Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1911-10-26
WELL IN THE DESERT
New Plants Are Centrifugal
Pumps Run by Steam.
Regions Which Had Never Been
Forced by Drought to Seek Water
and Having Found 1t They
Will Now Use irrigation.

Sinking wells into water-bearing
strata to secure domestic and irriga-
ton supplies is now being resorted
to as never before. New and broad
er conceptions of the relations of sub
terranean water to irrigation have
recently prevailed. Individual irriga-
ton undertakings have been recently
established very largely upon wells
and pumps or upon flowing wells.
wherever they can be had. During the
last three years there have been per-
haps ten times as many pumping out
fits set up for irrigation as had been
employed during the whole earlier ir-
rigation Of this state.
Large irrigation companies have
sunk groups of wells and pumped
from them into their distributing
bitches and fumes. Individual irri-
gators have sunk wells and bought
pumping plants when the ditch water
| failed and have now learned the SUI
periority of home supply, to be drawn
up just when it can be used to best
advantage, and often to be had for
much less than the rates of the ditch
companies. Large regions which had
never secured irrigation systems have
been forced by drought to seek water
and having found it below ground in
ample quantities they will not fail in
the future to use irrigation as sup
plement to the rainfall
Many of these plants are centrifu-
sal pumps run by steam. These are
he larger plants. fifteen to forty
horsepower and in some instances
more, and the size Of the pumps ranges
from four to twelve inches. Most of
The smaller pumps are run by gaso-
line, although several use crude oil
and many of them are also centrifu-
gal Some of these are deep-well
pumps and they are very satisfac-
DRY in raising water from a greater
depth than 100 feet. From 100 to 300
eet they work admirably. The cost
Of pumping differs materially with
the different kinds of power. sizes Of
pumps and depth Of wells. Figuring
from what may be a safe average Of
the actual cost of fuel, No. pump
centrifugal, using gasoline as power
at 20 feet depth, will cost about three
dollars a day. This should result II
500 gallons {. minute, $4,000 gallons al
hour or 100000 gallons day of tel
hours.
Such a stream of water is calcu
, lated to irrigate about five acres da.
10 depth of little more than p.
inches. A better and safer estimate
) would probably be four acres a da.
% a depth of about two inches. But
generally speaking, 1t is safer to sa.
hat at cost of three dollars an acr
t and can be irrigated two or thre
times at six dollars an acre annual,
and It is certainly worth the none
: n dry seasons like the present. TIL
e average cost of plant is about $1,000
In many cases the cost will be only
traction of that given. But even tn
; higher figures are below the cost wal
r ranted by the saving of a crop, as tn
experience OF individuals has shown
Over large areas of the country vino
Il mills are used as motors for irrigs
: ton pumps and careful accounts c
n their efficiency are available. The
lnquestionably serve an excellent pul
o pose under favorable conditions up t
the limits of their capacity.