The Greeley tribune., 1904-01-28
AT IT AGAIN
POUDRE VALLEY RESERVOIR
COMPANY WORKING.
Repairs to Big Ditch to Be Made
Ready for Spring Flood
Waters.-The
System.

The Poudre Valley Reservoir COM
pany is now beginning to see its way
out Of several difficulties that have
been botheriue 1t in its progress.
The suits brought by two of the con-
tIacting firms for alleged claims for
work done will soon be settled, after
some litigation that has been going on
in the courts OF Lariner county. The
enormous cost Of constructing the
canal, which reached far beyond the
estimate, for time staggered the
farmers who were putting up the
money, but they are now ready to
continue the work. About $40, 900
will probably be expended 10 fixing up
the big canal before water is turned
into it next spring.
1t is not probable that anything
will be done this year to extend the
ditch beyond its present terminal, at
the Douglass reservoir, but even as
it is, the property is good, as Doug.
las reservoir has storage capacity of
about 750. 900, 900 cubic feet. The
big reservoir as it called, together
with its two smaller companions
will have storage capacity of H.
40S, 100, 400 cubic feet Of water, This
is exclusive OF the Dousglas reservoir.
This great irrigating system has
been planned and executed. princi-
pally to taken care Of the great food
waters in the spring OF the year. For
that reason the ditch was made OF
enormous carrying capacity, this be-
ing 900 cubic feet to the second, or
200 feet more per second than the
Larimer & Weld canal, the next larg-
est. Lying higher than any other in
the Poudre river system Of reser-
voirs. it was necessary to 20 farther
up The POudre canon for the head
gates OF the ditch. This necessi-
tated engineering work that would
astonish the ordinary mortal. Rock
as big as New York and Chicago
skyscrapers we're toppled over with
giant powdet, and cuts made large
enough to float good sized vessel
through. The ditch has an average
width OF 30 feet Oh the bottom, with
| slope of bank amounting to two to
| one, except in the rock cuts, where
the walls are almost perpendicular.
| No less surprising than the storage
capacity of the reservoirs are the 1g-
| ures on the amount Uf matter re-
moved 10 construct the canal the
| first sixteen miles, now completed.
| OF solid rock there were 1874 GA cubic
yards taken out, $50, ,066 cubic yards
| of loose rock and 4S5 392 cubic yards
of earth There we're used in the
blasting ten car loads of black powder
and so, 900 pounds of giant powder.
| There were i've principal rock cuts
the Poudre canon, Red Rock, Ships,
First Hog Back and Rocky Ridge.
The larger two of the i've we're Ships
and Rocky Ridge. From the last
named S5,572 cubic yards of rock
were taken at cost of $55, 900.
From Ships cut $4,000 cubic yards
of rock were taken. The deepest cut
is at Ships and this measures at one
point sixty feet in depth, w!iile 1T is
torty-two feet wide at the bottom
and about sixty at the top. The
deepest part of the Hog Back cut
measures forty feet.
The Poudre Valley Reservoir COM
papy was organized in the summer of
1902 and is composed principally Of
Weld county farmers. most Of them
IN the vicinity of Eaton, but there
are also some Greeley men interested.
The capital stock was $3.50, 900, all
taken by the farmers. In addition
to this bond issue of Sl25, 600 was
made later on to secure more funds
to carry on the work. These bonds
were also taken by the farmers. so
that the system is owned by those
who will be directly benefited.
The Douglas reservoir, which was
practically completed at tins time,
was purchased from the North
Poudre Irrigation company by trans
ferrine Al pei cent of the Poudre
Valley stock to the North Poudre
company, at par value. or slo2, 500 in
the aggregate. The company is now
making ready to refill the Douglas
reservoir from the flood waters next
spring.