Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1910-12-09

preserve said water right, the amount
OF the issue not to exceed $4,000.
and that such certificate be first
lien upon all the company's property
assets superior to the lien of any
mortgage, Judgment, bond or other
claim. It was further ordered that
the plaintiffs or their agent are by
the order granted sufficient possess
sion and use of the dam, water rights,
machinery, tools, implements, lum-
Der and other materials of the cor
poration for the purpose of making
said repairs and construction, and
they are authorized to perform said
repairs and construction as long as
they supply the money to pay for
the same. And that certificates be
issued for the receipted bills, after
having been properly approved by
the receiver, ]. A. Wharton, of
Grants Pass.
Acting on this order, l will say
that | have asked the Southern Pa
cific to connect up the railroad
switch at the dam and that | have
ordered lumber and other materials,
and that yesterday arrangements
were made for starting the prelimin-
airy work, and that the work will
progress as rapidly as the weather
and water In the river will per-
NIT. The new construction will re-
quire three carloads of lumber, forty
carloads Of crushed rock, 1900 bar
rels of cement and one carload of
iron for flood gates and reinforce
ment, six for the concrete, and an ex-
penditure in money of $500 This
work when completed will make the
dam and power plant more valuable
than 1t was prior to the flood, and
that 1t will be at least 25 per cent
more efficient, and that it will con-
tain six large flood gates, sufficient
ly large to prevent any future dam
age, and that the plan of the new
concrete work is along a general plan
which when fully carried out will re-
new with concrete the entire struc-
ture, which Is now mostly wood.
When completed the dam will be at
least five feet higher and capable of
generating more than 1000 horse
power. The present capacity is 24O0
horse power.
"At the present time the Golden
cal people, and the pump of the COM
pany, which is the largest centrifugal
pump in the world, was used last
year for the purpose of pumping
water to the benches Immediately
surrounding Grants Pass, and it is
for this reason that the repair of
this dam at this time is of great bene-
fit to all of the people residing in
North Rogue river valley, as they
can now feel assured that with these
repairs made there will be water
supply available for irrigation the
coming season.
"The irrigation question is the
most important one in this commun-
ity, and advantageous for the fur
ther growth of the city and the use
of the surrounding lands for fruit
growing. The Golden Drift Mining
has an old water right to
the waters Of Rogue river and the
big dam and power plant near Grants
Pass constructed several years ago.
In the year 1909 the people OF Grants
Pass set out to provide irrigation for
the adjacent lands. A company was
organized with local capital, called
the Josephine County Irrigation &
Power company, which company, af-
ter making a contract with the Gold,
en- Drift Mining company to supply
water to users at IS per annum, pro-
ceeded to construct irrigation canals
and ditches and did construct about
16 miles prior to July, 1909, and
with these bitches water was furn-
ished to users from the Golden Drift
plant that year. Since that time
everything went along nicely until
the big flood Of 1909 disabled the
Golden Drift plant so that the farm
ers and fruit growers did not get
water for their lands the past sea-
son.
"An effort was made last spring
TO repair the Golden Drift plant by
money to be raised on receivers GER
tlficates, as no other plan seemed ad-
visable. But the other phases OF the
Golden Drift litigation so took up the
time OF the court that the matter was
not passed on until last Wednesday
and thus a supply OF water will be
available for irrigation the coming
season.
while this matter was pending
before the court last summer outside