The Elbert County tribune. [volume] (Elbert, Elbert County, Colo.) 18??-1920, 1904-10-20
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.

Cosmopolitan, referring to the operations
of the National Irrigation Act in the
arid regions of the West. says in part:
1.-THE first application of the new irri'
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 a dam at the mouth
of the Tonic 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 d.
verted by the construction of tun-
mel through the mountain in order that
there shall be no interference from that
source during construction.
Immense Reservoir.
'"The Tonic reservoir, when 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 lo0
feet: the dam will be 1855 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 100. 900 acres of land one foot
In depth.
1.-THE reservoir will supply water sufii-
cient to irrigate 100000 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 $4,000 acres
are under cultivation-more 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 5000 acres.
cro,. AIwaxs sure.
"rbe bene6ts IN occrue in Salt River
Valley can fins readily no seen. When
we conside, that from four IN seven cut
t;nps of alfaIfa are noss;ble dnrinp the
vear in tho Salt River Valley what will
no tho vield-made certnin nv water
stored and readv for use-under the con-
dit;ons created Inv the Tonic dam?
"Wi+b tho certainty Of ma sturape in the
valley. cattlemeu will engage more ex.
tensivelv in stock raising. hay Grain and
vegetables will seek an omen new market
l., A. ;,.o,;,r ,,,;,,;,,,, l;,..;a.a 81 49,
sands of farms will become more profit
able. 1t is estimated that a 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.
81 have felt that the creation of the
Tonic reservoir is but the forerunner
of further systems Of water storage in
aid of irrigation in Arizona; that event
ualiy upon all streams IN the territory
where proper sites can be FOUND, irrlga-
tion WORKS VIII DE constructed; that
where the hood water supply is found
sufficient to guarantee, more than one
reservoir VIII be created upon a single
stream IN order mat the control OF all
surplus wafer may be had.
Inc new era OF progress IN the ard
region Oh tne united states mas set IN
WIN an enthusiasm mat means success
Tor as emerson Wrote Nothing great
was ever acmeved without enthusiasm
1t may thus be seen by the slight ref
erence to this one project, what the gov
eminent is already doing in the arid
States Of the West. There are about
$27, 000,0 900 now in the reclamation fund,
as a result of the sale of government
lands in the arid States, where irrigation
operations are to be established. 1t takes
but little stretch of the Imagination to
perceive the incalculabe 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 retaining the arid
West. Other publications, equally icno-
rant of the true status, bewail the fact
that the people of the entire United
States are to be taxed for the benefit
of the sparsely populated West. Roth