The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-11-07

by the Canadian Pacific railroad com.
pany. He says the main water supply
of the project will be the Bow river.
Unlike many other rivers, the banks
of the Bow are not deep.cut below the
plain, but are near the lands to be
irrigated, and the supply at low water
is more than double the demand.
In Canada all the rivers belong to
the crown, and are under the immedi.
ate supervision of the government;
they are measured and melted out by
government officials, so that the water
right Is as good as the land title, and
the stipulated supply is guaranteed
with both.
The great tract to be irrigated by
the Canadian Pacific Railway COM
pany lies in southern Alberta between
Calg airy and Medicine Hat. 1t is one
hundred and fifty miles in length and
forty miles in width, lying between
Red Deer river on the north and the
Bow river on the south, and through
the very center runs the iron way of
the Transcontinental railway.
This great irrigation block is the
largest individual block on the CONT
nent, comprising over 5000 900 of
acres, and it presents the happy com.
bination of irrigable and non-irri-
gable areas in desirable proportions
for grazing and crops, for ordinary
and intensive farming.
In laying out this undertaking, the
block has been subdivided into three
main divisions of eastern, central,
and western sections, containing
about l,OOO, 900 acres each. The irri.
cation development is beginning with
the western section.
The main canal of the western sec.
ton heads in the Bow river, about
two miles 3 of Calgary, and is II
miles in length; it is 90 feet in width
on the bottom and 12O feet wide on
the water line. and it carries ten feet
OF water. 1t termin ates in a natural
reservoir 3 miles long, ! mile wide and
40 feet deep. From this reservoir ex.
tend the seconds airy canals A, B, and
G, which are 80 feet wide at the bot.
tom and 60 feet at the water line, and
these carry 8 feet of water, and their
combined length is $50 miles. From
these secondary canals the distribute
ing bitches " over the plains, az.
greg ating in the gre at western section
alone a total length of some 800 miles,
making a grand total for the western
section of 967 miles Of main water
channels, exclusive Of the farmers
laterals.
In most irrig alton projects on this
continent the general plan has been TO
carry water In q secondary canal or
ditch to a point near u considerable
area to be irrigated, and then leave
the farmers to combine in digging and
maintaining bitches, at their own en-
peuse, to deliver the water to their
several farms: but this company Is
making the signal departure Of carry.
ing the water direct to each individual
farm, leaving nothing for the farmer
to do but to open up the small furrow
laterals on his own lands.
The construction of the canal in the
western section with its hundreds OF
miles of secondary canals and dis
tributing bitches has been a large and
expensive undertaking. The engin'
eering surveys have been rigidl,
scientific and exhaustively performed
the contours of the entire western sec.
ton being located to 5.foot internal.
In the two remaining sections OF Owe
1900. 900 acres it is intended to com
plete the typographical survey to show
contour elevations within the remark
ably close scale Of one foot, and II
all the sections the maps issued show
the exac, acreage OF irrigable land o,
each farm.
Steam shovels and small construc
ton locomotives were used in eXcavat
ing the large canals and bitches, ant
in carrying out the earth, and. where
yer possible, %elevating graders wer
used, employing steam and hOrs
power. In the construction OF bank
the greatest care and skill has bee
shown. The porous surface soil ha
been stripped Oft and the harder ella
and wi ted soils have been use
for filling in depressions and buildin
the banks. In building the banks tt
soil was put on in layers, wette
down. and then packed by rollers I
make them strong and water-tight, $
there is little danger Of breakage, c
loss from seepage. The soil throug
which the canals are dug is very har
and clayey, so there is little seepage
erosion.
q BETTER POLITICS.