The daily sentinel., 1905-01-09
High Line.

Denver papers. has much to say re-
garding the proposed High Line ca
nal. He has been discussing the
scheme for several days. He says
the people of the Grand valley are
waiting for suckers to foolishiy blow
In their money. Henry. in the early
days, was Identified with the Grand
Valley canal. the biggest in the val
I ley and he declares that he lost
nearly 100000 in his investments
in irrigation propositions in this val
ley.
4 In his articles Henry states that
there is no particular use or reason
4 for dealing with the past history of
irrigation IN the valley; it is the fu-
ture that is to be considered. In his
discussion of the High Line canal he
makes some very interesting state
merits. We make the following ex-
tracts:
People of Grand junction should
not at this time be particularly con-
cerned with any 'yesterday"-but
with the imperative today"
The great High Line canal project
should ''today' engage their united
and persistent attention, and, until
it is consummated. There are no
inherent or unusual difficulties in the
way. There are abundant water, fer
tile soil and profitable production
as a basis. The physical and engin-
eering problems involved are not per-
picking or expensive. There are sew
eral successful canal systems in the
state each of which has cost more
money and is more expensive to op-
crate than the High Line would be.
If built under the district plan, or
by the government under the recla-
nation act. it would add 10000
acres to the acreage tributary to
Grand Junction-three times the
present area. If brought up to the
Palisades standard of culture and
roduction--twenty acres for fam
lily of five persons the rural popu
lation would be 100000 and Grand
Junction then have $4,000 besides
I suppose the orchards and gar
dens at Palisades, a near neighbor,
in full yield last year produced 5000
gross per acre on an average. On
that estimate the High Line district
should, in ten years, return yearly
aggregate of S12,000,O00. That ap-
pears a wild approximation. But
4 figure and see.
Those 10000 acres are as barren
and commercially worthless as can
be conceived. Fifteen or twenty
dollars per acre outlay will provide
a complete supply of water for ir-
rigation. That done, nearly every
acre would bring Palisades prices
from 800 to $500. unimproved-
! a total outright increment of s12,-
100000
To that great sum would neces-
sarily at once be added an expendi-
ture of $50 per acre on an average
twice that If subdivided into ten
or twenty-acre farms-making q
grand total valuation OF SIS, 900, 900,
and producing gross yearly in
come. 1 repeat, of $4,000, ,OOOl
Every sane adult in the Grand
valley knows this is true-all posi-
BILE. Instead. why go to Goldfeld.
Alaska or Honduras? Then why
doesn't he, his cousins and his
aunts" and all rush after that in
crement-the difference between the
cost of the land and water. $40 per
acre. and this immediate intrinsic
value of seven or eight million dol
lars?
Simply because the people there
will not get together. pull together;
because they still expect another 7.
G. Henry Will repeat that financially
asinine performance of mine twenty
years ago. or that some other equal
ly gratuitous or fortuitous agency
will do 1t.
There are hundreds of acres un-
der my old Grand Valley canal. some
of it almost adjoining your city. as
wild and barren as 1t was when "Je-
rusalem was destroyed" and which
has never yet paid one dollar for
water out of that canal, built and
ready all these years to supply them?
Lands which you cannot buy for
500 per acre? The Travellers In
surance Company and myself begot
that increment. The fruition we
must hope to gain-"in the hereaf-
ter
More than fifteen years ago the
line of the proposed High Line canal
in the Grand valley was first sur
veyed. The prospects for its speedy
construction were SO encouraging
that more than 10000 acres of gov
ernment land under it were then
filed upon. About $4,000 acres have
since been proved up and patented.
Beyond Offering about one-half to
those who, from time to time. have
proposed to construct the canal, in
return for water rights for the use
of the half reserved. the owners of
all that land have practically done
little all these years but talk" OF
course considerable number have
refused to "donate"-as they call IL