Daily Arizona silver belt., 1910-03-03
CANAL ID |RR|GA1E LAND IN FINAL
 COUNTY
w. c. Greene and Associates Plan to Parallel Casa
 Grande Channel

w. c. Green and associates have filed an appropriation on all the previ- ously unappropriated water in the Gila river near Florence, and will proceed to construct huge canal for the irri- gation of all that area known as the Florence and Casa Grande valleys, says the Republican of Phoenix. The canal will be designed to extend ultimately | as far as the town of Casa Grande; 1; perhaps farther. MT. Greene, 1t IS un- derstood, has no considerable land hold ing there and possibly does not intend to acquire any, his project being pri- marily water enterprise for the irri- gaton of the lands in that section, most of which are now patented or held by settlers.
 The above facts are stated on author | ity that is believed to be absolutely re- liable and it is also stated that MT. Green proposes to begin work at once. The charter of his company calls for the digging of main canal 200 feet wlde for a distance several miles back from the river, ditch that will handle practically all the water avail able in the river at that point except in time of flood. The project will nat urally involve the building of a per manent bed rock dam for the diversion of the water. The new project IS for watering, if it secures the patronage, practically the same land supposed to , be served by the Casa Grande Canal company. Naturally the project of MT. Greene suggests battle for supremacy between the two canal companies.
 John w. Sharpe of this city, when seen in regard to this matter, said he believed the report of the Greene en- terprise. MT. Sharpe is the man who sold the Casa Grande Canal company to Charles R. Sligh and associates, while the property was in the hands of receiver, and which receiver is still in charge at the request of the buyers. Mr. Sharpe says the Sligh management has failed to make the Improvements promised; in fact has done little to car ry out the plans proposed, and now l Greene and his associates have stepped in and will undoubtedly wage finish fight Mr. Sharpe says that half the money spent on the Utopian scheme of storage reservoir, by the present man. agement of the Casa Grande Canal com pany, would have put the canal in good shape and furnished water to the lands in cultivation under it.
 Concerning MT. Greene it was mat. | ter of common report year or so ago l that he was "broke' and it is true that many of his big mining enter prises did slip away from him. Never theless he was a bit prudent during the days of his prosperity and it is said put a million or so away where it would be safe against a rainy day. In the wrecking of his plans, however, he saved an immense area of the finest timber land in the world, in old Mex, ico. This, it is understood, he has now sold to an American syndicate for a big sum. so that altogether he is rated as worth between two and three mil lion dollars, even though he .s now a Comparatively poor man.
 Of that amount it would only re- quire the odd change between the mil lions to build pretty likely sort of a ditch and the gentlemen he is asso. ciated with, whoever they are, are re. ported to have good credit at the banks The most appealing feature of the case however, is that MT. Greene, who has rid himself of all his big mining pro. jects, so far as his personal manage ment is concerned, now proposes to per sonally take charge of the new canal enterprise and push it forward with the same vigor he used in exploiting his mines.