The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-11-17
STATES GREATEST
DRAINAGE PROJECT
100000 Acres of Land VIII
Be Opened to Cultivation
On MattamuSkeet
Or. r.. COTTEN.l

TX. X.
The approaching meeting e- 49,,
n. c. Drainage Association calls IF
tentlon 10 the various enterprises
active in the State for recl3 ~
lands too wet to justify c~ultivat.-
which lands there are in tn (
nearly three million acres. maxim -.
subject OF drainage of great ra}.a ~.
an agricultural people. The
stupendous and important If a..
drainage projects now in active ur.r-
ress IN the State is the dralnlna
Lake Mattamuskeet, in HYDE c..r-.
The lake is a shallow body Of v,ers-
hfteen miles long, from six TO seven
miles wide and only five and one-rel-
feet deep at its deepest point. T9a
area OF the lake n adjacent land has
been made into a drainage district and
the work is progressing rapidly. TINS
drainage district is the outcome Of Al
investigation m report made hv m.
Agricultural Department at Washing.
ton some six or seven years ago. TIE
report showed that the surface uf ina
lake was about two feet above sea
level, that the lowest point in the bot
tom Of the lax was only about three
feet below sea level, and that the soil
at the lake bottom is composed Of verv
fertile sandy lOam. This report also
suggested a plan of drainage which
called for a very large pumping plant
on the edge Of the lake, a system #
bitches which would take all the water
in the district to this pumping plant
and an outfall canal to convey tie
pumpe water to the sea. The coUn-
try about the lake is very fertile and
when under cultivation and reason
ably we'll drained is now worth from
500 to $175 per acre. III forming the
drainage district $4,000 acres Of land
surrounding the lake was taken into
the district in addition to the lake
bed, which covers SO, 600 acres, maxi
ing a total Of 100, 900 acres in the dis
trict. The formation of this district
was completed by special enactment
of the State Legislature about four
years ago, and the State then sold tho
lake bed to the Southern and Recld-
nation Company, and the proceeds K
this sale went to the educational fund
of the State. The drainage district IS
sued and sold bonds for 100000 10
provide money with which TO develop
the district. Three-fourths of the
bonds are taxed against the lake bed
and ~One-fOurth against the property
in the district outside the lake. This
means a total tax of $500 600 against
100000 acres or an average OF NE
dollars per acre.
A contract was let TO ar s;hnoIs
company covering the dredging, which
is to cost about ~$27O. 900, and another
for the pumping plant, which Is 20
cost s2O5,OO0. Four floating dredges
were built specially for this work and
began operations in h spring q
1914. The outfall canal leading from
the lake to the sea-a great dltch
seventy feet wide and deep enough fof
transportation purposes, is completed
and h four dredges are at "oTh N
the lake.
The pumping plant will be started
Immediately and will be competed IN
six months. 1t will be the finest ana
largest pumping plant in the "oriu
devoted to reclamation purposes u
will be composed of four great 81
gines Of 500 horse power each. "hleh
[ will give power to eight tremenuo1
centrifugal pumps capable q manu-
ling 1000 cubic feet of water a secoEu.
5 The Importance and value OF ,h+,,
reclamation work may be estlIna1s'
, by comparison with other dram
accomplishments. In Holland lht
l HARLEM Lake was drained by IN
government. This lake was not y.
large as Mattamuskeet and yet TO-
16, 900 people live in this old lake %
and it is one of the most fertiie az
: prosperous districts in Holland.
l 1t is the intention OF the SoIt"et-
Land Reclamation Company, "h@+
/. the water is pumped out Of Lake M
tamuskeet, to divide the lake bed !hl'
farms and sell those farms al 10Y
prices and on easy terms. Efforts "
be made to locate there one OF "a
most progressive n proSptiO
farming communities in the Wor--
e and the people of North Carolina W
be given the opportunity TO tdh
t choice of this land before any o. y
offered to others. A demonslrat1l
d farm is now being established IN ~
n lake bed. A tract Of twenty acrt9 -
ing under the waters Of the lake 10
O been dyked off and IS now beng dlIe.'
a ed. A drain pump is being place. "
h edge of this land. The Wal"I "
Y be kept pumped out and this land u
be planted to various crops IN IN
coming season to show how wore
fully fertile and productive this lar
bottom is. This will demonstrate -
prove the feasibility Of the "hr-
q drainage plan, infuse new ylgor al
activity into the agriculture OF :.
IS fertile county of Hyde, and stinl-1a'