Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-03-25
MILLIONS FOR MOISTURE
Comprehensive Survey Of Government
Irrigation Work in West.
TWENTY-FIVE PROJECTS ARE UNDER WAY
Vast TRcts of Useless Land to he Made
to support Many Thousands of
Families-TweIve Hundred
Miles of bitches.
(From a STAFF Correspondent !

| NF IOHl a bAhl NoIltShibllutiiAsJ
WASHINGTON, March A.-(Special.)-
Millions for Moisture was the subject Of
an address delivered before the National
Geogra phical society Of this city Monday
evening by Mr.. c. j. Blanchard. statistician
Of the reclamation service. The lecture was
profusely illustrated with colored views of
the work Of the government in the west
In this connection II is interesting to note
that Mr.. Blanchard was at one time con-
nected with the Council Bluffs page of
The Omaha Bee. He is an Iowa boy, hav-
ing been trained in the hard school of news
paper work, and is now enjoying the fruits
of his early labor in holding one Of the
most responsible positions in the reclama-
tion service.
THE policy Of national irrigation is
broadly paternal," said Mr.. Blanchard.
"yet it is so thoroughly common sense and
business-like that the wonder is It was not
adopted long ago with the examples Of
other nations in similar works constantly
before us for years, Il is well nigh mex
plicable that our nation, the most pro-
gresslve in the world, should have been so
tardy in initiating the work upon which 1t
finally engaged less than five years ago.
National reclamation plans to break
down the barriers which the great American
desert has so long interposed to western
progress and development. 1t plans the
subjugation Of the I ions waste places,
the fructiication OF the land that God
forgot
Three Million Acres to Redeem.
''The fun Importance of national reclama-
tion is obtainable only by comparison. The
twenty-five projects upon which the gov
ernment Is now engaged, when developed
to their fun extent, will add 3,19S0OO acres
to the crop producing area of the United
States. Add to these thirteen other projects
which are held in allegiance, pending the
completion Of the first mentioned. and
which will reclaim 3,27OOOO acres, and We
have a grand total of 6,46S0OO acres. This
enormous area today is practically worth
less 1t returns revenues neither TO the
states in which It is located. nor to the
nation to which It largely belongs. 1t is
utilized only a short period in each year
for grazing nomadic herds that are driven
over It, Potentially, itiis the richest, the
most fertile and productive land in the
world, and is capable of supporting in COM
fort an agricultural population as dense
as can be found in any of the older settled
parts of our country. BY expeuding $780,
O00 900 on the twenty-five engineering works
now in process Of construction, the recla-
nation service will reclaim a cultivated
area equal to the total acreage in crops in
the four states Of Connecticut Massachu-
sets New Hampshire and Florida. The
diversified crops, enorm06s Yields from
irrigated lands and the excellent prices for
all farm products in the west warrants
the assumption that this land will return
annually an Income larger than the farmers
receive In the four states named. For com
parison, let us say that the revenues per
acre will be the same. II is apparent then
that this area reclaimed will each year In
crease the value of farm crops by $4,000, 600.
It will add S232. 100000 to the taxable prop
erty Of the people 1t will furnish homes
for 50 900 families on farms and in villages
J, and towns.
LandIess Man Meets ManIess Land.
"On several OF the projects the work
has reached the point where the human
interests involved overshadow in import
ance the engineering features. The most
intensely interesting period in the work of
reclamation is at hand-the landless man
has been brought 20 the manless land. 1t
has been well said that he who helps to
establish the security of the irrigable home
will also help TO establish that greater,
that composite home, the United States OF
America. Our nation is indeed affected by
this problem which the reclamation serv-
|, ice is on the eve Of solving, for on the
| I success OF lne HTlBdDlt noIut TESTS lOudy
the prosperity and stability Of more than
one western state.
"Our desert region is the only section
of our imperial country wherein there is
an equality of opportunity. In no other
part Of the nation are the rewards for in
dividual effort more constant and certain.
When these facts are more fully realized
the wisdom of the presidents policy Of
safeguarding and conserving this vast
estate for the people will be appreciated.
America has furnished a safety valve
against the over-crowding Of the great CEN
ters of population In the old world for
fifty years. Is II not about time to look to
our problem and prepare against the day
when there shall be a glut of population
in our own cities?
president Roosevelt has called atten-
ton to the fact that the nation is giving
away public utilities of priceless value TO
greedy promoterS who are monopolizing
power sites, large areas Of agricultural
lands, immense tracts Of coal lands, and
miles and miles of forests without COM
pensation to the people to whom those
utilities belong. Thoughtful men are pre-
dieting a population OF 2OO,OOO.OOO in 1859
and 4OOOOO,OOO at the close OF the century.
How shall we take care of this vast in
crease?
Figures Are StuDendOus.
"a summation OF the work OF the re-
clamation service to January l shows that
, II had dug 1857 miles of canals, or nearly
the distance from Washington to Omaha
Some of these canals carry whole rivers
I like the Truckee river In Nevada and the
r North Platte in Wyoming. The tunnels
eXcavated are A in number and have an
= aggregate length Of nine and one-half
a miles. The service has erected "a large
] structures including two great dams in
e Nevada and the Minidoka dam in Idaho
] so feet high and $50 long 1t has com
5 pleted go headwOrks, fumes, etc II has
b built S76 miles of wagon road in mountain
[ Gus country and into heretofore inacces-
e sible regions. IL has erected and in oper.
e alton 1873 miles OF telephones. Its own
( cement mill has manufactured 1900 bar
rels OF cement, and the purchased amount
E is $1,000 barrels. It's own saw mills have
r cut S,O360OO CbOard measure) OF lumber, and
6.54O,00O feet have been purchased The
surveying parties Of the service have com
pleted topographic surveys covering 1881,
square miles area greater than tbs
; combined areas OF Massachusetts, and
= Il