The Washburn leader., 1904-10-22
WOULD DAM THE MISSOURI.
Senator Hansbrough Endorses the
Proposition-lt Would Furnish Wa
ter for Irrigation and Do Away with
Floods In the South.

Propositon-lt Would Furnish Wa
ter for Irrigation and Do Away will
Floods In the South.
In constructing huge dam loo fec
above tho water level across the Mis-
souri, river in North Dakota near The
Montana line, the people Of North Da
kota plan to kill two birds with on:
stone. They plan first TO irrigatc ap
proxima,cly lO,Ooo,ooo acres OF land
now practically worthless, the second
to minimize the danger from floods
along the Mississippi river in Kansas
and other southern states.
United States Senator II. {. Hans
brorp, of North Dakota. author OF the
national irrigation bill which was
passed by congrc-, i'll 1902. said to I
Pioneer Press reporter. that he intends
10 present the project at the next Ses-
sion OF congress. Speaking about the
plan Of tiamming the Missouri river he
said:
1T will not be many year, before
North Dakota has more acres OF lrr!-
gated land than any other state i'll the
union. There i, no doubt that we
have the land and oi the very bcs'
.,,Ialty in unlimited quantities. When
VIC consider that nearly all the water
aha, come, out OF the eastern slopes
Of tho Rocsy mountains passes through
Dakota. the problem witt, us i, simply
90 get the water and the land together
"rhc lower bench land, along the
Missouri river can he served with water
by gravity ditthcs and the Use OF inn
proved pumping machinery
All this c4n be done under the cH-
,sting national irrigation law, but to
utilize all the llo"d wafer oi the Mis-
souri, river ii will hy necessary TO con
.trlct dam acres, lie stream al some
point southeast oi the Montana lnc,
The British government has damned
fhc river Nile III Egypt and brought I'M
der irrigation between i.nH".""" and !
h.ooo,oon acre, 81 Iand by dammlng
:i1c Missouri river the area that will be
reclaimed viii not be lar hort OF TO-,
e,0U Nln acre
"Ci the feasibility OF such an enter
urisc competent engineers do not hay: +
ahc sIigl,a.. Gou; There i, no reason
yly dam cannot he constructed i'll the
Missouri river lnn l"ct above the water
icve'. The great Hqllio dam, which is
20 be c,n*truc,cd in conjunction with
she Panama canal, will be nncly-slX
ctt above ;hc waller level. y lVo-1oo:
dam III he Missouri would raise the
level ui the stream 20 a. TO admit OF
shc impot1nding ui all the flood waters
that now go down l'le stream, flooding
he Mississippi valley to the destruction
# land and properly.
an The rolling country "n each side
ii the river arc nl9ty natural reservoirs
N which tl,v,r flood waters would be
..athcrcd a; The llpod season and IRON
,l,csc subrescrvoir> the waters could be
sakcn by irrga'oi> a, needed.
"rhc governments can well afford to
construct such tam ;n diminish the
destructive feeds Ihat occur from year
10 wear, and by uliiiz'l% tllc water tor
irrigation purpG,,, the wealth OF the
.a.on will be greatly increased What
The British government i, doing along
The Nile in Egypt can be done by the
United States along the Missouri i'll
North Dakota. 1t is mol 80 much
;,ueston OF cost ~ oi the bcncfllS. IT
nur government can spend $500 .oo''
IN the interests OF the commerce Oh the
world by the construction of the Pana-
ma canal. ii is not too much 10 say
iha, ii can we'll afford To expcnd Slo,-
800, 900 to S2o,Ooo.OoU in behalf OF our
internal commerce by the erection of a
dam across the Missouri river
81 shall aim TO present the matter be
sore the next congress and to secure tn"
cooperation OF the senators and repre-
scntativcs OF the Northwestern states
III behalf OF Il provision i'll the next
rivers and farbors bill! for the necessary
surveys and boring>.
"'rhc success of an enterprise such
as have suggested would make homes
for 100000 people ;m the wester: par:
VT North Dakota !, will be seen that
ahc advantages that would result to the
northwest generally and particularly to
She Twin Cities. are almost beyond
computation. The question at once be-
comes one OF paramount interest TO
Minnesota and the Dakotas as to The
communities along the Mississippi riv-
cr south OF It's.