Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1910-06-17

Z dCTeS anu du dNSldSc uSptA VI
fourteen inches; in other words,
they have an area of 81 million
square feet and a depth of but lit
tie over one foot. If the whole
| formed body of water of circular
| form it would have a diameter of
1900 feet, which is 1855 times its
average depth of IA inches. All
this means that the body of water
on the plateau is comparatively over
100 times as shallow as COM
mon earthenware saucer. Suppose |
such a saucer full of water were
put out in the open sun at an alti-
tude 500 feet lower than that of
| Tonopah with just as bare des-
ert around it and just as much !
wind; what would that mean as
to evaporation? Then suppose the
diameter of the saucer were null
tiplied by 100 without increasing
its depth-a saucer 100 times
as wide or having a diameter of
fifty feet with only the ordinary
saucer's depth; can anyone conceive
more effective evaporation basin,
1t doesn't take a hydraulic engineer
to draw strong conclusion.
| realize that the comparison of
the body of water Oh the plateau
, with the saucer is not altogether
fair one for several reasons, but
the fact remains that there are
, 80 million square feet of very
shallow water lying in the open
: sun unprotected from wind and
3 heat except by tules that grow
in only one-third of it's area, and
the protection they afford is more
) than offset by a saturated marginal
area of nearly half million square
feet even more favorable to evapo'
:. ration that the open water.
- If this reasoning means anything
to the Duckwater people, perhaps
it may set them to thinking about
another shallow swamp in the val
= ley and the ACCESSIBILITY of drain
:. ing it by suitable works of control
e or of making it a storage reservoir
= of some real value. 1t has none
, in it's present conditioA.
i l cannot subscribe to the view
g. that the Big Warm Spring
# plateau is a great storage reservoir
If composed of a porous limestone
l. filled with water somewhat like
J. gigantic sponge. This idea had it'
re- origin in certain tests made il
l. former trials with masses of calcar
r. eous tufa taken from the plateau
at but the evidence in the last tria
70 shows that there is comparativel.
NJ little of this rock in the plateau
,e and that it probably extends t.
,e great depths, having collected il
O. old hot spring tubes and vents
and that it may be very wasteful o
ne water by inducing seepage to sucl
a distances underground that the wa
at ter thus lost cannot reappear II
m Duckwater valley. The mass o
k the plateau is traveftine, lime
ne stone that is impervious to the pas
of sage of water into it or through
Id it, except where it has been frac
err tured or where flowing water ha
e. kept open a passage while the rocl
On is forming.
Isl The canal provided for in the de
@. cision should minimize evaporation
al for the reason that it must b
nd comparatively deep and narrow.
nd must also be run in such direc
lis ton that it will avoid areas of cal
at careous tufa that woald cause los
he BY seepage, for which reason 1t
as probably better to have it ru
ne northerly and westerly toward Kin
ny Spring than directly across tn
re- plateau, even II such course wer
m possible.
ir- The works OF control describe
I'm In the decision must be maintaine
,p- in good order rs well as constfuc
Dw ed by the plaintiff, so that lower, al
proprlators may be ully protecte
his without expense 20 them. PLAT
rp- tins RICH, tn appropriate any vi
nc ter shall cease whency'
us. these works are allowed BY Ill
% TO become ineffective In any d
Of sFse until they are restored 10 PRO
mp er condition.
! a In the event the plaiatin sha
lor construct the works described In u
ssy deelsian herein, the state board
th- irrigation should direct iis attic
u sloa 10 paskwater vaiisf, eseaa
tsr supervision h one Of The state .
md slneeF's tmpoEsant dasisa. and %