Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-08-31

disappear under systems of irrigation |
The government of the United States |
is doing a great deal to assist in the |
transformation of what has been a |
useless and hopeless region. 1t is do
ing almost as much as the govern |
ment OF India, with a true benevolent
spirit India is compelled to introduce
irrigation works as an antidote TO fam
inc, but the federal authorities OF the
United States are building them for
the benefit of farmers-braye pioneers
who have had the courage to come out
here and attempt to cultivate land
that is naturally as bald of vegetation
as billiad table. II Is not entirely
benevolent enterprise. however. The
benefciaries are required to pay e'-
cry dollar of the cost, and are gwen
ten years to meet the payments. Inc
government might retain the irriga
ton system and derive large rev
enue by selling the water, aud many
people think it would be much wiser
to do so. But ours is not money
| making commonwealth, and Its lrri-
CATION policy, be 1t wise or be 1t TOOL
ish, is only another illustration OF
| government of the people, by the
people, for the people
Salt River valley is not an attract
| i've name. 1t reminds one of Sodom
and Gomorrah and Lots wife, and 1t
does not look attractive. either. II
is a broad stretch of what used to be
called desert, the sandy surface being
broken only by gnarled mesquite trees
and punches of sage brush one of the
humblest but the bravest and most
determined plants tnat grows But
although the surface is so fordbidins
| the soil contains an extraordinary
amount of plant nourishment, and
wherever 1t is watered seeds germin-
ate and bloom and bring forth a hun
dred and sometimes thousand fold.
The Salt river is a reckless and in
consistent stream. For eleven months
OF the year 1t is as dry as Old Moth
er Hubbard's cupboard. The other
thirty days it sweeps down the valley
at the volume of 100000 cubic feet per
second. Enough water flows by in
those few days to moisten all the year
all of the crops that might be planted
in the valley, and the government
under the new lands reclamation act
proposes to discipline the stream and
make il contribute to the wealth OF
; Arizona.
: About sixty-five miles from Phoenix
the river flows through profound
, canyon, with lofty, precipitous walls
, A dam Is being constructed across
that canyon which will retain all o
. the floods and create vast lake
holding 400 ,0O0, 200, 600 gallons of wat
, re. twice as much as the Croton reser
voirs of New York City. This will b'
sufficient to redeem about 250,OO'
+ acres of arid land and turn this des
: ert into a garden-orchards of or
? anges lemons, figs, almonds and othe
: fruits and all the vegetables and flow
I ers that grow in semi-tropic regions
e The cost will be about $4,000 900, pait
Y in advance by the government from
the reclamation fund-the proceeds o
9 the sale of public lands-and after
j ward collected in ten annual install
: ments from the people who own th
: land to be irrigated and those wh'
f will buy that part of it which is still
Y government property.
The dam will be solid mass o
k rock and Portland cement The ma
n terials are all found on the groun'
e and the power is furnished by tn
n river ITSELF which generates 1900
s electrical horse power for handling
hA hi hot
n rocks, grinds the cement and trans
l. ports the material The river is thu
I forced to assist in constructing it
own prison. Many of the blocks o
r stone weigh ten tons or more, ant
S they are imbedded in a pudding o
:, Portland cement. AS the wall grow
$ 1t becomes more and more difficult t
place them in position, but the ma
: chinery is perfect and the work is al
a done by electricity. The dam is il
+ the shape of crescent-a mass o
z masonry as solid as the eternal hills
$ rising from the bottom of the canyol
l. 26S feet, thus making it the ilighes
i talthough not the widest) dam eve
e constructed. The canyon is 30 fee
e at the top of the dam. The masonr,
$ is 15S feet thick at the bottom ant
3 tapers to twelve feet at the top, which
: will be paved for roadway and guard
= ed by steel balustrades on either side
The reservoir is in the shape of al
l eagle with ontStretched wings, tn,
r beak representing the canyon and tn,
+ wings measuring 25 miles from tip Il
e tip. The river drains a range of snow
e capped mountains. The water for ir
rigation will be drawn from the reser
voir at the bottom through a tunne
! drilled through solid rock and CLOSED
| by three sets OF steel gates, which
2 are capable of sustaining pressure
Z of 10000 pounds to the square foot
They will slide upon roller bearings
and will he handled by electricity
through shafts sunk from the surface
; OF the rock. An engineer sitting in
his little cabin at the top of the dam
Will open and close the gates at will
, by throwing a switch. and can release
as much water as is needed at any
time and calculate its volume by the
movements of Ter at his side