Idaho Springs siftings., 1904-10-22
Example of the Working OF Re-
cent National Irrigation Act.
HIGHEST DAM IN THE WORLD
0igantic Reclamation Works 10 Arizona
How Irrigation Fund Is Created
asd How II viii Be used-Ead.
less Chain OF Arid Money.

hob- AiSAuHIex ~ i1ipiict
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 1rri-
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.
verted by the construction of a tun-
mel through the mountain in order that
there shall be no interference from that
source during construction.
Immense Reservoir.
''The Tonto reservoir. when created by
the construction of the dam, VIII cover
1900 acres The height Of the dam
will be PAS feet and the depth of the
water stored at the dam will be 1870
feet: the dam will be 165 feet thick at
the bottom and 10 feet thick at the top.
In length il 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
10 cover 800 600 acres Of land one foot
in depth.
..rhs reservoir will supply water sufri-
cient to irrigate 80 900 acres Of land.
There are in Salt River Valley about
260. 600 acres of land suitable for irri-
cation. Under the present system OF un-
certain water supply. only ll5.Uoo acres
are under cultiyaticn-more land. how
ever. than the supply Of water warrants.
IL was estimated that the flow Of wa
ter Inst year would bring a full yield of
crops from about 5000 acres.
Crop. Away. 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 nse-under the CON
ditions created by the Tonto dam?
with the certainty Of pasturage In the
valley, cattlemen will engage more ex-
tensiveiy in stock raising: hay. grain and
ftEttLnitS VIII sffh an Rlth NV MAJ hEA
| in the interior mining districts. and thou
sands of farms will become more profit
able. II is estimated that a million
and a half dollars worth Of alfalfa hay
and fat cattle are exported from Salt
River Valley annually. With a full crop
| OF from 10000 % 10000 acres. the
wealth producing capacity of alfalfa
alone will be sufficient TO pay for the
reservoir in less time than is allotted BY
| laws 10 the farmers.
81 have felt that the creation Of the
| Tonto 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-
| tion works will be constructed: that
where the flood 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.
"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.
."
II may thus be seen by the slight ref
erence to this one project, what the gov
| ernment is already doing in the arid
| States of the West. There are about
| So. .0oo, 600 now in the reclamation fund,
as result of the sale Of government
| lands in the arid States. where irrigation
| opera ations are to be established. Ii takes
| but little stretch of the imagination to
perceive the incalculabie 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 this
| subject, that such and such a fund has
| been set aside for reclaiming the arid
| West. Other publications, equally igno-
| rant of the true status. bewail the fact
| that the people of the entire United
| States are to be taxed for the benefit
| of the sparsely populated West. Both
| positions are untenable and are equally
widely divergent of the facts pertain
| ing to the situation as it exists.
| Again let il be said for the informa-
| ton of all interested. and all who care
| to become interested, that no definite or
| specific amount of money has been voted
by Congress for the reclamation of the
arid West The act provides that all
moneys received from the sale of pub
lie lands in the thirteen States and three
| Territories described are to be turned
into the fund for irrigation purposes. less
| per cent.
Easy to Own a Home.
The Act farther provides that the land
shall be sold to actual occupants, who
| shall return to the government, in ten
/ equal annual instalments, the cost of
| bringing water to the land; that IL the
reclamati ton of body Of 100000 acres Of
land should cost 81. 100000. Of SO per
! acre, then the actual occupant would be
expected to reimburse to Uncle Sam the
| $40 per acre in ten equal annual INSTALL