Arizona republican., 1909-06-16
PASSED SUCCESSFULLY THE Ex- PERT INSPECTION OF JOHN
 R. NORTON.
1t is Above Criticism.-Best Organized Construction Camp, Best Workman ship, Best and Most Economical
 Management He Ever Saw


 dom of it's conception, or the Judgment
 and genius displayed in carrying out
 the plans. he should now cast it to the
 winds, and be forever satisfied. He
 should thank God that he lives under
 such government, and that the gov
 ernment has such men in it's employ as comprise that portion of the reclama-
 ton service operating in these parts.
 John R. Norton says so, and that
 settles it.
 Mir Norton called at The Republi- can office last night and said that for once in his life he wanted to be in-
 terviewed He had been at Roosevelt himself, looked things over carefully
 for two days and got next" to the situation, and thinks it should be "eX- i posed" that the people might know. | He says he has been regarded in this valley as a pretty good single handed | kicker, and when he has any fault to ] find he is not slow in speaking about | it. but he has looked over the situa- | ton at Roosevelt, and can't find toe holt as standing room for kick. And | when John Norton is satisfied he | thinks everybody else ought to be. Mir Norton had business in Globe and improved his opportunity to come home via the dam site. He put in Sat urday and Sunday in that occupation and flatters himself that if there was anything wrong he would have found | it He has spent a good part of his i life contracting building railroads, canals, dams. ditches and all manner of construction work. He knows a well ordered camp when he sees it. or thinks he does, which amounts to the same thing. Moreover. he thinks he is about as good judge of the fin ished product as anybody. Though he is not an engineer he has camped out on the trail of engineers all his life and has noted their mistakes as well as their successes.
 At Roosevelt he assumed his most critical air and went everywhere, whether he was asked or not He ex- amined every piece of work carefully. He went into the sluicing tunnel clear up to the gates and says it is the ] most wonderful piece of engineering and construction work he ever saw, and he has seen a lot of it. He says | his comment on the whole job is that not an unnecessary rock has been moved and he couldn't find a single crack in any piece of cement work that ! has been done. There is less old ma terial and waste around the camp, for tn amount of work accomplished, than 1 on any job he ever looked over.
 Moreover. it is the best organized ! construction camp he ever drifteG [ into.
 ] water in Salt river, five miles below | the dam, than he ever saw in his life at this season of the year
 Getting back to the dam again. he said it is about 160 feet high, as he remembers. for about ninety feet in length at the south end. and then slopes down to the water level of something over 100 feet
 In the tunnel they are cementing about 16 feet per day and doing a fine job. About thirty feet of it just | below the gates is yet to be steel ! lined. The work is progressing rap | idly and the cement will all be in before many weeks have passed The ! top and sides of the tunnel were ce- mented before and it is in fine shape ! The washing out of the floor of the tunnel was unavoidable but when that condition occurred it had to be fixed. That's all there was to it. He says he had heard the story that the gates in the tunnel were warped by the weight of the water above and in a bad condition. There is nothing to it. When speaking about that false report he came near using one of Mir. Roosevelt's strong words. Concluding his description MT Nor ton said that with the power house finished and the lines carrying power to the pumps in this valley. if any man has a doubt about the lands being able to produce good revenue on a valua- ton of s25O per acre he should keep his mouth shut until he first goes to Roosevelt and looks things over. Then he'll be glad to keep his thoughts to himself.
 But, in order to do this-and here MT Norton gets in with just a little criticism, for he had to find some place to light-in order to do this the gov ernment should be induced to con struct laterals in the valley that would carry at least one inch to the acre that the flood waters might be fully util- ized. If that is done he said the lands here ought to be worth from $500 to S400 per acre.
 The government has been at an enor- < nous expense in this project-has spent great deal more money than was originally contemplated. Many people think that money has been squanderei. MT. Norton says he is ready to believe that no a five-cent piece has been wasted. And what Is more. he says that if lack of money should ever be felt in the finishing of the work, the people of this valley would be foolish if they allowed the work to stop. Rather than that the association should get together and tell the government to begin drawing I on it at once for it's annual payments. If that were not possible the farmers should take up a collection and loan the money to the government. He said he'd be willing to chip in even from the proceeds of his Buckeye ranch if that should be necessary. Mir. Norton did not say that in anticipationSof any such condition but merely to let the people know what he thinks about the Roosevelt dam.
 TOO LATE TO CLASSIFY.