The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-13
HIGHEST DAM IN
WORLD IN WYOMING
1t Is Now Being Constructed by
Z. S. Reclamation
Service.
PLACE DEEP CANYON OF
THE SH0SH0NE RIVER
1t viii, When Completed, Be
80 Feet in Height, and
Maybe Higher.

most common expression TO the pro-
moter and the press, but the highest
dsm IN the world is actually under con-
struction by tho United States recla-
nation service on the Shoshone river in
northern Wyoming said Mr.. II. n.
Savage, supervising engineer for Mon
tana, North Dakota and northern Wyom-
ing. The structure from foundation
to flood flow line will be 310 feet, and
including parapet and probable low
places In the foundation, is likely to
exceed this dimension by a few feet.
The width of the CANYON at stream bed
is 10 feet, and AT the 250.foot reservoir
contour the canyon walls are only l55
feet apart Work was begun in Sep
tember, 1905, and has been carried on
continuously since. The low flow of the
river is taken care of by a diversion
tunnel. 10 feet square, and 500 feet
long, through the solid rock around the
dam site. The run-off is so large and
continuous throughout the summer that
II Is necessary TO build the structure in
the winter time, owing to the severity
OF the climate the canyon is to be
housed in.
1.-The water impounded and regulated
at this reservoir will be sufficient to
cover 100000 acres of land three feet
IN depth, and will be the supply for
the Shoshone project. The water, after
being impounded, is carried down the
natural stream of the Shoshone river for
distance of sixteen miles. where it is
diverted by n tunnel, three and one
half miles long, onto lands about Gar
land, Work on this three and onehalf
mile tunnel, which is ten feet square.
was commenced early in 1905, and
will be completed in the spring of 1907.
The work is being carried on by the
reclamation service engineers, owing to
the failure of the contractor.
I,o
water from the tunnel to the lands is
under construction, and Will have a
capacity of 1000 cubic feet of water
per second. Owing TO the difficult con-
ditions encountered, the tunnel will cost |
between $4,000 and $4,000 per mile. |
'tThe construction of the distribution |
system to cover the first $4,000 acres |
Of land to be irrigated will be begun
early in the spring of 1907. Work on
the other three main canals will be
commenced at appropriate times.
Huntley Project,
''This project is located on the right
side OF the Yellowstone river, and ex- |
tends some twenty miles along the bot
tom lands 1t is traversed by both |
the Chicago, Burlington Quincy rail
road and the Northern Pacific railroad,
The area for the first development is
10000 acres The policy is for town
sites at frequent intervals along the
railways, which are cooperating with |
the reclamation service. 1t is proposed
to have railway stations and such town.
store. school and church facilities as are
required at each of these fve-mile
points. This will result in giving the
farmers extraordinary convenience for
the shipping of their produce, as we'll
as for the enJoyments of social life.
A beet sugar factory with a capacity
of 1900 tons has recently been put into
commission at Billings, only, twelve
miles away. The location OF these rail
way stations throughout the project
brings the average farm within one and
one-half miles of shipping points. The
construction of the project is some
thing over one-half finished, and is ex
pectcd that the first unit of 10000 acres
will be put under irrigation some time
during the year 1907.
Milk River Project.
The Milk river project possesses
great interest on account of its inter
national features. The water supply
for lands situated along the Milk river
will be obtained from the ST Mary
lakes. which now discharge through the
St Mary river into the Saskatchewan,
and ultimately into Hudson bay, The
project contemplates the storage of the
st. Mary lakes water, and its conduc-
tion by canal, twenty-six miles long, to
the headwaters of the north fork of the
Milk river, down which it will flow 100
miles through Canadian territory north
of the international boundary line, be-
fore returning to the United States.
"On account of the difficulties of
construction, and the high prices bid
Secretary of the Interior TO be neces-
sary to construct this canal for force
account, and the work is being carried
on by the engineers of the reclamation
service, A suitable plant has been ac.
quired and is now being assembled at
the works. 1t will consist Of steam
excavators, steam shovels, and other de-
vices of similar size Owing to the
distance of the canal work from the
railways in the United States. it was
found necessary to ship in the plant
by way of the Canadian Pacific rail
way and it is now being moved over
land from Cardston, the nearest rail.
way station TO the canal.
FThe location of fine vein of good
steamIng coal near the canal will ma
terially reduce the cost of construction
1t will be the policy to utilize steam
machinery wherever possible. The ca
nal Will have carrying capacity of a
little less than 1000 cubic feet per sec
ond, and actual construction was begun
with the local Indian teams in july.
1906, The canal runs through the
Blackfeet Indian reservation and $50
teams owned by the Indians were en-
ployed at one time. Ultimately il is
proposed to create the two St Mary
lakes into an enormous reservoir. so as
TO conserve all of the water to the
United States which otherwise would
flow northerly into the Canadian ter
ritory,
Sun River Project.
The Sun river project. which con-
templates the ultimate irrigation OF
256,000 acres of land in the general
vicinity Of Great Falls on the Missouri
river, is about to be put under construc-
tion. The first unit will include what
was the Fort Shaw military reservation.
Drawings and specifications are about
20 be transmitted for advertisement for
bids. This work includes In addition
TO the distribution system the construc-
tion of a canal and Of high earthen
dam for storage, as the low food Of