Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-02-08
IRRIGATION
ENTERPRISES
Big Things Being Planned BY
Engiaeers Of The Federal
Goyersnent
SIX BIG SYSTEMS
Lands Affected By the Great
Undertaking III Bc With-
drawn From settlement

WASHINGTON. b. c, Feb 81
fspecial1~oHt Of The Widest soil.
tudes 81 the far we1t come ramors
Of big things which are being planned
by the engineers ~ the government.
4 great syatem Of works IL being sur.
seysd to bring the waters Of Pen
daDreille lake. In northern Idaho, out
O an area Of more than a million
acres Of fertile but arid land IN the
eastern part on the state Of Washing
ton. similar surveys are In progress
in the almost yoiceless valley Of the
Colorado river. where IL forms tho
boundary between Arizona and Call.
fornia, There the matter has pro
Creased ID the actual appropriation 81
the entire flow Of the stream not hith.
eric claimed. And the new appropri,
alton III made I'm the name "a the
United States of America" The
~phraseology marks the beginning Of
a new epoch III the west.
The engineers arr also busy with
plans looking / the development Of
Che great possibilities ~ the Sacra.
menlo river. where millions of acres
Of land not utterly arid. without arti
nelal moisture mas be made 10 sun
port d dense population on small
farms when this Ii supplied The en-.
giaeering scheme Old the Sacramento
looks not only u the diversion %
the stream. but To The reclamation OF
yofy large bodies Of rich land nv the
prevention ~ overflow, and, possibly.
20 The building Of canals for navigation
md power.
Tho irrigation congress which a..
sembled at Ogden. Ntah. last Septem
her gave expression TO the larger
hopes u the friends III irrigation
which have taken shape during the
past year. II declared In favor Of
systems " public works which shall
rival those on the Pc In Italy. the
Nile In Egypt and The Gauges In In.
dia, IL urged that these should be
built on the Columbia. the Sacramen
10. the Colorado, the Rio Grande. the
Arkansas. the Missouri and their
tributaries. These six river systems
drain practically The entire western
half of the United States, and their
complete utilization In the manner
proposed would at least double the
present population of the republic, On
all these streams something has al
ready been done by local enterprise.
The smaller opportunities for storage
and diversion Of water have been I'm.
proved. but beyond this Il is impractic.
able for private enterprise 10 10. Only
Uncle Sam Is big enough Il assert hu.
man control yer the forces OF nature
represented BY these great drainage
systems and their surrounding water.
sheds, II ls indeed a ~stupendous I'm.
~dortaking, but nome too great FOR the
American people. In fact. Uncle sam
has already got his coat on and gone
At II.
u Is an Interesting and singular
fact that the three biggest rivers Of
the far west take their rlae at the
foot o. Mount Union III Wyoming and
pursue their respective courses. east
south and West M The Mississippi. the
Gulf Of California and the North ia
cifc ocean These are the Missouri,
The Colombo AMI the Columbia. Each
OF thcm resolves scores 81 tributaries
along rs course, The other three rf,.
efs mentioned IN Tho ogden platform
The Sacramento. The Arkansas and
the Rio GfHndc are independent
streams and each epntfois the eco
nomic destiny n i large region X III
own.
Win lhe single exception % The
Sacramento an alesc MYERS Traverse
regions which are but sparseiy inhab
tied and which coptaan enormous. areas
Of public land whenever the con
atfuetion o. works Is Immediately
contemplated the secretary 81 the i'm
terror 1iihdraws the land trpm entry.
except under the Homestead law With
out the Communication clause. Any elf.
izen may acquire not moro lhan one
hundred and sixty acres by living upon
and cultiyating Il in good faith for
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