Arizona republican., 1908-04-01

into consideration the conservation o water by means of this non-seepin.
 ditch, free from gopher tunnels to leaC
 the water where it is not wanted O
 to waste, and with a regular and per
 manent grade and means of outlet Some fear has been expressed tha
 there might be a deposit of silt in ce.
 iment ditches which would require
 cleaning at intervals. However, the
 engineers who are familiar with the
 work point out the facts that a greater
 part of the silt will be removed from the canal flow by the means provided
 as it enters the canals or afterWard
 and before 1t reaches the smaller
 ditches. What little remains in sus- pension may be easily flushed out by
 the next run of water when the ditches
 have the proper grade and capacity
 as they will have if constructed on | proper lines.
 A feature of the Salt River project
 which bids fair to become of far reaching importance to the landown-
 CTS who will benefit by the reservoir, and which in monetary value will far exceed what most people think. is that of the development of power. It was recognized at the start that consider able power could be developed In cleo trical energy as a part of the storage project, and very wisely the use of such power was restricted first to ap- plication for pumping purposes to add to the irrigated area In the reservoir district. Soon 1t was recognized that the power possibilities were so great that there would be a great surplus. probably twice as much again as could be used to advantage in developing the underground water supply and lifting it to the surface. And this after en- tering into a contract to carry power to the Indian reservation sufficient to pump water for 10000 acres of land or 1000 horse power.
 The general plans for utilizing the electrical power in connection with ir- rigation provide first for central pumping stations Here, by means of groups of wells. considerable volume of water may be raised to the surface and distributed through a canal either alone or mingled with the river water. A second use, but of later application, may be the using of some of this abundance of power for lifting water from one canal to another of higher level and thus supplying areas Of a thousand or more actes of extremely rich land. favorably located for some special crops. but out of reach of the gravity canal except at an expense that would be otherwise too great for the amount of land to be served.
 amount of land to be served.
 Yet this application of the supply of power would still leave available a great amount for commercial purposes. For this a market may be found with out much seeking. Already there have been contracts entered into that will amount to sufficient to pay all expen- ses of operating and maintaining the power plant, which includes a twenty mile canal and diversion dam which have been in use for more than year and a half in generating electricity for use in construction work at Roosevelt. Future contracts will mean so much profit to apply towards wiping out the cost of the project or for making bet terments in the whole irrigation sys- tenn. It is confidently expected by those who have studied the subject sufficiently to grasp the great possi- bilities of power production. that the annual income from that source will equal the annual installment due on the total cost of the whole project. In round numbers the total cost will be six million dollars to be repaid in ten years, or at the rate of $500. .0G0 a year. Suppose there is found a market for an average of 5000 horsepower at the flat rate of only ,s100 per horse power a year. There is the annual install ment covered by the income. This would probably mean that after pay ing the instalments of g per acre per year for the first three or four years. while the power was being developed and its market found. the income from power would then equal the yearly cost of the project and the remainder of the payments could be met out of the income without calling upon the water users for an".
 But after the ten years are past the project will be paid for, yet the in come will continue at the rate of over half a million a year. The possi- bilities within such a prospect are al- turing. First would come trolley lines. both freight and passenger. connect ing all parts of the valley and making business and social intercourse quick and convenient. Means for transmit ting such power as would be required for running the cars would also admit of carrying the current for domestic use. It requires but q small imngina- tive power and but q touch of pro- phecy to see electrically lighted houses throughout the valley as the most common use of this scientifically ap- piled water-pOwer. The farmers wife could then make butter with q motar- driven churn; do her ironing with an electrically heated iron, and stitch her children's clothes on a motor-run sew ing machine. Meanwhile the farmer would be saving wood or pumping stock water. turning grindstone or