Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1909-03-26
Right of Way Cleared
For is Miles
FIVE BIG TEAMS ARRIVE
Manager Garner and c. w. Ament
Go TO Jackson County for the
Purchase of Horses.

The work on the irrigation canals
is going forward rapidly from the
dam down the river on both sides.
Sixteen miles of clearing has been
done on the right of way and no
little amount Of work by the graders
has been accomplished. The one
drawback has been the lack of heavy
teams for the plows, scrapers and
graders. Last week Manager Carn-
er and c. w. Ament went over into
Jackson county and purchased five
big teams and these have arrived
and were put to work today. These
horses in addition to those already
working will accomplish results
along the entire line OF clearing.
The directors OF the company
have resolved to be equal to the
emergency and get at least three of
the lines ready for water by the lat
ter part of May. The farmers who
are expecting to irrigate this season
should be looking toward the con-
struction Of laterals and grading GER
tain places on their land so as to be
able to make use of the water which
Will be needed during the dry sea-
son, which is sure to reach us on
time.
The work on the Fruitdale line
Is being carried on by 23 men. The
construction work Is In difficult
places and must be done, for the
most part by hand. The construc-
tion from the r. r. Turner prop
erty on will permit the use OF the
plow, the scraper and the grader,
and these machines will be made use
OF as soon as possible.
On the gravity line we have al
ready mentioned hard place from
the dam for some distance down
the river where the line goes
through boulders and cement. It
was thought at first that the first
1000 feet would cost $4,000, but the
Aments having steam shovel, this
was offered the company and Il was
found that the price by using this
machine, could be reduced one-half.
President Gilkey thought that II was
possible to lower the price still more
and 30 consulted that expert miner,
Dan Green, and asked him II It was
not possible to use the big pump and
cut the ditch through by hydraulic.
Mr. Green went up and looked the
ground over and gave Il as his
opinion that the big pump and the
pipe would dig the ditch at very
moderate cost. Everything was at
once got In readiness and on We'd
nesday noon the pump was started
and the work OF piping the boulders
small and great, the dirt and the ce-
ment was commenced. BY Thurs
day noon distance OF 1000 feet
had been made, digging a ditch IL
feet wide on the bottom and Is feet
Wide on the top and 5h feet deep.
II anyone ever saw work done more
satisfactory. or stones hurled with
greater force than on this occasion,
they have not yet stood up to be
counted. II Is needless to say that
President Gilkey was pleased with
what had been accomplished in cut
ting down this almost insurmount-
able obstacle to the minimum. The
only trouble to be encountered now
Is the shortness Of the pipe, but II
the company can beg, borrow, or
even get II In some other way, the
hard work down to the Moss line
will soon be accomplished.
More horses will be purchased
and n stronger force of men will be
hired to keep each OF the ditches
crowdIng down the river. The right
OF way proposition has been sue
cessfully met and with the very
slightest difficulty surmounted. Pre-
sident Gillsey, as well as Manager
Garner, speak in the highest terms
OF the good people they have met
along the ditch lines and OF the
great help they Received from such
gourcpA