The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1906-01-11
RECLAIMING ARID LAND
Eleven Government Irrigation
Projects Now Under Way.
WORK WILL COST OVER s37, 100000

Many Miles of Canals and bitches
/ Dug Millions OF Dry Acres to Be
| Brought to Fertiiity-Desire of the
| sacramento Valley People - How
the Value Of Land rs Increased by
TrrisotinS 1t.
| A bulletin issued by the geological
survey says the approval by the secre
| sary Of the interior of the Rio Grande
reclamation project in Texas and New
! Mexico, and the Carlsbad project in
| New Mexico. will bring the number of
reclamation projects UP to twenty four
! Of these eleven are under way. They
provide for the reclamation of 1 ,3O3.600
acres of arid lands at cost of $751;
! O2S.511.
| On June so the total cost Of CON
struction and engineering work per
formed by the reclamation service, to-
| gether with the administration ex-
penses, amounted to $5,462, 1859. On
| that date the reclamation fund had
reached a total of $29,O2S,571. 1t was
estimated at that time that the receipts
| for the fiscal years 1906-0S would
amount to $9.000.000, SO that the sum
money available for reclamation
purposes up to The end Of 1908 will be
$31. 02S.511.
Since the work of reclamation began
seventy seven miles Of main canals
have been constructed and fifty-four
miles of distributing canals, as we'll as
1856 miles of bitches and 147 bridges.
| Over 9.350,000 cubic yards OF earth
have been excavated and three and
! half miles of tunnel driven
Labor. the bulletin says, is one of the
most serious problems the engineers
/ have to confront Several contrac-
/ tors" the bulletin adds, engaged on
| government projects have already fail
ed because Of their inability to secure
the services of a sufficient number of
worklnen, and others are on the verge
OF failure for the same reason, 1t is
equally difficult to find competent sub
contractors and foremen.
| The people of the Sacramento valley,
| in California, are anxious that the gov
| work that it is now doing in the west
SO as to take in a part at least of
their land. The Development associa-
ton of the Sacramento valley, which is
| taking a very active interest in the
! subject, has a representative in Wash
ington now in the person Of w. A.
Beard, the secretary Of the association
| I l.
view with the secretary Of the interior,
under whom the general scheme of the
reclamation service is being plotted,
and while there has been nothing def
nitely promised to the Sacramento peO-
| pie yet there is cOnsidera BILE prospect
that the valley will be included in the
work mapped out for the coming year.
! At the recent hearing at the interior
department Mr.. Beard and Director
Walcott Of the geological survey were
] both present, and the whole situation
was clearly put before the secretary.
The Sacramento valley is about 80
miles wide and 200 miles long 1t con-
tains a little over 100000 acres OF
arabic land, and the surveys that have
been made of 1t show that there is not
only water enough in the Sacramento
river to irrigate the whole of it, but
that there are reservoir sites enough
to hold the water for distribution dur
ing the long dry summer without inter
fering with the navigation of the riv-
er. This is an unusually favorable
showing for any irrigation project. The
reservoir sites are such also that the
work can be done economically and
with more than usual speed.
The counties interested in the work
have been cooperating with the geo.
logical survey for about six years. in
the surveys and preliminary investiga-
tons. The state appropriated $4,000
to aid in the original survey work.
Now that the investigation is practical
~ all done the Sacramento Valley as
ISOLATION has taken up the work vigor-
ously in hope of seeing one or another
OF the several projects put through.
The people Of the valley do not expect
to see the whole of the work taken
up at once, t~lt they are in frame of
mind where they will heartily support
the engineers of the reclamation serv-
ice, no matter which Of the several
units of the work they elect to start Oh.
AS has been said, the reclamation
service has work under way in eight
cen states that will ultimately cost
over $37 100000 and will reclaim some
thing over 100000 acres of land, but
there are more than 100000 acres in
the Sacramento valley alone that are
easily susceptible Of irrigation and
have the water and reservoir SITES
The rate at which land increases in
value when once it is under ditch is
almost inexplicable to the average
easterner. The land In the Sacramento
valley now which is irrigated by pri-
vate enterprise is worth we'll over SITS
an acre, while equally good land that
is not irrigated can be had for $50.
The subject of extensive irrigation
work is pressing with the Sacramento
| valley people. The whole Of the val
ley has been steadily cropped in wheat
/ 4,