The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1914-10-16


through the district. These areas in
creased in numbers and size until
1912, when practically all the land in
the low valleys of the district had
become immense swamps covered by
rushes, and many acres on the side
slopes were also made uncultivable
by ground waters rising to the sur
face by capillary attraction and bring
ing large quantities of injurious alkali.
1t was estimated that from 5000 to
| 1000 acres in the district were SER
iously affected by the rising of the
ground waters.
The rise of ground water is due to
water losses by percolation in the
canals and laterals in the district and
in the immense irrigated tracts above
the district, the slopes and porosity
of the water-bearing starta being suf-
| hcient to carry off the enormous sup
ply of ground waters.
Drainage Investigations-In the
spring of 1912 the Secretary of the
Interior authorized the Reclamation
Service to investigate the drainage
possibilities in the district as a part
of general drainage system of the
Boise project. Lines and profiles
were run up the main draws through
out the district, test pits were dug
and complete study made of the
elevations of water-bearing strata
and ground waters. 1t soon became
evident that deep open-cut drains
traversing all the main draws and
reaching we'll down into the water
bearing strata were the only feasible
method by which the ground waters
could be lowered and carried off to-
gether with surface water coming
down from the irrigated tracts above
the district. This involved the con-
struction Of approximately As miles
Of open drains varying in depth from
IL to ID feet and in bottom width
from to 10 feet with | "a to | side
slopes. This would require the ex-
cavation of approximately 100000
cubic yards of earth, the construction
of Is concrete culverts, and II timber
bridges. The estimated cost to cover
this work was placed at $4,000. This
system, it was thought, with uumer-
GUS private and community drains
leading into it, would solve the drain
age problem for the district.
Construction Work-In the spring
of 1913 the Reclamation Service en-
tered into a contract, under the pro-
visions of the Warren Act, with the
Pioneer irrigation district by which
the district purchased approximately
10000 acre-feet of stored water from
the Arrowrock Reservoir of the Boise
project and secured loan of $35O,000
for drainage. 1t was understood thar
the Reclamation Service was to en-
gineer and construct as much of the
proposed drainage system as possible
without exceeding the allotted $780,
OOO and that the district was to pay
back the above amount in 10 annual
installments without interest
In November, 1913, the Reclama-
ton Service organized an engineering
and construction force and placed two
electrically driven drag-line excava-
tors with IA cubic-yard buckets on
the drainage system and active con-
cavators working three shifts a day.
Excellent results are being secured
both as to draining out of the water
logged lands and the costs and speed
with which the work is going ahead
On July |, approximately one-third
of the work was completed and indi-
cations show that the system as out
lined will completely drain the dis
trict with very few private drains, ex-
cept the usual farm surface waste
water drains. A conservative esti-
mate of the cost based on the work
already done indicates that the sys-
tenn will be completed for approx
mately $350,000.
On July /, $4,000 cubic yards of
earth had been excavated, at an av-
erage cost of cents per cubic yard.
This figure includes labor, supplies,
power, engineering, general and adj
ministrative expense, and the COM
plete depreciation of the excavators
upon this work.
Dredge Operations-The crew nee
essary for the economical operation
of the electric drag-line excavator on
drainage in swamp land consists of
one operator at SIS per day, one oiler
at 1925, and one laborer at $3.50. The
operator is in responsible charge of
the machine and crew during his shift
and reports directly to the construc-
ton engineer.
Active competition is maintained
between the individual operators on
each machine and between the COM
bined operators on the different ma
chimes. At the end of each shift the
operator stakes the ditch completed
by him during the shift, each opera
tor having different colored stakes.
By this method the construction en-
gineer on his daily inspection can
check up the quality of the work &C
complishcd by each operator during
the day, and each operator can size up
the amount and class of work ac-
eomplished by his fellow operators.
At the end of each month an opera
tors efficiency report is compiled.
This is studied carefully by each OPP
orator and tends to put life and inter
est into the work as each nneratnr,s