Mohave County miner., 1910-01-29
Big Irrigation Scheme In Utah.


 publication of the fact that J. P Loftus of the firm of Loftus & Davis, Charles Patrick of the GOldield Consolidated Water Go, Harry Bryant of the legal department of the Goldfeld Consolidat- ed Mines Co, Frank Chambers of the Western Ore Purchasing Co. and Chas. $. Sprague of the Goldfield News, have applied for 2OO,0O0 acres in the Amar- gosa Valle under the Carey act. The news also comes that State Engin- ger Nicholas has reported favorably upon the grant to the Department of the Interior.
 The land applied for lies in the Amargosa Valley, extending south from Gold Center to the Pahrump Ranch, and including Ash Meadows. The application takes in all the surface waters of the land applied for, includ- ing springs and the surface flow of the streams and drains, including the Amargosa River. IL all lies between the Las Vegas x Tonopah and the Tonopah x Tidewater Railways, thus having railway communication at either side, and the highest point is but 2500 feet above sea level.
 At the Pahrump Ranch the fertility of the country has been amply proved, as it has been proved in the Las Vegas vicinity. to which this l0O,0JJ-acre tract may be said to be directly tribu- tary. At the Pahrump Ranch it has been demonstrated that all kinds of garden truck, alfalfa, grapes, oranges, lemons, olives, English walnuts. pome- granates, peaches, apples, plums, al- monds, small fruits and melons may be grown in prodigal profuSion. The wnole country is in what is known to horticulturalists and agriculturalists as the "thermal belt" which belt is at elevation just above the region of killing frosts in spring and fall, and yet which is below the zone of disas- trous zes in winter.
 The soil in itself is one especially inviting to the horticulturalist. It is a rich alluvium, from 50 to more than 100 feet deep, comprised from the wash and weathering of the mineral containing hillsides of thousands of years It is full of all those mineral salts that give richness and coloring to fruit, that lend nutrition 10 vegetables, and all plant life. It is virgin soil. It has never known the blow or reap CT. Its richness has been lying for ages, awaiting the touch of the man who should conserve the moisture of surface and underground streams and wed it to the thirsty acres.
 The waters of the Amargosa River, which has a watershed l50 miles long by 70 miles wide, together with springs, alone afford water for irrigation of lO,OO0 acres. The annual rainfall af- lords much more water. but it sinks out of sight in the desert sands. Drill ing has proved that this water, and the water from distant watersheds, travels under that valley in great sub- terranean streams, some of them of such pent-up bouyancy and life that they bubble to and far above the surface when the driller provides a way.
 There is ample money behind the project to transform this bit of the Great American Desert into a garden spot. Plans now being rapidly per- fected will place the first unit of this reclamation project under irrigation and ready for the home builder in six months from the present time. Then another unit will be irrigated, and another, and another, until the whole witnesses the magic transformation that has been seen in other parched lands when soil and water were we'd ded. There are more than 75,OO0S actually in hand to put through the initial work and turn the first units in- to productiveness. Back of this 75,- OOOS is a fund totalling 4,OOO,OOOS, which, or any part of which, will become available as soon as the men promoting this great reclamation scheme say that it is needed.
 The two railroads that traverse this new dominion have already given word that they will help in the de- velopment of the new, self-supporting and producing empire in every way possible. They will advertise it, they