The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-25
ONE ON The TRUST
Price Of Oil Hampers Irrigation
in West.
Cost Of Pumping Too High for
Average Crops.
UNCLE SANS REPORT.
Declares Officially Fhat There
lis an UnderfOw.
Results of Experiments Along
the Arkansas River.
UNCLE sAM's REPORT


In the 1905 report of the United
States reclamation service, just issued.
a good deal of attention is directed to
the underflow Of the Arkansas river
valley and the conclusion is an
nounced that the principal obstacle in
the way Of the utilization of the I'M
derfow for irrigation is the cost of
fuel, which is likely to be soon over
come by the use of crude oil.
The report says: 1.-The principal
obstacle to successful pumping is the
high price of fuel. The current price
during 1904 for gasoline in barrel lots
was % cents a gallon, a price that
makes pumping rather expensive for
average crops, even under the favor
able conditions which exist in the val
ley. However. there can be no ques-
ton that the Introduction OF cheaper
fuel especially the use of producer gas
generators in connection with gaso-
line engines, viii render the recovery
of water by pumping plants Ior lrrl-
cation highly profitable in the bottom
lands"
The discovery of petroleum in Kan
sas should permit the delivery OF
crude oil at Garden city in large
quantities at about 3 cents a gallon.
GQulNdlenL. IL uSEQ III gas k}AONLACCA
generators, to a cent price on gaso-
line. At this rate the fuel cost Of
water should not exceed rs cents an
acre foot. This prospective low cost
makes it doubtful whether 1t would
be practicable to design an inhltratiOn
gallery for the recovery of the under
flow for use on the bottom lands of
the river, though the construction of
such a gallery might be advisable on
the uDlands north of the river valley.
He~,.aA H.
the most practicable location for such
a gallery is in the neighbOrhOOd of
Deerffeld, Kan. From which point
the waters could be conducted to the
head of Farmers ditch which has a
maximum capacity of about 200 sec
ond feet and at the present time is
designed to cover about $500 acres Of
the uplands.
LAS an alternative scheme it is pro-
posed to design group of pumping
plants to recover the water near Deer
field and conduct the water into the
Farmers ditch. The first cost of such
q plant will undoubtedly be less than
that Of an infiltration gallery The
practical question to decide is whether
the operating expenses of such a plant
together with the first cost, would be
cheaper than an indltrauOn gallery,
and whether either plan is feasible
when the probable money value of the
lands reclaimed is considered"
Located the Underfow.
Much of the report is devoted to an
account Of how the investigation Of the
Arkansas river underf1OW was made
and how it was finally settled that the
underf1OW is Of importance to irriga
ton. Investigations were commenced
on June II, 1904. The ground was
carefully mapped out for distance of
from 6 to u miles back from the
river, and the rate of the underf1ow
observed by electrical devices.
1t was determined that the under
flow moved at a rate of between and
IL feet every "A hours The general
direction of the flow was toward the
east, but occasional exceptions to
this were observed By testing the
character of the water by chemical
analysis, it was ascertained just what
effect the river water had upon the
underdOW.
At Hartland, Kan. the investigation
was directed at dry creek, called
Bear creek, which seemed to have its
general direction toward the Arkansas
river, but which very seldom sue
Ceeded in getting there with any wa
ter. Tt all soaked into the coarse
gravel. By testing the underlow in
the dry bed of this creek, it was found
that while the course of the creek bed
was north and south, the underflOW
swept along below from west TO east
the same direction as the river itself.
An Important Experiment.
The report states that an impor-
tant experiment in extensive irrigation
is now being made on the Riverside
ranch, seven miles west of Garden
City. we'll 200 feet long and feet
wide, with a depth of 9 or 10 feet. has
been constructed. The sides are . of
sheet piling. and big pumps and steam
engines have been put in place with d
capacity of $500 gallons per minute.
The pumps and engine cost $4,000 and
the wells cost $4,000. The owners viii
use Trinidad slack coal as fuel Tia
new we'll and engines We're just ready
for operation when the report went to
press, so the story is left unfinished
at its most interesting point
The government promises, however,
to issue a supplemental report on this
matter as soon as the results of the
experiment are determined.