Daily Arizona silver belt., 1910-02-01

portant matter justly and intelligentlv.
 The promoters of the San Carlos res. ervoir project, Mir. Charles II. Sleigh. and his associates, have conducted some investigations with view of construct. ing a storage dam l65 feet high in the canyon of the Gila river a short dis tance below its junction with the San Carlos. They claim that this project will cost about four million dollars. in- cluding payment for the destruction of property belonging to the Gila Val ley, Globe & Northern railway and the United States Indian service. which will be submerged; and that from this project 100000 acres of land in the vicinity of Florence can be Irrigated
 The application of the Southern Pa eifc railway for a right of way on the low level through the Gila canyon, if granted, would prevent the above dam from being built and the promoters of the dam claim that railway could be built on a high level above the crest of the proposed dam and at an ex- penditure of but $200,000 in excess of the cost of the low line with a maxi mum grade of not more than one-half of one per cent; therefore they urge that the application of the railway for this right of way on the low level be denied by the secretary of the interior.
 The Southern Pacific railway, through its representatives, claim that their surveys show the cost of a line at an elevation that would clear the crest of the proposed dam would be prohib- tive, and Colonel Epes Randolph, in charge of the Southern Pacific in Ari- zona, states positively that the road will not be built by them on any such high level line. Moreover, they point out that this identical San Carlos dam site has been abandoned by the United States Reclamation Service after a careful investigation, on account of various physical defects, showing it to be impracticable.
 After careful review of the data at hand and of the various statements made by both parties, your committee is of the opinion that the low gTSde line through the Gila canyon is very desirable for the best development of this community and the territory at large. This lire when built through the canyon will form the last link in the lowest grade transcOntinental railway
 We have not been convinced by any statements yet made or proofs submit ted that the San Carlos storage project is thoroughly practical one, and we are of the opinion that from fifty to sixty thousand acres would be the max imum amount of land, in view of the available figures on water supply, that could be irrigated from this project. This makes cost of nearly $50 an acre, which we fear would be prohib- tive, and in view of the previous aban- donment of this project by the United States Reclamation service,N we feel that it would be very difficult to place the bonds, from the sale of which, the promoters state, they expect to derive the money for the construction of this project.
 Were the project thoroughly prae-. tical one and were it possible to irri- gate 100000 acres in. the vicinity of Florence from this project, it would nat urally be to the selfish interest of the railway company to favor the project. even though it's construction would mean a considerable additional expendi- ture on its part.
 While it may be physically possible to build railway above the proposed crest of the dam, it seems to us from the contour maps and other information obtained as to the character of the country at that point, that the cost of such road would be exceedingly great.
 Fortunately there seems to be an ex- cellent alternative plan open for the consideration of the promoters of the San Carlos project for irrigating con siderable area of land, from fifteen to twenty-five thousand acres in the vicip- ity of Florence. It has been suggested that this can be done within reasonable