Bisbee daily review., 1911-11-16
EMPIRE Of YUMA
 CREATED BY WATER

Auee t's''N aNAte ot Afit una mesa. 5O.000 acres in the Yuma val. ley and 2O.O00 acres in inc Gils valley, or total of il0.00O acres. will he Irrigated by water from inc great Laguna dam project within the next few months, is the statement made by J. P. Miller. president of the Yuma County Commercial club and demo cratic executive committeeman from Yuma county. who was here an last week attending the fair and the meet ings of the democratic committee. says the Arizona Gazette. The work Of running a siphon under the Cobra do river is now we'll under way. ac- cording 70 Mir. Miller and this will be completed early in the spring Connection with the laguna canal will be made in June 1912 and water will then be diverted into the old canal system temporarily and over 26.000 acres given water immediate ly. in tFifle over a year later the new canal system will have been constructed. pumping stations 10 sup ply the mesa lands erected and the entire 10000 acres placed under wat CT and in cultivation.
 The Yum7 project is progressing very rapidly toward completion said MT Miller. The siVhon under the Colorado river 10 bring water from the Iaguna dam 10 the lands of the Yuma valley has already reached a point where il is well under the Colo radO. It is expected that this siphon will be completed April !.
 The tunnel under the river is fourteen feet in diameter and is capa- hle Of carrying 1.500 second feet This will irrigate the entire lI0009 acres and leave water to spare. The tunnel is lined with concrete two feet thick
 "On the California side of the river there are l43 farms of forty acres each which have been receiving water from the Laguna project for over a year. The taking Of the water for the 10000 acres will in no way af- feet these 143 farm units. which will continue receiving an the water they require.
 The Laguna dam is located four teen miles west of the Colorado river, In order to bring water to the lI0, . AA necessary to construct a canal fourteen miles long. Four miles east Of this canal. beginning at the Colo radO and proceeding west, has been constructed. and the contract for the remaining ten miles has already been let Camps have been erected al various points along the surveyed route. and it Is expected that the work Of digging the ditch will begin imme- diately The ten miles to be built, it IS expected, will be completed by July I. 1912.
 When the ten miles Of canal is completed and connection made with the four miles already completed. the water will be sent under the Colo rado through the siphcn, which will be ready to receive it, and into the old canal system. About 1000 acres have been receiving water by means of an old pumping station locatel on the banks of the Colorado river. This pumping station has been taken over by the reclamation service and abandoned. The bringing of the water through the siphon will give 20,0O0 acres water immediately
 The work of constructing an en. tirely new canal system will be com menced as soon as the water is re- eeiyed from under the river Inciden- tally. a pumping station will be con, structed to raise water eighty feet to the mesa, and thereby open up an additional 10000 acres not now re- ceiving water.
 In anticipation of receiving water, many people holding lands which would have come properly under the old canal system. and those having lands on the mesa, are now engaged in clearing their holdings and plac. ing everything in readiness to make the first water received of value The mesa lands are touted as be- ing one of the greatest citrus belts in Arizona. It is surrounded by val Ieys which take the frost and pre- teot the young trees from the killing blasts. The Yuma valley is one of the earliest in the country in the | production of oranges and it is planned by those living on the mesa to immediately plant many acres 10 oranges, lemons and grape fruit.
 -Out of the S20.000,0 ,000 of govern ment bonds issued for reclamation purposes, the Yuma project was al. lotted SI.200.000. Yuma will also receive out of the reclamation fund S2,300 900 up to 1914. when the entire project win be completed. The as sessed valuation Of Yuma county has Increased in the last ten years from SS56.000 to nearly s5.00O.000. and in another five years will exceed $l0.O00.- 0GO.
 Grape fruit is already ripe in the Yuma valley, and when the party of San Diegans were visiting Yuma last week. ripe grape fruit was presented to each member of the party.
 '"The Yuma project is in charge oi F. l.. Sellars, project engineer. who is also in charge Of the Laguna pro ject. He is an energetic and up-to- date engineer. and the success Of the project and its early completion will be entirely due 10 his effective work and masterful handling of the great work"
 SALVATION ARMY CONGRESS