East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-09-04

Boise, Sept. Especial. Flight I
least 20eO visitors are now in attend
ance at the fourteenth annual session
of the National Irrigation association
in this city.
All day yesterday and all night last
night the delegates and visitors pour
ed into the city by special trains, and
today the convention han is crowded
with the enthusiastic irTlgators.
Vice-President Fairbanks, Chief
Engineer F. II. Newell and Chief For
tster Clifford Pinchot arrived Monday
morning from the east and at noon
yesterday the special car bearing so
newspaper correspondents from Wash
ington city, New York, Philadelphia
and other large cities arrived from
Salt Lake.
Utah sent over 2B0 delegates and at
least 200 visitors, and is now at the
head of the list of outside states in
the number Of representatives pres
emit Idaho is represented remarkably
weE. almost every town and city in
the state having a delegation here.
Ore gon follows Utah with the largest
number of representatives present.
The Oregon delegates held n lneetfhg
last evening and organized for action
in the matter of securing needed fr-
rigation legislation and in encourag-
ilg the reclamation department in
forwarding the work of irrigation in
mat state.
ROosevelts Greeting.
The greeting of President Roose-
welt to the Irrigation congress was
the chief topic of interest at the first
days session This greeting was sent
by Clifford Pnchot, chief forester of
the United States. who Is a close per-
sopal friend 6f the president and a
college chum-
Mr.. Pinchot read the message Of
'the president Following the address OF
welcome and responses At the opening
session of the congress. The chief
points of interest in the presidents
letter are as follows:
ITO the Officers and Members of the
Irrigation Congress. Boise, Idaho:
Operations under the reclamation
act. which | signed on June II, 1902,
have been carried on enerEetically
during the four years since that date.
The reclamation service. consisting
Of over 400 skilled engineers and eX-
perts in various lines. has been organ
lied. and it is now handling the work
with rapidity and effectiveness.
"Constructiun is already well ad-
vanced on % great enterprises in the
4,
600 900 acres of land have been laid
out for irrigation, and Of this 200,06O
acres are now under ditch; 500 miles
of canals and bitches and 10000 feet
of tunnel have been completed and
100000 cubic yards Of earth and
2 900. 900 cubic yards of rock have
been moved.
'Detailed Topographic surveys have
been extended over 10000 square
miles of country within which the re-
clamation work is located, and 90
900 miles of level lines have been
run. Three hundred buildings. includ-
ing offices and sleeping quarters for
workmen. have been erected by the
reclamation service, and about an
equal number by the contractors.
over 10000 men and about 5000
horses are at present employed.
"The period of general surveys and
examinations for projects Is past, Eff
fort is now concentrated in getting
the water upon sufficient area of ir-
rigable land in each project to put 1t
on n revenue producing basis. To
bring all the projects to this point
will reouIre upwards of S40,0 600,