Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-12-18
EXTENT OF ARID LAND WORK
Public Has Little Idea Of Vastsess Of
Projects in Contemplation.
RIVALS PANAMA CANAL IN vAsrNEss
seNenty-Seven Miles of Maria Canal
and 1856 Miles of bitches Have
Already Been Com
pIctcd.
Irrnm a STAFF CorrespondentO


WASHINGTON. Dec Il. - (Special.)-
Aside from a fcw directly interested sem
ators and representatives who have given
personal attention to the subject, very
few persons have any idea of the work
done by the reclamation service. 1t is
known in a general way that congress au-
thorized "A vast work which is destined to
add millions of acres of arabic land to the
farm acreage of the west. Beyond this,
however. knowledge Of the progress Of the
work is limited to the officials and EN-
poyes of the service. And yet the plans
of the engineers who have set out to ir-
rlgate an area greater in extent than
that of the original thirteen states prom
Use to add an empire to the United states
and that without extending the territory
single mile Every move made by the
Panama Canal commission is commented
upon by the newspapers in every city OF
the country. 1t is seldom that word
concerning the reclamation service is found
in the metropolitan papers In spite OF the
fact that the reclamation Of arid lands of
the west will add far more millions to
the wealth of the country than the PAN
anna canal can possibly do. resume OF
the work of the service to date shows that
seventy-seven miles of main canal, fifty
four miles of distributing system and 1856
miles of bitches have been constructed
including dams, headworks. etc. Tunnels
having a total length of three and one
half miles have been driven. including
more than a mile of the great Gunnison
tunnel More than $50 miles of telephone
lines have been installed and are in opera
ton; 126 miles OF wagon road. many miles
OF which were cut out OF solid rock in al
bridges and
fifty Office and other buildings have been
constructed. The works above mentioned
have called for the excavation of 100000
cubic Yards Of rock and earth, the laying
OF 200 cubic yards of concrete 1000 cubic
Yards of riprap 10000 square feet of paw
ing 10000 linear feet of sheet piling and
10000 feet of bearing piles have been driven.
There have been purchased 10000 pounds
Of railroad iron. 10000 pounds of struc-
tural steel, 10000 pounds of cast iron,
l. 10000 feet of lumber and 5000 barrels
of cement The government has erected
/ Il cement mill at a cost OF more than
100000 which has already turned out 1000
barrels of cement and is now furnishing
about 300 barrels a day. The sawmills
oDerated by Uncle Sam have cut 2,SSO,oO
I feet OF lumber from the government re-
/ serves The United States reclamation
! service was organized in 1902, Immediately
/ after the passage of the reclamation act
! As soon as possible after n discussion Of
/ preliminary plans in Washington mvesti-
! cations were begun in the thirteen states
and three territories which are benef-
/ caries under this act. BY utilizing the
data gathered in previous years by the
| photographic branch of the geological sur
/ vey the service was enabled to concentrate
B nd ya1a nc
for their construction were soon prepared
! for the consideration of the secretary Of
the interior. Up to the present time eleven
Of these projects have been approved and
I are under actual construction Their esti-
| mated cost is nearly $50, 10000
| TackIing shnnghH Problem.
The federal authorities have at last
taken hold of the Shanghai problem in
| earnest and many prosecutions OF the
| MARYLAND oyster boat shippers are immi-
nent I'm consequence. The cruelties prac-
ticed for years by these pirates OF Chesa-
| peake bay are almost incredible. Men
by the score are captured by crimps in
Baltimore Philadelphia and New York and
forcibly carried to the oyster beds, where
they are treated with such devilish bTu-
tally that when they finally escape they
are frequently manned for life. 1t Is
understood also that during the past ter
years number of murders have beer
committed by the oystermen, and yet tn,
law has seldom reached one of them. TIL,
state authorities of Maryland and Viz
GINA have made sporadic but very feeble
efforts to punish the criminals, but re
suits are not noticeable. Now, however
the president himself has taken cognizanc
of affairs and the revenue cutter service
has been directed to look after the oys
ter fleets. In addition bills have been In
PRODUCED in congress to more severely pun
ish the crime OF ''shanghaing'' and it i
believed the practice will be broken ur
Clerk Makes n Find.
story has just leaked out regardin!
a find which a clerk in one of the de
partments made in an old family Bibl
which he purchased at an auction OF un
claimed express parcels last week. Thes