Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-05-12

Tulsa, Okla, May TULSA,
through the deep waterways commit
tee of the Commercial Club, headed
by L. ]. F. Roonery, is taking deep
interest in the proposition to create
a new artificial river through the
great arid plains of western South
Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Okla
homa. The plan was originated by
]. C. Hooper, president of the Citi-
zens' National Bank of Ness City,
Kan, and through him a working
force has been organized that 1t is
hoped will in the next few years lead
to definite action.
The plan in brief is to use the Pan
ANA canal machinery to dig river |
running from the Black Hills in
South Dakota to the Cimarron river
in Oklahoma, crossing other rivers
on viaducts. This, in itself, is a stu
pendous undertaking, but one that
could be accomplished. By emptying
into the Cimarron river, which in
turn pours it's waters into the Arkan-
sas just above Tulsa, the matter of
navigating the Arkansas would be
helped to a great degree, as it would
double the volume of water in that
river.
The Rocky mountains, 600 miles
west of the main channel, form the
source and west watershed terminus
. of the Missouri river, the largest and
longest tributary of the Mississippi.
Paralleling these mountains is a
broad plain 300 miles wide by 700
miles long, containing 200,0OO
square miles of the richest, deepest
soil to be found in America. The
Z seasons are right for the growing of
three-fourths of the crops used for
A the sustenance of man and beast.
: This vast area, now the home of
n the jackrabbit prairie dog and the
t prairie wolves, with it's eastern bor-
C der dotted with farms and cattle
It ranches, and the cunning American
l. pushing over its broad expanse, at
:. tempting to carve out homes, pre-
= sents a panorama only appreciated
d by those who have travelled over the
e territory.
l. Here is an empire, rich in every
o1o hot fn m a II
l. and prosperous American homes
save only water-yet the aver
:, age rainfall of Is inches, added tC
% the annual freshets of the accumu'
lated winter SHOWS that race dowr
Ia through this country on the way tc
~ the sea, carry death and destruction
70 for those who live on a half millior
acres of lowlands. If these floot
waters could be stopped in this semi
arid region and used for irrigation
chaos would be turned into order
destruction into helpfulness.
"a If a plan can be inaugurated t
hold these flood waters this vast ter
y ritory, now containing but three peo
~ pie to the square mile, now produc
ing only rough feed for cattle, woult
>" invite 25 more people to the squar,
mile from the crowded east, turl
ie hundreds of thousands of American
consumers into producers and thu
I'll reduce the high cost of living.
~ Here is a territory comparativel
level, where whole congressiona
u townships can be turned into on
40 field without the loss of an acre
Sections of land are so level tina
e. standing upon one corner a man ca
e. BE- seen on any part of the section
'c- Yet the engineers compass reveal
ne the fact that as you approach tn
ey mountains the increase in elevatio
OF is seven feet to the mile. This ris
er' in elevation, together with tn
at smooth treeless surface, conveys yer
ad rapidly the rains that fall into tn
ot small rivulets, hurrying the waite
de east on its way to death and destru'
eu ton.
RI 1t has been amply demonstrate
OF that channel improvement alone, fc
by flood prevention, is a failure; thi
dikes cannot be built high enough {
strong enough to confine the water
no to their natural channel. 1t is tim
e~ ~. to turn to something else, that i
the construction of reservoirs int