Arizona republican., 1914-02-24
GREAT POWER
 PLANT PLANS
Dam Higher Than Niagara Falls Termed possible i'll Grand Canyon at Cost That Might Reach to $50,000,0OO.
Special to The Republican,

Special to The Republican, TUCSON, Ariz., Feb. 2S-Man has dared not only to conceive, but to propose the building of a dam higher than Niagara Falls. It is the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River in Northern Arizona which it is pro posed to dam. The dam will be 200 feet or higher.
 It may be 900 feet high, if desired, because the canyon is a mile deep at the site, near the Fl Tovar hotel, and there is incentive, since the higher the dam the greater the amount of power that can be generated
 Because of the tremendous possi- bilities for the generation of power, the proposal is interesting, from an industrial standpoint to the entire State of Arizona. It means that cleo trical energy will be transmitted by power lines to every part of the state and the current sold at a price that will permit of the irrigation of desert lands at not to exceed $2.50 per acre a year. This will increase desert lands in value from $2 per itIt lD Alpo per tlClt.
 While irrigation projects already have brought thousands of acres un- der cultivation, power from the Grand Canyon will multiply the acre age that may profitably be culti- vated.
 That the dam is practicable from an engineering standpoint was de cided last fall by Col Epes Randolph. president of the Southern Pacific of Mexico and Arizona Eastern railroads. That it is commercially feasible he is now certain. His conclusions have been checked mp by other engineers of national reputation and found to be correct
 Col Randolph and his associates are looking into their legal rights and should no serious objections by government or state develop, they will proceed to finance the project. To do so will require from $44,000,000 to $50,000, 900 His associates are Ralph IT. Cameron, former represent ative from Arizona then a territory, in the house of representatives and Eugene s. Ives.One of the most dis tinguished lawyers of the southwest. Cameron lives in Phoenix. the state capital. Randolph and Ives live in Tucson.
 Col. Randolph will be recalled as the engineer and railroad president who went to the assistance of the Imperial Valley of California when it's inundation was threatened by the Colorado river in 1906 All that country is below sea level The river broke through it's banks and created the Salton Sea. Randolph turned it | back into it's proper channel, which carries the waters to the Gulf of California.
 Cameron has owned a homestead on the rim of the Grand Canyon since he was a boy It is at this point that the dam will be built
 It will be of concrete as most dams are now built. It will be rock-fill dam and the material will come from the walls of the canyon. It is propos- ed to detach great boulders by means of dynamite, hurling them into the stream below When it is said that boulders are to be used. boulders as big as three-story buildings are meant. They can be hurled into the stream like so many pebbles.
 While the surface of Southern Ari- Zona is so dry at most seasons that it takes seven acres to rust nail vast stores of water are found in the gravel strata at depths of from IS to 150 feet The water can be pump ed profitable at the greater depths II cheap power can be obtained.
 The soil is as fertile as any in the world and owing to the mild winters crops can be grown the year round.