The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-08
B|G MUDDY IS
 BEING FAMED Government Harnesses the Most Eccentric River IS IN NORTH DAKOTA A Notable Irrigation Achievement. Thousands of Arid Acres Are Reclaimed-Devoted to Sci
 entific Agriculture
IS IN NORTH DAKOTA
,.o,,, tho Datroit Free Press.

From the Detroit Free Press.
 Among the many wonders acconlplisnou hv government engineers in the redemp- tion of arid lands under the reclaiila' a'iUi' i,t act there is nothing more reinarhao'e than the group of pumping projects III North Dakota by which means tne hitherto uncomfortable Missouri rlNer is harnessed and made to irrigate thousdnus of acres of lands that have needed ohiy the touch of water to make them Ter
 Since the earliest days of western ms tory. the Bid Muddy" has been looheo mon as the most uncontrolaple ot streams The keel boatmen who poled many adventurers Up the stream Tn the days of the fur hunters had countess thrilling experiences with the erratlc stream Many a successful trapper, noat- ing his furs back to the St. Lotus mar ket, struck a snag In the boiling muddy river, or was thrown against sahdoar by a clutehing eddy, and was heardA or no more. In later years the ranchers who have settled along the Missouri river have had their troubles with the giant among streams. Sudden floods have come, Nreaking untold damage. Then, too the channel of the stream has constantly shifted. Owing to it's winding course ana the sandy nature of the soil through which it travels. the Missouri is constant ly changing its bed. It eats swiftly through a neck of land and perhaps aban- dons its old channel for one miles away
 Brought to Subjection
 TO harness such stream as this has been considered impossible. but govern ment engineers have proved otherwise. They have tanned the ferocious Big Muddy" and the stream which hitherto acknowledged no master is now irrfgating several thousand acres of land in North Dakota Pumping barges in the stream send a steady flow of water to huge set ting basins and from these basins many irrigating canals are filled when water IS needed on the farms that are springing up on the bench lands. The vagaries of the river make no difference in the work, for the barges rise and fall with the stream. Even if the river saw fit sto change it's channel it would not escape these new monsters that have brought it to subjection.
 The government has several pumping projects in western North Dakota which raise water from the Missouri to irrigate bench lands which cannot be reached by gravity systems. The Williston and Blu ford-Trenton projects are the ones which have the unique features that have been mentioned The lands included in these projects are ideal for farming but it has been impossible to get water to them on account of their height above the chan mel of the river. The general elevation of the land is about 20O0 feet above sea level. The soil of the bottom lands is . a heavy clay. but the desirable bench lands are rich, sandy loam requiring about two acre feet of water per an- nun. The principal crops grown in this locality are wheat, flax and oats, with alfalfa and sugar beets coming into favor.
 Recognizing the possibilities of this neg lected area of fine land, if it could be brought under water the government engineers. working under the reclamation act. devoted much time to a scientific study of the difficulties to be overcome. Finally the barge pumping plan was de- cided upon. The power problem was quickly solved. There are thousands of acres of Ignite coal underlying the lands surrounding Williston. A power plant was built at Wiliston. and from the coal at the very doors of the plant power is quickly and cheaply generated. The elec- tricity is conveyed to the pumping barges. which are anchored in the riye~. The water of the Big Muddy is pumped through hug~ pipes to settling basins above. So nsTddy is the water that 1t is allowed to settle before it is turned into the system of irrigating canals radia t. ing from the settling basins. If the water
 
 from the river the silt would necessitate constant work in repair and cleaning.
 One of the remarkable features of this project is that the coal used for general ing electricity is mined and delivered by gravity to the furnaces at the power sta ton. The initial unit of the Whiston project includes about 5000 acres of the bench and valley lands surrounding Will liston. but the system will be enlarged to cover about 12,00O acres. There is a state experiment farm near Willston, which is of assistance in demonstrating the methods of irrigation to settlers. Land has been reserved for a government town site about eight miles north of Will liston The governments building charge on this and the Buford-Trenton pump ing project has been fixed at $9S per acre of irrigable land. An additional charge of 70 cents per acre is required for oper- ation and maintenance. and 90 cents per acre-foot of water actually pumped and delivered in one year. The farm units in this and the Buford-Trenton project are from 40 to 30 acres of irrigable land depending upon location. Practically all the land is in private ownership, but far mers owning more than 160 acres are re- uuired by the government to sell theil excess holdings, prices of land ranging from s15 to s25 per acre.
 The Bvford- Trenton project is similar to the WllllStOn prpJect ana, Tn fact derives power from the Williston power house. 29 miles distant. After being trans .,Yitted electrically that distance, the pow. CT is used to pump water from the Mis- souri river. The Buford-Trenton projec embraces about 12,500 acres of bench lant bordering the north bank of the Missour for about % miles east of the Montana North Dakota state line.
 In the recent report of the board O army engineers, concerning the feasi bility of the various reclamation project undertaken by the government. the uniqu features Of those pumping projects cam in for special praise. A generous sun was recommended to be utilized from tn reclamation funds to carry out the pro jects to their fullest capacity. Accordinl to the latest report of the engineer il charge of the pumping projects, about C per cent of the work has been completed There is sufficient land under irrgatio to prove the perfect feasibility of tn barge pumping system. No doubt pri vate enterprise will be quick to take tn hint from the government, and 1t will nc be surprising to see many barge pumpin systems installed along the Missouri rive and its tributary, the Yellowstone. which like the Big Muddy" has, millions c acres of fine bench lands that hithert