The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-06-11

i Of public attention, the Panama
n Canal has received more gratui.
tons advertising In newspapers
aud magazines than any otaer
modern enterprise. Column after col.
nmn has been devoted TO the yastness
of the work 10 be performed, the great
engineering obstacles TO be overcome,
the enormous expenditure OF money ~.
yolyed to complete the ditch, and ita
financial and commercial Importance 70
when completed. In the brief period
since the work was begun the country
has been scraped rs II with fine tooth
comb for The most capable engineers y
conduct the construction and changes In
management have been made with
startling and amazing rapidity.
Meantime, without the ostentaticn d
spectacular newspaper headlines, the
redemption of vast empire In the West
under the magic touch Of irrigation y
we'll under way 10 marvellous consu'
nation, involving an expense Of about
si,5oo.0 100000. seven times the estima'
ted cost Of the Panama Canal MOI
only thIs, but IN the necessary excaya-
tion work, the total when the twenty
six projects now approved are compile
ted win be many times more than ths
l33,OoO,0O0 cubic yards required for th'
Panama Canal. Up to the present tim'
The excavation work Of the Reclamation
Service amounts TO s3I000,000 cubi'
yards. And In variety and difficult,
the engineering problems encountered
In reclamation work are by no mean
second TO those upon which 50 man.
regulations have been wrecked at th'
isthmus.
0vershadows the Canal.
And In commercial, financial, and In
dustrial Importance the reclamation ol
the arid West far cyerhadows tht
prophecies Of even the most enthusias'
tic Of the canal advocates. Taking the
value Of irrigated land at s47, according
to the last census, although II frequent
" reaches al 900 an acre, when the work
Of redemption Il completed the taxa
bic property Of the country will be In.
creased 10 s2.s50,ooo,oo0, and new homes
for 100000 families on farms and ada,
cent villages and towns will be provi-
ded. The twenty-six approved projects
for which funds are now provided will
add Of the crop-producing area Of The
sountry district equal In size 70 Con
necticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts
and Florida. This alone win increase
the yearly value Of crops by about 500
100000, and add $2s2oooooo to the tax
able property OF the country.
A summary Of the work done by the
Reclamation Service up to the present
time makes the digging Of the Panama
Canal project seem o small task In
comparison. The irrigation engineers
have cxcayated l.267 miles Of canal
some Of the canals being large enough
to carry whole rivers like the North
Platte and Truekee, A total Of 43 tun
nels, nine and half miles long have
been excayated, 2l4 bridges built, 7ol
structures, including three great dams
erected; 37s miles Of road constructed II
inaccessible regions, l0,97S square miles
Of typographical surveys made, transit
lines extended over 1887 miles, leve
lines run 24,2ls miles nearly sufiicien
to 90 around the earth; nine miles o
diamond drilling, and l0l0 building
erected, The service Is operating 2
miles Of railway, with locomotive
and 223 cars. II has 1854 horses an,
mules at work, and uses 80 stationar
engines, 81 steam pumps, and has in op
Grafton electric light plants. Its Of
fee and field forces include 10000 mei
and the monthly expenditures Of tn
service now averages a million dollar
q month,
Eight New Towns.
Eight new towns have sprung int
existence as the result Of the work Q
the Reclamation Service, and 100 mile
Of brunch railroads have been construct
ed into these districts. Ten thousan
people have already built homes in tn
one.time desert, and every line Of indus
try in the West has felt the impetus :
increased demand. Great as will b