Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1907-06-07
OPPORTUNITY
Maj. Reed Writes on
Empire Building
in Idaho.

One of the great object lessons of
"empire building" can be seen at
Miner bY-the DAM" Twin Falls
. county, Idaho.
Sixty days ago the north side of
J the Snake river was a desert. lone
I ly, desolate and absolutely unin-
yiting. Today it is one OF the bus
lest places imaginable. A spaci-
Gus clmmissary building filed
with supplies of every description
first commands attention as one
crosses the wagon bridge from Mil
ner. 1t is conservative to state
that this building contains twenty
thousand dollars worth of supplies
as are used in construction work.
The next building is the mess
house. where a large number OF
men are reinforced for the battle of
life three times day. On every
hand is action, life and go.
r. w. Faris is the owner and
master mind of this great construc-
ton outfit. He is, besides being a
mighty organizer, an engineer OF
national reputation His trusted
lieutenant in this work is J. c.
Porterfeld, also an accredited and
reliable engineer. The Faris-Kesl
Construction company, of which
Mr.. Faris is the principal owner,
has the contract for the conslruc-
tiou OF the great Twin Falls North
Side canal, and it surely is colos-
sal undertaking.
Gazing over the city of tents one
imagines he is looking on the camp
of an army. At noon and at six
O'Clock in the evening one can be-
lieye that war has commenced. and
that this is an artillery conflict,
for as the great blasts explode,
hurting tons and tons of lava rock
into the air, it sounds like heavy
cannonading, and is certainly a
weird and startling scene OF action.
When J. H. Purdy, the personal
OF Kuhn Bros. OF
Pittsburg, Penn, the financiers and
owners of the North Side project,
vas hire sixty days ago, at the
citing OF the contract, he promised
Mr. r. w. Faris, the contractor, a
oonus of seventeen thousand FIVE
hundred dollars if he completed on
II before the first day OF January,
90S. his contract to Wilson's
AXE Mr.. Faris in return agreed
o pay Kuhn Bros. $500 day for
very days delay in completion
fter the above date, and the mat
er stands that way today.
This morning as the writer stood
n a high point overlooking this
reat scene OF action he realized in
Ill measure that he lived in an
ge of wonderful achievement.
hundreds of men digging, pound
lg, drilling; scores of teams pull
lg loads-water wagons to Fresno
rapers. The work for the first
lies is extremely heavy, a mile
solid rock with which TO COM
ence. The canal is sixty feet
ide on the bottom, so the reader
n readily picture the magnitude
the undertaking,
The first half mile from the
adgates at the dam is side cut
lg and tearing down OF the lava
to secure the bed for the
nal. The lower bank Of the
nal for half a mile VIII be made
cement The canal then runs
rough a solid rock practically
enty feot deep half mile long.
e canal here leaves the river
d the earth work commences,
ich for the next three miles is
y heavy.
The canal system OF the Twin
lis North Side Land and Water
npany is one OF the finest sys-
rs in she United States, and :
fortified against low
ter season in Snake river by
ee great reservoirs, or natural