Bisbee daily review., 1909-05-19
COLORADO CAM TO BEAT EGYPTs WONDER
Gigantic Assuan On Nile Over topped By That of Stanley
 Lake

DENVER, May 1S.-Five hundred miles above Cairo. Egypt. there stands what Is now the largest dam in all the world.
 It is known as the great Assuan dam, in the River Nile. and it cost millions of dollars.
 For many years it has stood su- preme as the most gigantic piece Of work of the kind on the globe.
 Denver is about to take that dis tinction away from the land of the pyramids and bring 1t to Colorado.
 The Standley Lake dam when com pleted will be much larger than the Assuan and consequently the largest dam in the world.
 | That means a good deal.
 | The Assuan dam is 90 feet high yet the Standley Lake dam will over top 1t by 52 feet in height, or l4s f feet at the highest point: it will be 1-2 miles in length and 750 feet fee, thick at the base.
 It is just 9 miles northwesterly
 from the Colorado state capitol ! This wonderful dam is only a part
 of the work which is being done ir ! connection with the Standley Lake project, which eventually will irrigate 100000 acres of land. but it is per
 haps the most interesting feature tC , the layman.
 Saves Great Water Waste. ! For Inany years an enormous q,,an tity of water hos 5een going tC waste northwest os Denver. When | was decided to cJnser this water I . became necessary 10 build the grea . dam. Before the plans were complet 1 ed it was found that the dam would have to be the largest piece of worl : of the kind ever undertaken. : The vast reservoir which will b. created by the dam will be known al Standley Lake, and will contain
 enough water to cover 100000 acre'
 of land more than a foot deep, o : 100000 acre feet. Nine other reser
 yoirs belonging to this same systen , will impound 5000 feet. They ar' l already completed and in use. On of them is Marshall Lake, which i'm pounds 12.000 acre feet of water The great dam is being so con
 structed that there can be no seep |. age or loosening of the foundation : through percolation, as a cement cor
 or heart wall g feet thick is built il the structure, the rest being an eartl fill. The heart wall is founded in ; : trench extending through a bed o , sandstone to a layer of imperyioui shale
 ,, It is so situated that it will neve
 be subject to dangers from floods, al
 the waters which flow into it are di
 rected by artificial canals which arr
 always under control.
 Even this capacity for the conser vation of water is to be continual!
 increased. A costly canal from th' {. western slope of the Rocky Noun ? tains near Berthoud Pass will be con structed, giving an additional supply
 Important to Denver.
 The Standley Lake project ha been attracting considerable atten
 tion for more than a year, not onl!
 because of it's mammoth proportions
 but because of it's importance t'
 Denver It will irrigate some of th'
 richest land in the world, with soi
 strong and rich, and in every way thu
 equal of any other section Of th'
 country
 This land is the vast stretch uortl
 and uortheasterly from Denver 10 | many miles on both sides of tn South Platte river Seven srTeam will supply water for the big artiaeia lake. and instead of the big grain ant cattle ranches. the great land gre; will be converted into farms for or I chards, sugar beets, potatoes, onions melons and other remunerafiye crops i Planning for this huge irrfgatlol
 system has been going on Tor tweis
 years. and 1t will involve the expendi ture of an eaornfOus sum of money Last month S5 members or tn Denver Real Esreae exchaIsre.. WE