Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-18
THREE DAYS CELEBRATION
Successful Termination of a Huge
Undertaking.
RECLAMATION OF THE DESERT
Addition Of an Immensely Fertile
Tract to the Farming Lands
Of Arizona.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
| ROOSEVELT, Ariz., March 1S.-Amid the
cheers Of thousands assembled today to
witness the formal opening of the largest
dam in the world, the Roosevelt structure
across the canyon Of the Salt river. Miss
! Ethel Roosevelt, under the direction of
her father, will touch the button this
afternoon that will send the imprisoned
| waters Of the Arizona river ripping
through the vast system of canals that
will transform this sun-baked construc-
tio1 town and 10000 acres of shifting
Iesert sand into a veritable Garden of
Eden.
The arrival Of the Roosevelt party, who
motored seventy-five miles across the
desert to attend the ceremonies, was a
signal for wild hilarity among those as
sembled to witness the event. The cheer
ing crowds pressed about the little group
of prominent state and government OFF,
| cials to offer thanks and congratulations
to the colonel, to whom in a great meas
ure they owed the successful completion
Of the project, and he repeatedly removed
his hat in acknowledgment of their cor
dial welcome.
The three days ceremonies in honor of
the formal dedication Of the great work
will begin this afternoon. These cere-
| monies mark the successful, termination
of one of the greatest reclamation prof.
ects the world has ever seen. They mean
the reclamation of miles OF burning
desert, the termination of years Of toll
under the blazing Arizona sun, and the
addition to Arizona's farming lands Of q
territory whose productive wealth will
equal that of the most favored farming
districts Of the world.
Movement Started by Roosevelt.
E,or oo,,rt,oS, ,,oc <ba ,,r;pc;noI cfraa M
of Arizona, the Salt river, swollen to tor
rental proportions in the spring by the
melting SHOWS of the distant mountains,
blazing sun Of summer, has wound its
tortuous course through hundreds OF miles
OF sun-Seared desert land that needed but
the application of water to blossom into
this rich territory was called to the at
tentton of Col. Roosevelt Rhens he occu-
pied the presidential chair, and he in
turn ordered the goyernmenfs reciama-
ton department to investigate.
Engineers were sent to explore the val
ley Of Salt river. Maps were made of its
winding course and samples of its soil
were forwarded to Washington with long
reports. Here the reports were passed
upon by the reclamation department. the
soil was analyzed and the matter re-
ferred to the President, whose warm in
terest had given the scheme life
This. however, was but the beginning;
the physical construction yet remained.
The town of Phoenix, Ariz., was chosen
as a base Of supplies, and from that place
the heavy machinery, tools, lumber and
the thousand and one odds and ends that
SO to make up construction camp were
hauled seventy-f1ve miles through the
burning desert to point where the can
yon of the Salt river was but 1,100 feet
across. Here the first rude huts of the
now fourishing town of Roosevelt sprans
hoo
what was destined to be one Of the larg-
est dams in the world.
All this was some three years ago,
and since that time the work has
been steadily carried on till today. the
structure as it stands complete is mas
sive wall of stone whose feet rest on
the solid rock far below the shifting river
bed and rise sheer go feet to the para
pet that borders the broad roadway along
its top, imprisoning lake thirty miles In
length. whose waters would cover mil
lion and a quarter acres foot in depth.
Other Interesting Features.
But aside from the mere physical con-
struction Of the dam are other interest
ing features-the ingenious method the
government employed to finance the
scheme, so that every cent Of the sum
expended could be used again to promote
still more reclamation projects, and the
ert land so fertile when water is ap-
Piled In fact, it is sometimes asked
why the government does not devote 1t
self to lands whose natural resources
answer Hes in the fact that 1T is not
the land, nor the water, wholly, which
makes the difference, but it Is the condi-
ton Of daily sunlight. In this warm
almost every day in the year. the growth
of plants Is phenomenal The soil has
never been washed and its fertility TAX
en- away from 1t by constant rains, so
of the elements for plant growth, save
one, nitrogen.
This is very quickly supplied by plant
Ing some form of clover. preferably al
tanning nitrined organisms. and the plant
takes from the air the nitrogen and
stores it in the ground. Thus, after
| few cuttings of alfalfa, the ground is
plowed up and the alfalfa turned in and
| the soil is found to be stored with nj
trOgen needed for other plants.
Fertility of the Soil.
Crops follow crops in constant sue
cession. and when the soil is we'll sub
dued high-grade fruit trees are set out.
| so that with proper handling the land,
| which without water cannot grow any
| thing Of value, is able to return an
| enormous revenue, amounting 10 nun
dreds Of dollars an acre, or even, when
set in fruit. several thousand.
| All of this is produced without direct
| cost to the people Of the United States.
| The government builds the great dam
| and canal system. 1t does not call upon
| the taxpayers. but utilizes for this pur-
pose a fund derived from the disposal of
public land This fund Is not given
| away. II Is invested in these works. and
then the people who are benefited must
pay back the cost of the investment at
| SO much an acre, in ten annual in
stallments. The money coming back is
| used over again. every dollar being re-
invested in additional works as fast as
| payments are made for those completed.
| At the close of the celebration today
| Col Roosevelt will be shown about the
, works by the reclamation experts, attend
| a banquet in his honor. and spend the
night at Roosevelt. motoring back to
| Phoenix in the morning to continue his
| journey to California, where he will ad-
dress the students Of the University of
| California.