Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-12
PATHFINDER PROJECT!
Topic Discussed al. the Engi-
neers' Conference.
PROMINENT VISITORS
MEMBERS OF THE NEBRASKA
DELEGATION IN CONGRESS.
Description of the Shoshone Plan of r.
rigation-Highest Dam in
the World.

the World.
Discussion of a variety Of topics marked
today's proceedings of the Engineers or
the United States reclamation service, In
session at the rooms of the geological sur
vey.
Mr. John E. Field, the engineer in charge
of the North Platte investigation In wy
oming and Nebraska discussed at length
the Pathfinder project. Members of the
Nebraska delegation in Congress-Senator
| Dietrich, Representatives Hitchcock, Nc
Carthy, Norris and Hinshaw, former SEN
ator Henderson and Mr.. B. A. Fowler
of Arizona-were present. The investiga-
tons on the Pathfinder project began In
April 1903, and have been pushed ener-
getically ever since. The preliminary work
has reached point where contracts have
been let for portion of the work, and
actual construction will be started in
few weeks.
Storage of Surplus Water.
The Pathfinder project eontemplates the
storage of the food and surplus waters
Of the North Platte river In an immense
reservoir, which will be made by construct
ing high dam in a narrow canyon of the
stream. The annual discharge Of the river
is approximately one and half million
acre-feet, and the reservoir Will be capa-
BILE of holding back all the surplus and
flood waters Of the entire year. It Is pro-
posed to hold back the floods until the
irrigation season, when the water will be
permitted to flow down the channel Of the
stream for a number of miles, and thence
be diverted by low diversion dam into
canals. which will carry 1t upon the lands
to be reclaimed.
pcse., It will eliminate for all time the
destructive annual floods of the stream
| and will furnish an abundant and per-
| petual water supply for a vast area of land
now desert and worthless. The canal sys-
| tenn required for this project will be the
| longest in the United States. the main
| canal having total length Of 40 miles,
| and supplying lands in two states, Wy
| area has not been finally ascertained, but
| the present surveys indicate total of
100000 acres that can be easily supplied
AS In case of all government projects,
| complicatio of prior rights and private
ownership have been encountered, some
| Of these interests being exceedingly power
! full and disposed to obstruct the progress
OF the work. The citizens of both states,
almost without an exception. are urging
| the government to proceed, and 1t is be-
| lieved, in view of the attitude Of the public,
that these complications will be removed in
| a short time. The lands to be reclaimed are
of great fertility and adapted to a wide
variety of products. Above the canal line
and extending for many miles in both
states is vast range furnishing free graz
| ing for thousands of cattle.
The shoshone Project.
| Following Mr.. Fields address, Supervis-
| ing Engineer H. N. Savage gave a descrip-
| ton of the Shoshone project in Big Horn
1 county, Wyoming. On the main thorough
/ fare leading Into the Yellowstone National
Park from the east, in region of wild and
| wonderful topography, the government en-
| gineers are engaged upon an irrigation pro-
| ject which is destined to convert vast
| area of desert into fertile and productive
farms. The main area of land to be irr-
| gated is located in the northern portion of
| the so-called Big Horn basin, on the north
| side Of Shoshone river, seventy-fve miles
! east of the Yellowstone Park.
Field Investigations and surveys were be-
| gun on this project in May, 1908, and have
| been carried on since by Mr.. jeremiah
Ahern, district engineer. The reclaimable
| area is approximately 200 600 acres, located
| on both sides of the Shoshone river below
| the canyon. The land is of general good
quality, and, as shown by large areas
| already under cultivation in the immediate
| vicinity, will be highly productive when
| irrigated. The Shoshone river. which fur
| nishes the water supply, has a drainage
| area of. 1.250 square miles, extending into
| the mountains to an elevation Of over Il, 600
| feet. Measurements and gagings of the
| river have been maintained since 1892, and
show a mean annual run-of of about Geo.
! 600 acre-feet. with maximum floods reach
| ing up to 1900 cubic feet per second or
| more In the early summer, and running
| down to $50 cubic feet per second or less
during the winter.
| The great variation between the maxi
| mum and minimum flow necessitates i'm
| pounding the flood run-off to secure a regu-
| lated supply for the irrigation of large
| areas. An excellent storage reservoir site
! has been found on the main stream at some
| distance above the land to be irrigated, the
| dam site being in a granite canyon. Just
below the junction of it's two main forks
| the Shoshone river enters very narrow
canyon four miles in length, one mile of
| which is in solid granite walls rising nearly
perpendicular several hundred feet.
Highest Dam in the World.
| At the point selected for the dam the
| canyon is sixty-five feet wide at the bot
| TOM and at an elevation of $40 feet, the
| height Of the proposed dam, $50 feet wide.
| The reservoir created by the dam will have
| a storage capacity of $4,000 acre feet.
Owing to the perpendicular canyon walls
| 1t will be necessary to design a tunnel to
! provide for the discharge of a wasteway
| for excess floods to pass the dam.
This tunnel will be constructed from the
| surface of the proposed reservoir through
the solid granite of the mountain, and will
discharge the water into the river several
| hundred feet below the dam. The capacity
| of the tunnel will be $4,000 cubic feet per
second, ample to carry the largest floods of
the stream The outlet works will have
capacity of $500 cubic feet per second,
the discharge being through tunnel ex-
cavated in the solid granite walls of the
mountain at an elevation OF sixty feet
above the stream bed. The tunnel will be
fourteen feet square. dfscharging under
pressure, and will be controlled by series
Of gates at the intake END. AS originally
DESIGNED 10000 acres on the north side
are TO be supplied through simple high
line conduit having q total lenght OF about
seventy-hve miles, decreasing In carrying
capacity as distributory canals are taken
out.
Mostly Tunnel.