Arizona republican., 1911-01-22
RECLAMATION CAMP
 NEAR GRANITE REEF
A Small Army of Men Is Doing an Inn portant Piece of Work in the
 Shortest Possible Time.

Improving the timely conditions that
 now prevail in the valley. the reclama- ton service is doing 5i little short job
 on the upper reaches of the Arizona
 canal that is quite important to the
 ultimate canal system and that in any
 country but one so accustomed to big
 undertakings would pc regarded as a contract of some magnitude. IL is pro-
 posed to deepen the canal materially through the rock formations this side
 of Granite Reef dam fOr a distance of about 2,000 feet. It was through that same stretch of ground or rock that it took months for the digging of the
 original canal. but it is proposed in this instance to do the trick in ten days The valley iS now well watered both by the rains and the ditches. and last Wednesday the water was turned out of the canal It Will be turned in again next Saturday night
 In the meantime between 300 and 800 men are camped near the canal bank working both day and night shifts in the blasting and removing of rock from the canal bottom. Wires are strung up and down the ditcl liberally sup
  plant is in operation. It consists of a gasoline engine and a generator, sup plying the juice for the light and ever and anon the hills re-echo with the blasts of the rock men. A carload of giant powder k on the ground, or at least that much was ordered with which to begin operations. and it is likely most of it will be used.
 When the enlargement of the canal was undertaken a year or SD ago the dredge worked down ;r' m the head widening the ditch down to the immov- able rock on the bottom. then passed on to pursue its work lower down. The bottom could not be finished then with out turning out the water and that would have been disastrous at that time of the year IL CaI, he done now without embarrassment to the farm CTS. The eXcavator's work is not in terfered with below for the reason that it is dry land machine and runs along the bank. The only ting tied mp is the dredge. and that Is not entirely inactive A temporary dam was built across the canal just above the falls to impound a little water tO keep the
 
 finishing up a little of it's work north pf Scottsdale. There could rot be more fitting time to do the work and it is being done with the utmost des- patch.
 one of the finest features Of the finest features of the whole business is | the changed sentiment of the people toward the reclamation service. In Oth- l CT years whenever the water would go | put of any canal for day somebody | would begin kicking. Even if his ranch l was saturated he would be afraid it | would dry out before the water was | turned in again. so frequently had the | 'armers in other days heen fooled as to promises of water service. Moreover. | has always been the custom to take ] water when it could be got whether { was needed or not. Now the farm ITS know the engineers are working iolely for their benefit and will do the | pest possible They know this stoppage 1 If service is tO make better service ater when they need il. And they ,nOw there is no use to soak up their ands when they don't reed it. for the water will be waiting for them in the when they d. need il. There s a good illustration Of that in re- ipect of some Of the ditches not in the ssociation district The farmers are lsing much more water per acre now han are the association farmers, not ,ecause they need it Eut because they re trying to store it n the ground.
 Engineer Reed said yesterday that ince the water was turned out last he hadn't received a single tick It is his pride to serve them because it is his duty. hut he is almost eginning to love them because of their appreciation of the efforts of the serv- ,e.