St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-02-14
RECLAMATION SERVICE
How the Government Is Making
Arid Lands Productive-W Written
BY W. P. Carr.

United States who realize the i'm
mensity of the work being done by
the government in the reclamation
of arid and semi-arid western lands,
in fact the large majority of
fasteners do not even know that
such work is being conducted. How
ever, this work of retaining APP
parently worthless land and making
profitable farms and valuable homes
for settlers in the west by utilizing
the native waters of the different
sections for irrigating crops has been
carried on with such yigor since
the passing of the NeWlands Act in
4 1902 for this purpose that at the
present time, after 10 years of hard
engineering work and tactful adj
ministration and consideration Of
the wants of pioneers in these re-
gions, valuable results are being re-
allied on nearly every reclamation
project that has been started.
On those projects where the work
has nearly or quite reached COM
/ pletfon the practical application of
the theories involved in the recla-
nation and settling of arid sections
furnishes basis for calculating the
requirements of the projects just
being started or those still incom-
plete, thus furnishing a higher mi
tial value on the land to the set
tier.
In presenting to the reader data
from which an estimate can be
formed of the amount of work re-
quired to bring this activity to its
present remarkably efficient state, it
may be well to group subjects of
mathematical computation and ex-
pand trifle on the features of en-
cheering upon which the success of
each project is depending to
large extent.
There Are ~ Projects.
There are 27 reclamation projects
in operation or in process of works
construction at the present time,
and they are situated in every wes-
tern state and territory. These pro-
/ jects represent an investment of
government funds to the amount of
over $6O,OOO,0O0. The total amount
of land which it is planned to ulti-
mately place under irrigation on
the 81 projects will exceed 3,00O,-
! 600 acres; water has now been pro-
vided for about 100000 acres, of
which about half is now in use. In
the distribution and transmission
of water on the projects over 5000
miles of canals and Iaterals, and
j tunnels aggregating more than
1712 miles have been built. On IL
projects large storage and di-
version dams have been con-
structed; on nine projects reser-
voirs have been completed, and on
five projects power from native
waters has been converted to cleo
tricity and transmitted to other
sections of the projects for pumping
water to elevations higher than the
main canals and for use in works
construction.
Engineering Problems.
In the process of constructing the
main works on each reclamation |
project abundant problems in en-
gineering, ranging in character
from dam, works and tunnel con-
struction to hydraulics, electric de- |
velopment ana transmission, ce-
ment making, handling of explo-
sives, etc., have arisen to tax the
ingenuity of the constructing en-
gineers. A large number of these
engineering features have been
distinctly novel and are worthy of
considerable note. A few illustra-
tions follow:
The Roosevelt Dam.
On the Salt River project. in
the south central part of Arizona,
the Roosevelt dam has been con-
which is of rubble mason
ry ESQ feet high, 235 feet long at
the bottom and 1880 feet long on
top. This dam regulates the flow
Of Salt River and creates a reser-
voir with an area of over rs
square miles. From this reservoir
the water is allowed to flow down
the river for 40 miles, where it
IS diverted by another dam into
he river. The water is carried in
.hese canals by gravity to irrigate
about 10000 acres of land in the
7icinity of Phoenix. About Is
niles above the Roosevelt dam
here is a power canal by which \
800 horse power is developed and
transmitted electrically 80 miles
Town the valley to pump water
rom underground sources to ir- I
igate $4,000 additional acres of
Ugh lands. About 100000 barrels o
# cement were used in the a
obstruction of the Roosevelt dam,
nd this was all manufactured in e
ement mill constructed and oper- t.
ted by the government.
The Rio Grande Project. I !.
The Rio Grande project, which is a
ituated so as to include portions of =
New Mexico, extreme =
yestern Texas and northern Mexf- Z
O., has necessitated the construc- .
ion of two large dams, one for di- :,
erting waters for irrigation in New 4
Iexico and the other built across =,
he Rio Grande creating a reser- n
DIR As miles long. The work in n
Iexico of retaining about 5000 T.
cres is provided for in treaty pro- y,
laimed in January, 1907. The an e.
ual rainfall in this region is about n,
8 inches, or between one-fourth I,
nd one-ffth Of the rain fail in
ermont. The character of the