The Greeley tribune., 1911-11-09

Besides this. the ditcnes above
vou on these streams have de-
crees senior to yours: and you
may rest assured. that II they
are prohibited from storing
their water. they Will fall irri-
gate, just as you propose to
do, with the result that you
will not get any more water
than you are now getting
Now, don't start foolish fight
that will embarrass me, injure
them, and result in no good to
yourselves"
That would have settled 1t. and
that would have been the end OF the
matter; they would have used any
water in the river In their districts
as they might have agreed among
themselves; and you would have
been permitted to use your water
In the way you have been accustom-
ed to using 1t, and the two sections
would have been friends. a. they
had been before the beginning Of
this fight, and a. they should be
now. For, in my judgment. there
| il no occasion for any conflict of in
terest between these two sections of
northern Colorado. Every storage
reservoir constructed ON the Platte
and its tributaries above them has
been the means Of adding to their
water supply. Why? Because i'm
mense quantities OF water that flow
ed down the Platte and out OF the
state prior to 1890 are now stored
Iii reservoirs. applied to great areas
OF land in July, August and Lne fore
part OF September, material por-
| ton of which finds its way back to
the river channels below, and ult-
mately shows up in their section OF
the state. They enjoy, today, five
second feet of water during the fall,
winter, and early spring months to
every foot we are able TO obtain on
the upper reaches OF the Platte and
the Poudre. IL we don't fill our
reservoirs it will be a question OF
but few years before they will find
themselves in the same condition as
they were frequently in during the
70s and sos, during fall and winter
seasons, with barely enough water
for stock purposes, let alone a sup
ply for filling the numerous great
storage reservoirs they have con-
structed and are still constructing
But unfortunately for all concerned.
we did not have man like John L.
Armstrong occupying the division
engineers office; but on the con-
trary, an erratic gentleman, to put
it mildly. with the reputation OF be-
ing an excellent water gager, but so
far as known with but little or no
experience in handling water. and
with an unfortunate com bative.
pugnacious disposition. utterly lack
ing that calm, judicial poise so nee
or1y in, 0dv INT Ctar N
important office. 1t was of no avail
to tell such a man that the Platte
river, from its exit from the noun
tains southwest of Denver to the
state line, was succession of quick
sand beds; the channel varying in
width from a quarter of mile to
two miles; with innumerable ISLANDS
in its channel covered with cotton
wood groves: that $50 second feet
of water turned down from the city
of Denver would spread out, fill lp
the sloughs on each side of the
river; back up for rods behind the
many dams across the stream en-
route; ssep away In the quick sand
beds: irrigate the cottonwood
groves, and ultimately be wasted
No the law of 1901 stated that
bitches needing water for direct ir-
rigation were entitled to II ahead
OF reservoirs. junior or senior: that
was the law: he was not to blame
for the law; II irrigators did not
like the law let them change 1t; he
would enforce 1t strictly. even
though no one received any benefit
from the small quantity Of water in
the almost dry river beds OF the
Platte and it's tributaries. Why. as
late as the latter part OF last De-
cember the owners of u half dozen
small ice ponds located above Den
yer along the Denver & South Park
railroad. varying In size from a halt
acre to two acres, and from one to
four feet in depth. were ordered
peremptorily to empty their contents
into the Platte river for the benefit
Of the bitches on the lower Platte
who were still fall irrisating: and
but for the Intervention Of the gov
to obey the order. And he can't
even learn from experience, a. will
be seen from the fact that run OF
25O second feet of water for six
consecutivo days. given by the Dem
yer Union Water company. from
Lake Cheesman. last summer. to
certain bitches on the Lower Platte
in compromise OF = suit brought by
the said bitches, failed to raise the
Platte river in the vicinity of Fort
Morgan to the extent OF one foot
Fer second. l have this on excellent
authority; l am also reliably in
formed. and believe 1t to be the
exact truth. that when the state
engineer decided to make the stor-
age season apply to reservoirs out
side Of Judge CANDLES Jurisdiction.
although they were not parties to
the suit. 70 ~ to have one rule for
all. MIR. Cogswell bitterly resented
being overruled in the matter; and
afterwards, when the state engineer,
learning wisdom from past expeni-
ence. urged him to issue an order
h. .A~r n