The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-09-01
IRRIGATION DAM
IN ARIZONA
IT WILL HOLD 100000, 100000 GAL
Ions oF WATER.
How the Salt River Is Compelled to
Make It's Own Dam by Utilizing the
Water Power-The Government Work
Will Double and Quadruple Land
Values in the Valley.
New York Tribune.


ress is the Salt River, or Roosevelt
dam, in Arizona, and considerable crit
icism has been made of the course Of
the secretary Of the interior in setting
aside between $3,000,00O and $4,000
900 for, this project, which will irrigate
no public lands, but only those already
in private ownership, vastly increasing,
of course, their value. The work
which the government will do under
this project will double and quadruple
land values, and, in fact, make much
land that is HOW practically useless
worth from $50 to 500 an acre. Some
two hundred thousand acres will be irri-
gated under these works, and the arti-
ficial reservoir to be formed by the
Roosevelt dam will be by far the larg-
est in the United States, with the in
credible capacity Of nearly four hun
dred billion gallons. This is three
times the capacity Of the great Wachu-
sett reservoir, which is to supply Bos-
ton, and twice that of the famous Gro
ton dam, Of New York's new water
works. r -
The criticism referred to of building
government works to supply water to
such region as the Salt River valley,
where the lands are all in private own
ership, instead of going out to the des-
ert and retaining public lands, is one
which will not hold on second thought.
The Salt River valley has been ia
nous part of the arid west. Twenty
years ago it was a vast, fiat plain
skirted by mountains rejecting the
wonderful colors and tints Of the
southwest, but nourishing only the cac.
tus and other desert plants. The Salt
River cut it's center, a sparkling, life
criv OF ND ,rr oo,o;to1 ~,
dertook to utilize, its waters for irriga
ton and build up a great community
Dams were built, canals were construct
ed, and thousands of acres were
planted with oranges, lemons, figs
dates, raisin and wine grapes, almonds
pomegranates, and all the fruits anc
flowers Of the semi-tropics, not to men
tion broad fields of emerald alfalfa
where fat cattle stood knee deep in thu
luXurlant growth. But the valley il
today crippled and sick. =
The canal system laid out was baset
on. the heavy annual rainfalls which
prevailed at that time, and sufficien
data had not been gathered to shov
that the period was one of fat year
and that the lean years of drout]
would surely follow They came, how
| ever, over the whole southwest, as cal
be seen by a study Of the rainfall
charts of that region, and the result ha
been that thousandsaof acres of orchar,
and farm have returned to aridity. TIL
Old Man Of the Desert came in an,
claimed back his own. It is simply
| question, then, in the Salt River valley
it. is not as good or better policy fo
Uncle Sam to save the homes of .severa
thousand ploneers,2 who are perishin
for WANT of water, as it is to- reclaim
ne raw lapds and put new: settlers O.
From a Brook to a Torrent.
The: flow Of the Salt river valley j
variable. in the extreme. At low-wate
| periods it runs something like 100 cubi
I feet a second. In one great food til
river swept down the valley at til
rate of 100000 cubic feet a SECOND
The twelfth annual report of geologics
survey describes the flood Of 1891 a
follows ti all Of which ran uselessly t
"On Feb. II the discharge was SO
cubic feet a second, increasing the nez
day to $4,000 cubic feet, and on th
10th to- $4,000 cubic feet. This We
followed by a second greater swell, III
til, on the oath, maximum of 10000
cubic feet was reached. -.
The, Roosevelt dam is to control an
store such floods. Z About sixty mile
from Phoenix the Salt river enters
profound canyon, with lofty, ,precip
tous walls and narrow floor, in whic
the canyon opens into wide valley
providing the most capacious reservoir
in the west. -..e~ p. -. a.-. -
lit would probably be impossible |
find anywhere in the arid region, - sal
Government Engineer Arthur P. Davi
the protector Of this magnificent ente
prise, :" a storage project in which a
conditions are as Favorable as in til
one. The capacity Of the reservoir
dam is enormous, and the lands to
watered are of remarka BILE fertillt
with climate which may be classed
almost semitropic.0 - ~. f.
| Mr.. Davis also made the importal
discovery that material for making goo
Portland cement and bricks lies imm
diately by the dam site. He states th
, tn masonry dam nowseunder constru
tion will be absolutely permanent
come, a part Of the everlasting hills
} which it will become an integral part.
Finding that the prices bid by the 6
ment manufacturers would add an
creased burden of 100000 or more
} the payments of the 3irrigators, the go
eminent constructed an immense GENE
, mill and will itself manufacture t.
/ 100000 or more barrels of GENE
needed for the dam. A splendid roe
: way, rivaing the mountain roads Of t.
/ Incas, has been built from Phoenix
:, The cost of the entire construction
l $780, 00-will be apportioned lamo
the lands receiving the water, to be pa
back to the government in ten annual
d stallmerlts, and no water user can he
4 more than 160 acres.
u River Forced to Build It's Own Da
An interesting feature of the &C
b struction work is the power canal viii
has already been built: The regul
flow Of the river has been divert
: above the damsite, and at that point
some 10000 electrical horsepower, to
% utilized in building the dam. 1t "
@ be required day and night for drilli1
% moving great rocks, pumping. grindi
Y rock and clinkers, mixing and handli
Q cement and handling machinery. 7
~ river is thus being forced to erect
own dam. After the construction. t
% power, added to large additional pow
g to be extracted from the, heavy f
If the river below the damsite, will
u electrically transmitted to lands ]
: covered by the gravity canal for pun
ing purposes, and by this means flu
3 10000 acres additional will be water
!, from the underground supply fou
y thruout the Salt River valley.
:. An ample spillway will provide
. escape for excessive flood waters, AM
e tunnel driven thru solid rock will
i. ter the reservoir directly on its bott
!, to supplement the subway and also
= allow for the discharge Of sedim
=, from the reservoir.
r The valley is already well provo