The river press., 1904-11-02
Example Of the Working Of Re-
cent National irrigation Act.
HIGHEST DAM IN THE WORLD
Gigantic Reclamation Works in Arizona
How Irrigation Fund Is Created
and How 1t Will Be Used-End.
less Chain Of Arid Money.

11Ou. <1lcAuuucI ". DlOulc. oVNCIAOA
of Arizona, in an article OH Irrigation.
appearing in the October number of the
Cosmopolitan, referring to the operations
of the National Irrigation Act in the
arid regions Of the West, says in part:
'The first application Of the new 1rri-
CATION law has fallen to the territory of
Arizona. Three millions Of dollars hare
been set aside by the Secretary of the
Interior from the reclamation fund for
the construction of n dam at the mouth
Of the Tonic creek on Salt river. Work
upon this dam is now under way. Ce-
mcnt 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 di-
! 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.
1.-THE Tonic reservoir, when crca ted by
| the construction Of the dam, will cover
| 14.OOO acres. The height of the dam
will be 245 feet and the depth Of the
| wuter stored at the dam will be 1W
| feet; the dam will be 1G5 feet thick at
the bottom and 1G feet thick at the top
In length it will be 200 feet at the base
| and G:.; feet at the top. This will be
the highest dam in the world. THE stor-
age capacity of the reservoir Will be
| Srenter than that of almost any three
artificial reservoirs ever built, sufficient
to cover ! 800, 600 acres Of land one foot
| in depth.
! '"The reservoir will supply water sufti-
| cient to- irrigate 25O,O 900 acres of Hand.
| There are i'm Salt River Valley about
! 100000 acres of land suitable for irri-
| CATION. Under the present system Of un-
! certain water supply, only 115,OOO acres
| are under cultiyation-nlore land. how
ever, than the supply of water warrants.
| 1t was estimated that the flow Of wa
! ter last year would bring a full yield Of
crops from about 10000 acres.
Crops Always Sure.
''The benefits to accrue in Salt River
Valley can thus readily be seen. When
we consider that from four to seven cut
tings Of alfalfa are possible during the
year in the Salt River Valley, what will
be the yield-made certain by water
stored and ready for use-under the con-
ditions created by the Tonto dam?
With the certainty Of pasturagc in the
valley, cattlemen will engage more ex-
tensivcly in stock raising; hay. grain and
vegetables will seek an open new market
in the interior mining districts, and thou
sands of farms will become more profit
able. 1t is estimated that 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 25OOOO 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.
Il have felt that the creation of tho
Tonto reservoir is but the forerunne,
of further systems of water storage il
aid of irriga ton III Arizona; that event
ually upon all streams in the territor,
where proper sites can be found. irriga
ton works will be constructcd; tina
where the food water supply is fount
sufficient to guarantee. more than On'
reservoir will be created upon single
stream in order that the control of al
surplus water may be had.
"The new era of progress in the arit
region of the United States has set il
with an enthusiasm that means success
for as Emerson wrote, Nothing grea
was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
="
1t may thus be seen by the slight ref
erence to this one project, what the gov
ernmcnt is already doing in the ari,
States of the West. There are abou
$27. .OOO 900 now in the reclamation fund
. as Il result Of the sale Of government
lands in the arid States. where irrigation
operations are to be established 1t take
but little stretch of the imagination t.
perceive the incalculnhle benefits des
tined to come to arid America" durln
the next quarter Of century under til
operations of this wholesome America
l project.
Explanation of Irrigation Fund.
We frequently see mentioned in pa
pers not thoroughly Informed on thi
sub ject. that such and such Il fund ha
been set aside for reclaiming the ari
West. Other publications. equally ignt
: rant Of the true status. bewail the fac
that the people Of the entire Unite
States are to be taxed for the bellet
of the sparsely populated West. Bot
positions are untenahlr and are equal
y widely divergent of the facts pertain
ing to the situation as it exists.
Again let it be said for the informt
tion Of all interested, and al who car
to become interested. that no definite {
= specific amount of money has been vote
!, by Congress for the reclama tion Of til
y arid West. 1he act provides that a
moneys received from the sale of pul
:. lie lands in the thirteen States and thre
e Territories described are to be t,rne
E into the fund for irrigation purposes le:
q ) per cent.
t Easy to Own a Home.
The Act further provides that the Ian
shall he sold to actual occupants. wi
:. shall return to the government. in te
q equal annual insta llments. the cost
!. bringing water to the land; that if II
= reclama ton of body of 100000 acres
q land should cost 81 100000. of $40 p
r. acre. then the actual occupant would
a expected to reimburse to Uncle Sam II
$40 per acre in ten equal annual insta
ments of 81 per acre each.
l. After ten years the entire amount Q
l. pended in the construction of reservoir