Lovelock tribune. (Lovelock, Nev.) 1898-1912, 1910-08-04
n. " : SAYS !. OF
BRAINS ARE NEEDED
AT L0yELOCk

!.
The following communication ap-
peared IN the Reno Journal Of August
3rds andwas signedsR. W.
The -Lovelock valley Is once more
in. the throes Of what may aptly be
termed an ever,recurreut irrigation
muddle. It is either a feast or a
famine with it, as to water supply.
When the years of scarcity come a.
round there is endless trouble, some
times sanguinary fights and not in
frequently costly lawsuits. When a
year of plenty happens, as in the
present, and the water rolls down in
high flood, then the sickly pioneer
damsgo out and the thirsty ranchers
areleft high end dry. - a
Only one dam this year escaped
deIholition, and this only by divert
ing a portion of the food above a.
round pne end Of it,; and this en-.
tailed 4 heavy outlay, but it saved a
majolpart,of the crops in that section.
i So sat is just the old story over
again;s the water thesranchers pray
for comes and they haven't adapted
the proper methods to control it and
make;it subservient to their purposes.
They have failed to realize that the
vast sums expended in dam construc
ton and repair, which in the aggre-
gate is enormous, have been lament
ably wasted, and that they have
absolutely nothing dependable for
the outlay.
Had fraction of that money been
expended in the construction of one
dam, capable of withstanding any
food lin a suitable situation on the
river, how different wouldsz be the
status ssof the ranchers todayl The
multiplicity of dams and distributing
bitches and sloughs has been not only
a heavy drain on the resources of the
farmers, but a wanton waste of the
water ITSELF, inasmuch as it gives such
ample Facility for 4percolatlon and
exposes such a great area of surface
- evaporation.
- A dam so constructed as to resist
any food with the necessary distribu
ting canals and bitches, which is
quite. practicable, would revolution
ize the agricultural situation, now SO
unsatisfactory, and enhance very
materially the value of property all
around.
There are some, doubtless, who
would oppose such project, as they
seek only to advance their own
selfish ends, but all those who take a
pride In the valley and wish to see it
reach its highest development would
hail ,withs.satisfaction any move cal
culased to bring about its accom- :
plishment. @.ss5>s. n ~
s..What. however, should be consid :
cred !, first and foremost, is the well
fare IL III and not.the prosperity of
the s1eVs and ANY settlement which
ignoreafhat end would only keep the
valley a5nythe slough of despond in
whichsi H. stands today.
2 Allusion has slready been made to
the enormous outlay in dam construc-
tion-rbut what'of the loss in cropsl
ThisIyear alone according to a rec
ognized authority. There is about
three-dourths Of a crop above town,
while 1n the valley below there is
one-third only. Adding the loss of
this years crops and the losses of
bygone years to the expenditure for
dam construction, etc. and the sum
total aEilkbe found staggering in its
magnikAds. y And yet-we brag about
our keen Mntelligence, our advanced
scienti6c progressl Why, | have
been ssured we are not on a par
with the common beaver whose dams
invariably hold, while ours invariably
60 out
In. the absence Of united and
loyal body of settlers-men. with a
patriotieazeal to promote the pros
perity, Of the valley at large equally
with tafeir own-it is vain to expect
that anything adequate and salts
factoryswill be done to solve this
sexed water question. Seemingly
the only hope lies in government
authority for surely it is against good
public policy that the progress of a
z1seat, fertile valley should be arrested
nd thousands of acres of valuable
land lie idle because an indispensable
irrigation scheme has been rendered
impossible by the ranchers themselves
wrangling. and litigating over water
rights.
Nature has surely been very gener-
ous in hersgifts to the valley, but she
hts overlooked IS, badly in one par
ticnlar- ar-haAely 70 give us men of
strong man 0f Drains with rare tact
and dapntless soqrsge; in short, a
XaSa&.- ls.~ c.tkar all fk a