The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-09-24
TAFT OPENS IT.
President Gives the Signal That
Lets Water Loose
In the Great Gunnison Tunnel
in Colorado.
A FIGHT is STARTED
By One Of His Bodyguard of 80
Sheriffs.
He Makes Speeches on Irriga-
tiOn at Every Stop.

the great western country. In many
respects this day was one of the most
! interesting he has had since leaving
Boston.
Late in the afternoon Mr.. Taft stood
| on the brink of the deepest irrigation
| ditch in all the west and, far out in
| the foothills with not a settlement in
sight, made the electrical connection
which started flow of water through
the Gunnison tunnel that will reclaim
I 140 900 acres of arid land. 1t was the
| setting in operation of the greatest
| irrigation project the United States
government ever has undertaken.
Before travelling out to the west por-
gauge train, the president visited the
| Montrose county fair and after some
formal speechmaking in which he and
the mayor and the governor and sew
eral others participated he was given
a real touch of western life-a relay
race of cowgirls.
During his travels the president had
ample opportunity to study the effect
of irrigation.
At Grand Junction and here at
Montrose the president vltited the
rfuit exhibits of the county fairs and
was told the almost unbelievable story
Of the seasons yield.
At almost every stop made by the
presidents train the baggage cars
were laden with fruit. One box yard
long was just big enough to hold ten
peaches arranged in a row.
Opening the Tunnel.
The scene attending the opening of
the Gunnison tunnel was made pic
turesque. On either side of the deep
ravine leading away from the portal
of the great bore, sevra1 thousand
people were gathered. A little stand
had been erected for the president and
his party right at the edge of the cut
and looking down $50 feet to the
opening of the tunnel. The tunnel has
been hewn through six miles of
mountain range and, when the project
is completed next spring, Will divert
the waters of the Gunnison river to the
valley on this side of the mountinas
where minor private projects OF lrrl- |
CATION already have told the wonders
of the soil.
During the day Mr.. Taft was pre-
scented with gold key to the city of /
Montrose, a gold badge commemorate |
ing his visit and gold table bell, |
with which he opened the tunnel. The
weight of the bell when set upon a |
copper plate representing the district I
of reclaimed land made the electrical |
connection which caused squad of |
laborers, several miles away to knock
down the bulk heads which were hold |
ing back the waters of the river. As
the muddy wall of water rushed nois-
lily out of the concrete hole, the
crowd gave a cheer.
1t has taken four years to COM
plete this work at a cost of $4,000
900. About 10000 acres of land Will
be opened to the public. The cost to
each settler is about $35 per acre,
payable in ten installments.
In all of his speeches, including the
last one delivered at O'Clock last I
night to a throng in Elks park, fol-
lowing an illuminated parade and
display of fireworks. the president
touched briefly upon the subject or
irrigation. He promised at Grand
Junction promptly to look into the
matter of completing the Grand val
hi ina Trnianf there
which was begun year ago by for
mer Secretary of the Interior Garfield
on a partnership arrangement be-
tween the government and the Iand
owners. Secretary Ballinger ordered
the work stopped and was upheld in
his action by Attorney General Wick
ersham, who declared the contract
and the Garfield currency" certif1-
Gates which had been issued for work
performed, to be illegal.
Visit MARRIED by a Fight.
But one little incident marred the
presidents visit, and that was at the
conclusion of the tunnel opening when
one of the thirty-two Colorado sheriffs
who have accompanied the president
across the state, got into an alterca-
ton with H. L. Daniels, superinten-
dent of the tunnel, when the latter
was trying to shake hands with the
president.
Mr. Daniels was knocked down and
for a time trouble was threatened as
his friends were quick to resent the
action of the officer, who, during the
5cuffle, pulled an enormous pistol
from his belt.
The president heard the quarreling :
and stopped for a moment as he was
making his way to the train. He was
told there was nothing serious how I
ever, and proceeded 1
At Grand Junction the president
shook hands with several Ute Indians. 7
In his Grand Junction speech Mr.. t
Taft said in part:- I
1T seems to me as look back upon t
ny course since I look back upon I
hat there has been nothing but flow I
If speech; but as the wonders of your s
country open, it is very difficult to /
'estrain an expression of the effect of lie
las known so little of them as have. /
You look at the country in some t
places and it would seem as if it was j
he most God-forsaken spot there was t
IN earth. Then you progress mile t
II two and you see the influence of I
water, and it seems a paradise.
Now what has been done here
las been done largely or entirely by
many enterprises that involve the out I
ay of capital so large that it is prob !
bly, better to have the government \
lelp. This high line ditch, upon I
which I understand to be dependent
bout $4,000 acres of land, has just
,een begun, and yet all the govern Z
nent's lands have been taken up with 4
he expectation that the work was to
re put through Something must be
lone. What I propose to do is to :
xamine the situation as much as
ossib1e and, if the circumstances JUS
ify it, to ask congress to give us
to take steps which will
nable the settlers ultimately to reap \
he harvest that they have been max
ng so long and SO hard a preparation 4
or. 3
1