The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-03-29
VISITED MANY FORMER ]
'KATo PEOPLE INVEST
Attorney 1854. w. Schmiti
%o" Their Trip.
IRRIGATION WORK IN ARIZONA
Government Is Spending Great Deal OF
Money On Plant; Strong SENT.
ment For Taft.
From Wednesdays Daily.

From Wednesdays Daily.
Attorney and Mrs. J. w. Schmitt
returned this morning from a west
ern trip through Arizona and Cali.
fOrnia, which extended over about
three weeks. Mr.. Schmitt stated TO
The Free Press today that in his
trip the place which Interested him
most is Yuma, which he said is the
garden spot of the world. He speaks
in the most glowing terms OF the
business possibilities of Yuma and
of the fertility of the soil in the
country surrounding that city. When
they reached Yuma the roses were
in bloom and vegetation seemed well
advanced, but all through Kansas
and New Mexico there was heavier
snow than has ever been known Of
there.
Sentiment Is for Taft.
Politically the west seems to be
anti-Roosevelt and for Taft.
Mr. and Mrs. Schmitt visited in
Yuma and other points near by, and
were in Los Angeles three days.
While there they met number of
Mankato people by chance, and
among them were Alfred A. Buck,
who is with The Pasadena Daily
News; Mr. and Mrs. F. B. Kent, who
live at Hollywood, suburb; George
w. Sugden and son; Miss Nora War
ner and Mr.. Wheelock, who formerly
had china store in Mankato. They
also called on Mr.. and Mrs. L. Pat
terson, and there saw Miss Iva Pat.
terson, Mr. and Mrs. Cotton, Mr..
and Mrs. Hale, and Mrs. F. M. Cur
rier of this city. Mr.. and Mrs. Cur
rier expect to return about April 1.
Met Others from Mankato.
From Los Angeles they went up
the coast to San Francisco In San
Francisco Mr.. Schmitt met Roy Hud-
son, who was class mate in the
high school here and is now. with
the law firm of Nelson, Drew & Me
Kenzie. Mr.. Drew Of the firm is
counsel for Schmitz, the former may
or of San Francisco, who was indict-
ed for bribery.
On their return they stopped at
Sacramento, Ogden, Salt Lake City
and Denver.
While in Yuma Mr.. Schmitt met
three foreign bankers, one from
Antwerp, one from Brussels and one
from Rotterdam. The man from
| Brussels has made this trip to the
United States fifteen or sixteen times
and owns an ostrich farm near
Phoenix on which he has about
Work on Irrigation Project.
The United States government has
about 1000 men and 1000 mules at
work on their irrigation project in
the country surrounding Yuma.
About fourteen miles from Yuma on
the Colorado river the government
is building the Lagina dam. From
| there the water is taken down a
channel on the California side until
it reaches Yuma and then it is taken
under the Colorado river through
concrete syphon fourteen. feet in dia-
meter to the Arizona side of the
river The water is taken about
twenty-three miles south to the
| Mexican line The entire territory
is irrigated from this main canal.
On the table lands farther east the
water will be furnished by the cleo
trio pumps for which the power
from the large dams will be used.
eight hundred birds which are val
ued at from $500 to $500 each. They
all spoke of the wonderful irrigation
project now under way there and
are landholders there.