Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-03-09
RESTORING ARID LAND
Significance OF Government IT.
rigation as Undertaken at
Garden City, kas.
TO TAP HIDDEN STREAMS

| TO TAP HIDDEN STREAMS
If Federal Project Is Successful Other
Sections of Dry Great Plains May
Be Similarly Treated-Loeal Indus
tries Already Encouraged.
The experimental application of an
! irrigation project Of the government
reclamation service one which, should
it 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 a Garden
| City correspondent Of the Kansas City
Star.
| To reclaim the abundant acreage of
| this section of Kansas. nnproductlve
through the lack of water ut 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 complex system of pumps and
wells destined to supply from subter-
ranean springs and streams in excess
| Of 10000, 100000 gallons Of water for
the irrigation of the adjacent country
each season.
| Since the early days of Kansas this
western section had been considered
next to worthless and barren because
| Of this very lack Of water. which 1t Is
now planned to overcome by tapping
the supply which is found in the grav-
ell deposits under the great plains at
no great depth. The original settlers
Of the lands in Kansas found that they
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 fu-
| ture fecundity. The land had lain III
disuse and disrepute through decades
until the development OF the sugar
beet industry with the aid of irrfga-
ton, some years ago. again drew at
tention to the practically deserted Sec
ton.
Now the government purposes, by
| tapping these hidden streams Of much
needed moisture. pumping 1t to the sur
face and spreading out over great
areas, to transform what was discard
ed Of the first settlers into new land
of desire for the farmer of the west.
Naturally good deal of public inter
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 its plans are unique
and unusual To bring the water to
the surface a 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 800 feet and sunk in groups
Q? ten wells, with one pump installed
for each group. These wells vary from
twelve to fifteen inches in diameter,
and it is estimated that each group
will yield $3.50 gallons per minute I'M
der n fifteen foot head Each pump
ing station is connected by suction
pipes to No. vertical centrifugal
pump driven by twenty-five horse
power vertical motor. The twenty
three stations will be operated from
central power plant, run by electricity,
generated by steam power.
During the irrigation season this
pumping system will lift 10000 acre
feet, or 1O,775, O0O, 600 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 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