Semi-weekly herald. [volume] (Durango, Colo.) 1907-1917, 1911-02-20
ILLINOIS DITCH CONTRACT LET.

Elsewhere in the Enterprise we pub.
llsh the contract between the Stand
ard Construction company and the
Orchard Irrigation district for the con-
struction OF the Illinois ditch. This
contract WAS approved by the direc--
tors OF the district at a meeting held
at the office of Edwards & Martin, in
Pennington Monday afternoon. There
had been all sorts OF rumors afloat
as to what action would be taken by
the board but they were guided in
their actions by the will OF the cleo
tors OF the district, nine OF eleven OF
whom had signed a petition asking
them to approve the contract. To
comply with the law the contract will
be published for three weeks and then
Will be voted on by the electors In
the district. The contract has already
been approved by the attorneys for the
bond buyers so after It has been legal
ly voted on there will be no more
red tape to go through
The ditch will not be built on the
high line survey which covers about
$4,000 acres. This is on account of
threatened litigation at the hands OF
other ditch promoters who have Sc
cured water appropriations and want
to make piece of money ON their
rights. The survey covers about 49,
900 acres. The remaining 1000 acres
or more can be irrigated by pumping
the water thirty feet This will have
to be done II the land Is ever irri-
gated unless the holders of appropri-
ations higher up get busy building
bitches and quit the dog in the man
ger act.
Work starting on the Illinois ditch
means more prosperity for the whole
county. According to the contract
actual construction will start within
thirty days after 1t has been voted
on by the electors of the district,
which means practically the first Of
April The contract calls for It's COM
pletion within eighteen months from
that date and provides for penalty
of $50 per day for every day after
the eighteen months. The contractors
says they hope to have the canal fin,
ished in time for the irr1gating season
next year.
The contract with the irrigation dis
trict calls for ditch to carry 100
second feet of water. but 1t will be
built large enough to carry 270 feet
and will be extended across the La
Plata river. Mr.. LOTUS figures that
he can irrigate about $4,000 acres
west of the La Plata The ditch to
the La Plata will be forty miles long,
and the extension will be twenty-five
miles long. 1t will be nineteen feet
wide across the bottom and twenty
nine feet wide across the top. On the
part east OF the La Plata there will
be 1850 feet of steel flume, 1888
feet OF staye pipe and 1850 feet of tun-
mel work 1t is probable that two
steam shovels will be put to work la
ter in the season, and one will be
started Immediately. There will be
about 200 men and 100 teams employ
ed With the extension this means
that large force for at least two
years. Two hundred men on pay
roll will mean great deal to the busiT
ness interests of Pennington
The bringing of this large tract I'M
der irrigation means new homes for
hundreds of people and a great in
crease in the population and business
Importance OF Pennington. The land
is all mesa land of the very best quail
ity, and will not only produce fruit
that will take prizes in all the ex-
positions but will make the producers
wealthy; it will produce alfalfa. grains
and garden truck, In fact most any
thing that can be grown in this alti-
tude.
The total cost of the ditch now con-
tracted for to La Plata valley Is $780,
600. The extension will cost as much
more. or about one million dollars for
the entire project.-Farmington En-
terprise.