Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-03-17
copyrighted BY frank @. corDcnIoFl

copyrighted by FRANK Il, carpenter
~ ALGARY, Alberta-B by am odds
the biggest irrigation protect IN
the North Americas continent Is
now uojer way it this province
OF Alberta, In 1902 an the Irrigated
lands OF The United states did not
amount to lO00O000 acres. By this
scheme Canada win redeem 90 million
and a half acres OF semi-desert aud
that by private parties without gov
eminent aid. The work has been un-
dertaken by the Canadian Pacihr rail-
road, which has exchanged "a part Of
it's land grant Tor 100000 acres lying
between here and Medicine Hat. o.
this, l,500,0 900 acres VIII be put under
water, and the balance viii De sold 90
the irrigated land owners for pasture
and mixed farming This tract Of IT.
Iigated land H. almost as great as ali
the irrigated lgnd OF Colorado or CALI
fornia. II Is more than twice that Of
Utah, Idaho or Wyoming Rud many
times that of any other western state.
This work is now going on one
bundled and ten thousand acres are
now ready for the tuning on OF the
water, and double that amount will be-
added this year. The project viii De
handled In blocks Ut 100000 acres
each, ana &c viii be continued until the
whole tract is redeemed and settled
Altogether IT means supplying homes
10 something like 10000 families, and
with the towns and other Industries
which win be built up along the line
A. n1f FOL No nI
about 100000 people to Canada's popu-
latlon.
IN THE GREAT AMERICAN
DESERT.
The hands to be redeemed are part
of what was once known as the Great
American Desert. This runs norlhward
through the western part Of the Unit
Ell states and on into Canada, There
Is more water here than In our triD-
utary country. but there are dry sea-
sons, which make the lands unit Tot
ordinary farming, although winter
wheat is now being raised on much OF
il. For the past fifteen years the Can
adian government has had engineers
at work taking the levels, measuring
the streams and locating reservoirs.
From such surveys It has been found
arid land which need irrigation occa-
slonally II they are to be used for
farming. The government engineers
estimate that 100000 acres can easily
be reclaimed, and that they viii have
an unfailing supply Of water from the
Saska tchewan and It's tributaries II the
proper works are made
The land of the Canadian Pacific
scheme lies I'm solid block on both
sides OF the railroad between Calgary
and Medicine Hat, II is fiat or slightly
rolling prairie, and Is now used for
grazing. The strip Is 1870 miles long.
running back for some miles ON each
side OF the track. The water Is to come
from the Bow river, n beautiful noun
tain stream. II will be fed by other
rivers, which flow northward from the
United States through the Belly and
Bow into the Sa Saskatchewan and thence
on TO Hudson's bay
a BIG IRRIGATION DITCH.
The Bow river flows by Calgary /
drove out today to look at the bitches,
already excayated and 10 examine the
Irrigation project as far as II IL COM
pleted. Taking carriages. we drove for
miles over the prairie, riding at times
along the embankmonts of the main
canal, which is 90 feet wide al the bot
tom, 10 feet deep and takes from the
Bow something like 10000 gallons of
water every second. At many places
the men we're working, aud the scenes
were much like those | saw on the Pan
ANA canal. There were hundreds OF
horses scuOping up the prairie, there
We're long trainloads Of excavated ma
terial moving on the temporary tracks
fr, n one place TO another, The soil is
harder To work than that OF the Culebra
cut. Culebra is made OF a shay rock.
and single blast may loosen many
tons. Here the earth is a congl1merate
of sticky clay and great boulders which
have a consistency something like SOFT
taffy or half worked putty, IL gives lit
tie resistance and some parts have To
be blasted over and over again. The
stuff Is Of such nature that the steam
shovels cannot work In II unless II ~
loosened, so that the cost of excavation
IL great.
| have talked with Mr.. j. S. Dennis,
the manager Of this irrigation project
and also with the civil engineer In
charge of It. He tells me that they have
taken out about 100000 cubic yards.
which, as | figure It, would be just
about enough To fll line OF two-horse
wagons. at a ton 10 the wagon, reach
ing clear around the world Altogether,
%. 5000 600 cubic yards will have TO be ex-
cavated before the whole area Is under
water, and the engineers say that the
cost of this will be just about $1,000, 900.
II liz an enormous undertaking, bur II
will pay in the increased value OF the