The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-06

IRRIGATION works on the edge of wash
ington. In Northern Oregon. Here an
earthen embankment a half-milc long
and 100 feet high will hold back tho
floods. The soil is porous. and many
of the canals have been lined with
cement on that account Several
towns have grown up In this region.
of which Hermiston has 900 OF more
population.
California Works.
Still farther south Is the Klamath
project. on the boundary of OREGON
and California. which will reclaim
100000 acres. OF this about 10000
acres are already under water. and
been completed. A storage dam has
been built which makes Clear Lake a
reservoir. and there are other storage
projects which Will ultimately irri-
gate this vast tract of land.
The Orland project In Northern Cali
fornia. is also progressing About II
per cent. of the work is completed
and the East Park dam there will
store water for about $4,000 acres
The dam is 139 feet high. and 1t has a
reservoir capacity of $4,000 acre feet.
This lies about ninety miles north of
Sacramento on the Southern Pacific
be opened this year.
The Heart of the Rockies.
Some of the biggest schemes which
the government now has under way
lie in the heart OF the Rockies. or.
rather. on the great western plateau
In Utah we have the strawberry valley
project. which will redeem $4,000
acres. II Is now IS per cent. com
pleted. In Nevada is the Truckee-
Carson project. which involves more
than 500 miles OF canals. and $4,000
feet of dykes and dams. This. when
finished. will irrigate 100000 acres,
and the first unit Is now ready.
And then there Is the Boise project
where a dam forty 1--WE feet high has
been constructed at the mouth of
cannon not far from Bose City. This
turns the waters of a river into a
canal, which in the non-irrigated sea-
son throws them into a reservoir
which will store 10000 acre feet
The Minnadoka tproject'is already Ir-
risat'ng the Snake River Valley. and
lis furnishing electric power to pump
water on to lands which are too high
for the gravity canals. The total area
there under ditch is 10000 acres. and
about $4,000 acres are being irrigated
by pumping.
been carried under a mountain 1000
feet high by a tunnel six miles in
length into the Uncompangre Valley.
This is part of scheme which
eventually will irrigate 100000 acres.
and the engineering connected with ii
is most remarkable. The tunnel was
made in eight-hour shifts, the work
being kept up day and night. and 1t
was completed in the shortest TIME
upon record. In one month s23 feet
were made, and one gang OF laborers
aug out $500 feet in one year.
Some Operations in Texas and Ne
brnskn.
l have already written OF the Path
hnder Dam. This is connected with
the Nebraska project on the North
Platte River, and 1t includes a diver
Sion dam 500 feet long and 30 feet
nigh, which has been built across tina
river neaEa he station of Whalen. An
interstat nal Carries the waters
stored IN the Pathfinder reservoir
through this dam over the lands of
Wyoming and Nebraska This project
is about three-fourths completed The
canal has been dug to length of 100
miles, supplying about 10000 acres of
'and' and the men are now at work
upon reservoirs which are to he filled
uurins the hon-irrigating seasons. The
watered lands are being settled and
are yielding abundant crops.
An interesting situation is that q,
the Rio Grande project, which is lust
across the river from Mexico. and as
TO which Mexico objected, as II divertt
the waters OF the river which forms
the boundary of the two Countries
Ihis matter has been settled by the
reclamation service placing It's dam
near the station of EnRIe. on tho
Santa Fe system, and agreeing to give
the republic of Mexico an annual sun
ply OF $4,000 acre feet of water The
reservoir which will be made will have
capacity OF about 100000 acre
feet. and It will irrigate $50, 900 acres.
The work is.already In progress there.
a railroad has been built from Ensle
to the dam site.
Some Pumping Projects.
In North Dakota the government
proposes to pump water from float.
ing barges in the Missouri River,
using the cheap Ignite coal, which
is found everywhere In that region.
BY this means II will irrigate the
Bench lands in the vicinity OF Willis
ton and Trenton. ultimately reclaim
Ing perhaps 10000 acres. During the
past year about 2,+oG acres have been
irrigated In this way
In South Dakota the Belle Fourche
project has been So per cent com
pleted. This Is an important system.
including a storage reservoir, an
enormous storage dam and a large
canal. The project will water 100, 900
acres OF land. OF which about half is
already supplied.
Copyright. 1911. by Frank G. Car
penter)