The daily sentinel., 1909-05-11
GREAT PROJECTS HERE
MEAN MUCH TO SLofE
Not Grand Valley But All Other oeo-
tions of Western slope to"h'rs
To BE Benefited

-
= ments and the building OF prof.
= ects that are going on in TINS
Z. narticular section, we may also
= and much satisfaction in the
:. building of large power plants
= and projects in other districts
= of the western slope, all OF
1. which will either directly or in
1. directly benefit Grand Junction
= and the Grand valley.
+ The following dispatch sent
4. out from Glenwood Springs is
+ of more than passing local IN
Z. terest. The men interested in =
4. one or more of the projects men
i. toned below are heavily inter
4. ested in the Grand junction =
4. street railway and other local =
4. projects. The dispatch follows; :
Z. !. I. j. 1. 4. ! + + = = =
GIenwood Springs, Colo, May IL:
With the advent of the Central
Power company and the approaching
completion of that companys great
plant at Shoshone in the Grand canon,
near this place, western slope resi-
dents appear to have awakened to
the value of the power running 10
waste in the western slope streams,
and this spring number of smaller
projects are announced, all of which
will turn water power to account.
Three of these projects are for the
purpose of irrigating lands which lie
so far above the river level that irri-
CATION by ditching was impracticable.
A fourth will supply light and power
to the town of Rifle, formerly mere
shipping point on the railroads, but
in late years grown to a town that is
an important factor in western slope
affairs.
The three irrigation projects are
similar in their methods. In each a
great ditch, run short distance. will
drop water from the Grand river over
turbines. and these will, in turn, raise
a portion of the same water to the
higher lands to be irrigated.
The largest of these propositions
will irrigate 5000 acres of land in
the Antlers and Silt region, lying be-
tween Newcastle and Rifle. This land
has been lying absolutely idle for
lack of water. Here and there on
the mesa there are few orchards,
drawing water from small reservoir
owned by company of the farm and
orchard owners. and the results OBJ
tanned from these orchards demon
strate that the entire mesa, all of the
same rich, loamy soil. is as fine fruit
land as exists in the Grand valley. 1t
will be an expensive proposition to
water this mesa, but Colorado Springs
capitalists have taken hold of the
matter. Their engineers are prepar-
ing for the construction of the plant
during this spring, and as orchard
lands yield big returns the cost will
not be very high tax upon the wat
cred land when returns are taken
into consideration. This company
will have a lift of 315 feet before
the water is turned into the cement
lined bitches through which it goes
out over the mesa. This Is next to the
highest lift on record for pumping to
supply irrigating bitches.
The next largest proposition in this
line is pumping plant for the Will
cox canal, now partly supplied with
water out of Rifle creek. This ditch
covers all the land along the foot of
the Book cliffs, stretch of fine land
which is already giving big returns
from sugar beets, but will pay better
in orchards.
Both these lands and the Antlers
district have the advantage of being
somewhat higher than the Grand
Junction fruit district, and the ex-
perience of past years shows that
these districts are low enough to grow
all kinds of fruit. and yet are so
much higher than Grand Junction
tnat tne DudS DO not come until sew
eral weeks later in the spring, with a
consequent lessened danger from late
| frosts.
A third proposition for irrigating
purpose is to be built by j. NJ. Ruli-
son. who will water about 500 acres
Of farm land lying on mesa above
the Grand river. below Rifle.
The Rifle project is of much inter-
est to the residents of that town, as
1t means electric light and power for
that growing municipality. 1t is only
a few years since Rifle was incor-
porated as town, but its forward
strife since that time has been rapid
The plant will be put in by a com
pany, 80 per cent of whose capital
is supplied by actual residents of the
town. 1t is, therefore, distinctly a
home affair. Power will be taken
from Rifle falls. on Rifle creek, about
ten miles out of town. First pro-
duction will be about $50 horsepower
which is enough fore the present
needs. but the falls are capable of
producing about 1900 horsepower
and the transmission lines will be
constructed with view of carving
the full future production. The con.
struction plans call for the expendi-
fture of about $4,000, and the con-
struction is to begin at once i'm order
that the plant will be available next
fall.