New-York tribune., 1910-06-19
GREAT IRRIGATION SCHEME
Big Project Of the Canadian pa
cific Railway in Alberta

A wonderful system Of irrigation ., :,
ing pushed to completeness BY N. n.
madam Pacific Railway Conpsr7 :, AZ
berta- East of Calgary Is a block =, r,-.
containing three million acres, o-~.,ar.
granted TO the railway company bv -,
Dominion government when this nao-sx
Canadian transcontinental line was hs,,s'
constructed.
The tract lies IN Southern Alberta ,..,
the Red Deer River bounding 4. =, ..
north. while on the south flows ths p,s
River. with the great transcontinsn.aI 40
way piercing its centre. whi!s thls ~
ton OF Alberta is by 10 means a dsss-,
and It has scarcely ever failed 70 nrod,s
crops, yet It has been demonstrates "a.
under irrigation the land could Be r.nd.--.
much more valuable. So the COMPANY -
tered upon the work OF CONSTRUCTING -.
most ambitious irrigation unds-tak,,,
known 70 the world. eclipsing even ths -
rigatfon scheme OF Egypt
Describing the project 'The IndIanaaor,
News says that the headgatss a, ~,
main canal are on the Bow River .r,
miles east OF Calgary, and this car.l
which is seventeen miles long, has u-d-s
Of sixty feet at the bottom and 10 ,s..
at the water line. carrying ten Zee, =,
water. II emptfes into natural rsservoi-
three miles long, one-half mile wide s,d
forty feet deep The secondary canals
three In number. extending from this rs,
ervoir are each thirty feet wide al tss
bottom, sixty feet at the water In. s-d
each carries eight feet Of water Ths7 ssv,
a total combined length Of 80 miles From
these secondary canals run the disribrt.
ing bitches, securing the plain IN sve-T
direction The main and secondary canals
with the distributing bitches, aggrsEats
a total length OF almost one thousand
miles Of water channel not counting tas
laterals constructed by the farmers.
When the project Is completed il vf
represent a total OF 2.900 miles OF canal
calling for the excavation OF 25.016Go0 cubt
necessary TO cut away the top OF tutt.ly
cliff 1000 feet long, 1s0 feet wide and "a
feet deep. This tract of 100000 acres has
a natural inclination from east 70 west q
nearly LEO feet, making the operation q |
secondary canals and distributing ditchs
a comparatively easy matter. The Vat-
supply is taken from the Bow River, t1s |
source OF which IS in the Great Divide, vel |
covered by perpetual snow. The supply
inexhaustible, and the distribution OF vats' |
is made feasible by the fact that the barA
OF the river are not deep CIT Below IN |
plain.
The railway company viii give no Stars
tics as to probable cost. but IL has made
strong departure in distributing the Eas
to the farms within the irrigated section
this. that the distributing channels are ea'
ried directly to each farm, so that the On9 |
expense to the farmer lies in construcrlns |
the short and comparatively f1expensfs
IateraIs needed in carrying the water |
every part Of his land Each farmer tak1nt
water is charged 80 cents a year an acre
the duty being one cubic foot seco1i
flowing continuously for L9 acres; ol, /
selling irrigable lands the company allows
10 per cent of the total area for space
be occupied by farm buildings. etc ne
wonderful possibilities OF the irrigation
land in that section has already been a:n,
onstrated. The opportunities for diversas
farming by the aid OF irrigation Is sad
be unsurpassed. and th5 company IS saE
guine that despite the enormous COST -
returns viii ultimately justify the e1penS
ture-