Casco Bay breeze. [volume] (South Harpswell, Me.) 1901-1917, 1907-07-25
MINIATURE ALMANAC
Week Of July IS to July 81.
ELECTRICITY AND IRRIGATION
Some Of the Things Made Possibi.
by the Use Of Modern Machinery.


Promoting agriculture with water
taken from visible or hidden streams,
to make good the deficiency of rain
fall, is one Of the oldest Of human
practices. Sometimes the benefcent
fluid has been secured by diverting
part OF the current Of river, as in
Assyria in bygone days and in Egypt
today, and sometimes it has been OBJ
tanned by pumps, which were driven
oy windmills, treadmills or even more
primitive devices. Occasionally arte-
sian wells have furnished a supply
through a pressure high enough to
eject the water without any resort to
suction. Irrigation was practiced, too.
In America long before the beginning
of history on this continent, IL not at
as early period as in the Old
world In New Mexico and Arizona
there are now seen canals construct
ed by the Pueblo Indians previous 10
the invasion Of the region by the
Spanish, and further south, both above
and below the Is.-mus Of Panama.
there Is evidence that even more pre-
tentious undertakings were features Of
a civilization which existed thousands
Of years ago.
1t Is said that the first systematic
attempts at irrigation within the linn
Its OF the United States were made in
Utah, in 1S47. The Mormons who set
tied there experienced many disap-
pointments. and found that in order
10 secure sustenance they must utilize
the streams which ran into the Great
salt Lake. SHORTLY afterward the
more copious rivers of California were
employed for double service. Jets
OF water were made to wash gold out
OF gravel, where there were deposits
worth working, and also to assist In
the cultivation Of crops. The greatest
expansion In the practice has &C.
Cured since 1880. BY the year 1902
the number Of acres which were irri-
gated In the far west had increased
10 nine million, and 1t is believed to
De fully fifteen million today. The end
Is not yet reached, however, for many
important enterprises have been
started by the United States Reclaim
ation Service in the last three or four
years. When these are completed an
enormous addition will be made to the
area which was not arabic before.
NOT the least significant contribution
10 recent progress has been made by
electricity. This form of energy, de-
rived primarily from waterfalls and
oynamos, Is now used to help forward
tne work In several different ways. One
OF its applications Is to the operation
OF powerful Centrifugal" pumps which
hit water to unusual elevations. Elec-
tic drills have assisted In the creation
OF conduits, which extend through solid
rock, and In some localities electric
railways will be worked by means OF
the water which will subsequently flow
INTO the irrigation canals. An eastern
manufacturing firm which supplies
all kinds OF electrical machinery called
attention In one Of its recent circulars
TO one of the great engineering feats
OF the country. This IL the wonder.
ful Strawberry valley project at Yer
nal, Utah, now under way, where a
storage reservoir will be built to hold
hve billion gallons of water, and a
tunnel three and one-half miles long
Is being done by electrically driven
tools, and when IL is completed the
water Will first be used to generate
electricity for lighting and power pur-
poses. and then for irrigation.
The Williston On. d. project and
the Buford-Trenton project in the same
state are operated entirely By cleo
tricity. The electric current IL gensr-
ated By steam turbines (not hydraulic
power), and IL used to drive the large
motors connected with the centrifu-
gal pumps. Annother system has been
installed at Garden City, Kan, and
still another at Salt Lake, Ariz.-New
York Tribune.