Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1904-10-20
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 II Will Be Used-End-
less Chain of Arid Money.

Hon. Alexander o. Brodie, Governor
of Arizona, in an article on 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 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 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-
verified 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
$4,000 acres. The height of the dam
will be 245 feet and the depth of the
water stored at the dam will be 100
feet; the dam will be 165 feet thick at
the bottom and IS 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 ], 300, 900 acres of land one foot
in depth.
"The reservoir will supply water suffi-
cent to irrigate $4,000 acres of land.
There are in Salt River Valley about
100000 acres of land suitable for irri
CATION. Under the present system of I'M
certain water supply, only 10000 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 $4,000 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 Tonic dam?
with the certainty of pasturage in the
valley, cattlemen will engage more eX-
| tensively 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 a million
| and q 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
| ually upon all streams in the territory
| where proper sites can be found, irriga-
ton works will be constructed; that
| where the food water supply is found
sufficient to guarantee, more than one
reservoir will be created upon a single
stream in order that the control of all
surplus water may be had.
1.-THE new era of progress in the arid
| region of the United States has set in
| with an enthusiasm that means success
for as Emerson wrote, Nothing great
was ever achieved 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
1927 100000 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 tC
perceive the incalculabls benefits des
tined to come to "Arid America" during
the next quarter of a century under the
operations of this wholesome American
project
Explanation of Irrigation Fund.
We frequently see mentioned in pa
pers not thoroughly informed on thi
subject, that such and such a fund has
been set aside for reclaiming the ariC
West. Other publications, equally igno
rant of the true status, bewail the fac
that the people of the entire United
States are to be taxed for the benef
of the sparsely populated West. Boil
positions are untenablo and are equal!
, widely divergent of the facts pertain
ing to the situation as it exists.
Again let it be said for the informa
ton of all interested, and all who car
to become interested, that no definite o
specific amount of money has been vote
, by Congress for the reclamation of tn
arid West. The act provides that al
moneys received from the sale of pub
. lie lands in the thirteen States and tire
, Territories described are to be turne
, into the fund for irrigation purposes, les
1 per cent.
I Easy 10 Own n Home.
y The Act further provides that the lam
shall be sold to actual occupants, VIII
shall return to the government, in tie
q equal annual installments, the cost o
!. bringing water to the land; that if tn
: reclamation of body of 100000 acres O
q land should cost $l,000,O0O of SO pc
= acre, then the actual occupant would b
a expected to reimburse to Uncle Sam tn
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