The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-08-08
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT
IRRIGATION AT WILLISTON
Crops Insured by Application Of Missouri River Water to fer
tile Williams County Sol--Great Future
for WiiSton

L
clamation act was passed by congress
in 1902. In signing it President Roose
welt stated to a delegation Of North
Dakotans, who were in washington In
the interest of irrigation in the state,
that he considered 1t the browning act
of his administration. In his opinion
1t is the most beneficial act passed by
congress since the enactment of the
homestead law many years ago. In
one of his original remarks President
Roosevelt said that 'by the homestead
| act Uncle Sam gave every man a farm
| and by. the reclamation act he insured
the crops on 1t against drouth," The
| reclamation act originally provided
| that all monies derived from the sale
| Of public lands in sixteen western
states should be expended for the ir-
rigation of arid or semi-arid lands.
F1fty-one per cent of the amount paid
In by each state was to be expended
in the construction Of irrigation pro-
Jects within that particular state.
North Dakota was at that time going
through its greatest era of settlement
and our share OF this fund increased
by leaps and bounds until we soon had
credit of over $4,000, 000-51 per cent
Of which must be expended within the
state. The first problem confronting
the engineers of the reclamation
service was to find feasible projects,
and after a preliminary survey had
been completed 1t was round that the
valleys and bench lands of the Mis-
souri, river offered these. The Mis-
souri,, however, was too large a stream
IN Nufv@ ~ g.
system of irrigation. 1t was brought
to the attention of the engineers, how
ever, that the vast deposits of high
grade Ignite coal along the river
banks were available. Old nature had
her eye on future necessity when she
stored them there, and now was the
time to use them. BY installing pow
er plants Immediately adjacent to the
coal banks, electrical power could be
generated and transmitted to pumps
along the river. The water could thus
be raised to the height of the bench
and valley lands and through a proper
system Of canals be carried to the
farmers fields. After thorough in
vestigation, covering a period of some
two years, 1t was decided to undertake
the installation of a pumping project
at Williston, embracing the lands sur
rounding the city in the Missouri and
Little Muddy valleys. A second pro-
ject was decided upon to cover the
Buford-Trenton flats, twenty miles
west of Williston, and another for the
beautiful Nesson valley, twenty-fiv
miles east Of the city. A central pow
er plant was erected at one Of the
several inexhaustible coal veins about
three miles north OF the city. The
best modern electrical equipment was
installed, and through a combined
steam and produce gas process 1900
horse power is generated from the lig-
mite close at hand. The mine entry is
about 100 feet from the boiler doors.
Coal is brought down on a narrow
gauge railroad, run through the crush
er and then elevated to the roof of the
power house. Here 1t is directed to
the various bins and is then taken by
gravity from the mine car and landed |
within six feet of the boiler doors.
The power house itself is an i'm
mense structure of solid concrete, re- |
Enforced throughout and calculated to |
outlast the pyramids. The four stacks |
necessary to secure a forced draft are |
each 100 feet in height from the base |
and five feet in diameter. The cleo |
trical power generated at this plant Is /
to a large floating barge |
on the Missouri at the city's river /
front. Here four huge motors drive /
the pumps, lift the water and force it |
thirty feet high into a settling vat on
the bank at the rate of $50 barrels per
minute. 1t requires tN-enty-four hours |
Tor the water to pass through the vat,
some 800 feet long, during which time
he greater part of the river sediment |
settles. From the settling vat the
water is syphoned under the Great
Northern tracks through a reinforced
concrete syphon into the main canal.
This canal carries the water direct to
he central power plant, where 1t is
aiken in and forced through concrete
pressure pipes a distance of so feet
nto the high line canal, which in turn
,arries 1t some eight miles to the
ands up the Little Muddy valley. Half
way between the river barge and cen.
raj power plant the water is taken
tut of the main canal by a motor
lriven pump deriving power from the
plant, and lifted thirty feet
nto canal which carries il to the
tate experiment farm and the lands
o the west of it. 1t is then lifted
second time by a similar system
mother twenty seven feet, and again
arried to the farms to the north and
northwest. Thus 1t can be seen that b
he water system Is lifting process
Whereby the water is raised to the
arious benches, attaining a total
eight above the Missouri river of
inty feet.
Power is transmitted from the will \
ston central plant twenty eight miles
vest to the Buford- Trenton project ,
1here $4,000 acres are similarly taken ,
are of through use Of a second float
ng barge settling vat and canal sys-
EN-. II
he late summer of 1908. The ma /
hinery was new, the farmers were /
ew at irrigation ard the short re- I
'aining season was largely an expert /
rental one in which both farmers and J
ngineers learned great deal re-
arding the necessities of the project. !
Iowever. sufficient water was used to :
emonstrate it's great value to the i
armers who were fortunate enough to !
wn lands under the ditch, for their !
rops yielded far greater returns than
ne lands not watercd. During 1909 :
-ater was supplied to 1900 acres and !
he results even in that year OF
umper crops again demonstrated !
vidences of its favoritism to Willis I
IN and the city will benefit greatly
i the future through the friendly feel {