The Arizona sentinel., 1908-12-30

out tue SySCem lOF dUOut ouiAUy days during this years freshet, but the wheel was not operated successfully until the 11th of this month. Since that date it has fully demonstrated it's ability to take care of the work for which it was designed, that being the irrigation of about eight to ten thousand acres, some of which, nearly twenty miles below Yuma, has already received water. Since the successful operation of the wheel the farmers are proceed ing with renewed activity to plant winter crops, and undoubt- edly land to the full capacity ot the plant will be rapidly put under ditch. The scoopwheel plant has attracted considerable attention, being, l believe, the first application of this type of pumping machine in this coun' try, although somewhat similar designs have been used in HOl- land, England, Spain, and other European countries for nearly 300 years. The wheel is 26 feet in diameter, built up of steel plates and angles firmly riveted together and attached to a solid steel shaft 9 inches in diameter resting upon concrete supports on either side of the channel leading from the river to the Hume through which the wheel discharges. The entire wheel weighs about 20 tons and has a rim speed under. full load of ap' proximately , feet per second. The entrance of water to the wheel is controlled by a cast-iron gate set in concrete, which in its turn may be protected, if neces- sary, from the river by fash
 boards. The whole plant has been thoroughly and strongly constructed. The heading is at a point on the river bank which in the memory of the oldest in habitant has always been washed by the current, and there appears no reason why those so disposed may not enter upon the cultiva- tion of land under it's canals with full confidence that it will irri. gate the area mentioned above and that it can continue to do SC
 until the permanent supply is at
 hand. Recently d small canal system known as the 'Rollins
 Ditch, :" which is operated as lat
 eral of the pumping system first
 acquired, was purchased by the
 Service and is nov being main
 tained as a portion of the tempo
 rary irrigation works, which in
 sure to practically 30 per cent o1
 the irrigable land below Yuma g
 plentiful supply of water from now on.
 FUTURE PROGRESS OF
 THE WORK.
 Laguna Dam will be completed
 early in thespring of 1909 and this
 should be closely followed by
 the completion of the main cana
 to point about one and one hal miles below it's head, where {
 connection will be made with th' distribution system of the Indian reservation; d large force is en gagged upon this, and it's com , pletion during winter is assured Work upon the Colorado siphol will very likely be undertaken il l the near future. Upon the com 7 pletion of this feature there wil
 reman but the canals above ant g below the siphon which should
 not require great deal of time , and SD am led to remark tha [ the settlers upon th1s Projec may look toward their futur s with justitable confidence.
 f l am pleased to avail myself o g the opportunity here afforded t. 3 express my sincere appreciation ] of the almost unanimous lOyalt, of your community toward tn a Reclamation Service; to assur r you that your confidence stand g upon sure foundation, and tha g you will soon reap the benefit |, Of tho Reclamation Act tO whicl