OF Phoenix
where the river, leaving the Tonic
basin, enters deep gorge In the solid
rock. This gorge is but 200 feet vide
at the level Of the water. ana for the
FIRST 100 feet the walls are perpendicu-
lar Il Is proposed TO build here Il
masonry dam which will be 200 feet
| high above low water. The dam will
| be $50 feet long on top. The reservoir
site, covering more than 20 square
| miles, IL equally ideal. Into this basin
| IL carried the runoff from 5000 square
| miles. The greater portion Of this wa
| tershed has an annual rainfall OF 10
| to 20 inches.
one Of the greatest systems OF irrlga-
ton being built by private capital Is
! that of the Dixie Irrigation company,
] composed OF Texas and Philadelphia
| capitalists. in the Pecos valley, about a
| hundred miles below here, over the Tex
| as border This system viii water ESQ.,
| 0O0 acres of the dry lands OF western
I Texas. The main canal VIII be hun
bred miles long coming out on the
| western side OF the PeCos river 80
miles above the town OF Pecos and run
! ming along the edge OF the hills south
! ward, crossing the Texas and Pacific
| railroad six miles west Of PecOs, and
! thence 10 Toyah lake. seven miles south
! Of Pecos, where one Of the largest reser-
yoIrs in existence will be constructed.
! The canal will be built according to the
lock dam system and will be In Itself a
vast reservoir capable Of storing all the
food water coming down the Pecos
river and placing 1t where II will be sof
practical use.
lnnumerable irrigation systems, some
large and some comparatively insig.
nilicant, In Colorado California and
elsewhere have already proved what lr-
rigaton can do, The arid lands are not,
as generally supposed, great wastes OF
sand. The soil of large sections of II Is
exceedingly fertile in it's composition,
lacking only the necessary moisture to
| make II equal for agricultural purposes
to the best farm lands OF more favored
| parts Of the country.
On some Of the California irrigated
farms the yield of fruit and vegetables
| has even exceeded the yield from nat
| urally watered ranches
In addition to the mere irrigation Of
| the public lands, the government plans
| the forestatlon Of as much OF them az
possible, and the next century may see
| enormous groves OF trees whore now
the plains are bare, Many ranchers who
are cultiyatIng irrigated fields have
been planting rapid growing linden
with good results.
| -