New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1908-02-05
RESTORING ARID LAND.
Significance of Government Irri-
cation at Garden City, Kan.
TO TAP HIDDEN STREAMS.

TO TAP HIDDEN STREAMS.
If Federal Project Is Successful Other
Sections of Dry Great Plains May
Be Similarly Treated-Local indus
tries Already Encouraged.
The experimental application of an
irrigation project of the government
reclamation service-one which. should
1t prove its worth in the one instance
will be of Importance to the rich, but
as yet unfertile valleys of the great
plains-will be possible near Garden
City, Kan, next spring, according to
the estimates of the engineers in
charge of the work, says Garden
City correspondent of the Kansas City
Star.
To reclaim the abundant acreage of
this section of Kansas, unproductive
through the lack of water at the very
season when moisture is most essential
to the raising Of the crops, the govern
ment is now arranging for the installa-
ton Of a complex system of pumps and
wells destined to supply from subter
ranean springs and streams in excess
of 10,O00,0OO,0OO gallons of water for
the irrigation Of the adjacent country
each season.
Since the early days of Kansas this
next to worthless and barren because
Of this very lack of water. which it is
now planned to overcome by tapping
the supply which is found in the gray
ell deposits under the great plains at
no great depth. The original settlers
had taken up claims not worth their
pains. They returned east or south
whence they had come. Their mort
cages lapsed, and small and large cap
italists as far away as New England
found themselves interested in arid
Kansas prairie which held forth not
even the most vague promise of flu
ture fecundity. The land had lain i'll
disuse and disrepute through decades
until the development Of the sugar
beet industry with the aid of irriga-
ton, some years ago, again drew at
tention to the practically deserted sec
tion
Now the government purposes, by
tapping these hidden streams of much
needed moisture, pumping it to the sur
face and spreading out over great
areas, to transform what was discard
ed Of the first settlers into a new land
Of desire for the farmer Of the west
est in many sections of the country
attaches itself to the success or failure
Of the projected work, more so in view
Of the eastern held mortgages and the
probability of the application of similar
methods in other localities in the event
Of the successful operation of the Gar
den City scheme.
The reclamation service plans to
utilize some of the water in the Ar
kansas valley. and it's plans are unique
and unusual To bring the water to
the surface series Of wells has been
bored, the aggregate length of which is
more than four miles, and pumps
which were purchased from Buffalo
are to be installed. The project will
have $50 wells, varying in depth
from 40 to 300 feet and sunk in groups
OF ten wells, with one pump installed
for each group. These wells vary from
twelve to fifteen inches in diameter,
;r,
will yield $3.50 gallons per minute I'M
der a fifteen foot head. Each pump
| ing station is connected by suction
| pipes to No. 9 vertical centrifugal
| pump driven by twenty-five horse
power vertical motor. The twenty
three stations will be operated from a
central power plant, run by electricity,
generated by steam power
During the irrigation season this
pumping system will lift 10000 acre
feet, or 1878, 100000 gallons.
| The big ditch which is to carry the
vast supply of water to the district to
| be irrigated is, along with other de
| tails of the arrangement, under pres
| ent process of construction. From
this main channel the hundreds of
! branch lines which will in turn feed
the individual bitches are to go forth
| The governments work has already
proved a stimulus to the settlement of
the district and to private enterprise
already in Garden City. There has
| been jump in land values since the
| Inauguration of the work, and pros
| poets are that the eastern money in
vested in the original mortgages will
| yet bring fair return
An Aquatic Rabbit.
William Zimmerman, a Postal Tele
,,,e,s.s.l>.,.o.e,.-