The Parker post., 1915-08-21
A GREAT
PROJECT
MIGHTY COLORDO TO BE HAR-
MESSED TO DO THE WILL OF
MAN-EVEN THE AIR MUST
YIELD UP ITS SECRETS.

Inc greatest water power IN the
world is to be harnessed and made to
yield it's hundreds of thousands of
potential horsepower for the service
OF humanity.
The air is to be made to yield its
treasure of nitrogen to enrich the
farms of the United States. The
practical monopoly heretofore enjoyed
by the nitrate kings" of Chilli is to
be broken and the agriculturists OF
the world will be able to obtain the
most needed fertilizer at a reasonable
rate.
Transcontinental trains passing
through Arizona will be drawn over
the mountains by electricity and an
abundance of cheap electrical power
will be available for use in the mines
and other industries of the common
wealth.
All these things are expected to
follow the grant to James B. Grand
of permit to deveolp 100000 horse
power just below the Grand Canyon
Of the Colorado. The permit for the
preliminary work has issued from the
department OF the interior and been
received in Phoenix.
Speaking of the project, Girand
said: when the tourist stands awe
stricken on the rim of the Grand
Canyon gazing into it's labyrinthine
depths, ne little realizes that the slim
silver stream of water mile below
him is capable of developing a greatei
horsepower than is being used today
throughout the entire United States
and that this power can be counted
| literally IN millions,
None the less, the exact fact is as
| ] have stated This tremendous
source Of power has, fol ages, wasted
it's energies n cutting for itself a
channel deeper ard deeper into the
rock-bound earth.
THE Colorado has a higher water
shed and. therefore, greater ia
| than any other river on the North
American continent. The United
| States geological survey has kept ac,
| curate records of the flow for many
years and it has been determined
that the mean daily discharge is the
| total of 5000 second feet.
When the river emerges from the
canyon proper it has an elevation of
1000 feet above sea level. 1t would
be entirely possible to build series
! Of dams stretching along the stream
at intervals away up into Utah and
Wyoming and the entire effective
head could be utilized. Possibly some
day this will be done and, when that
day comes, there will be added to the
wealth of the nation 100000 horse
power OF energy, that, today, is rum
ming to absolute waste.
Compared with this source Of
power, Niagara and the Mississippi
become insignificant; it remains only
to harness the turbulent stream and
to compel it to yield it's treasures for
the use OF mankind.
AS far back as 1898 / began inves-
LEGATIONS looking to the development
of this power, and, later, I spent two
and one-half years at the bottom of
the canyon making measurements and
surveys. On account of the hostile
attitude OF the administration then
in power, l was compelled to remove
my explorations further to the west
and finally my search was rewarded
by the discovery of a series of dam
locations even more favorable than
those at first examined. This loca-
tion lies Immediately north of Peach
| Springs station on the Santa Fe rail
road, the distance being but twenty
two and one-half miles. Incidentally
this point is the only place where
there is easy access to the river in a
distance of 210 miles.
AT Diamond creek l propose to
build the first dam which will de-
velop $4,000 horsepower. Five others
are planned with a total output of
400, 900 horsepower. These dams will
be of my own plan, based on the
'multi-arch' principle which alone is
capable of withstanding the tremen-
dous floods which have made the
Colorado so famous or, from the
engineering standpoint, so infamous
The principle of these dams is that
! they are built like great honeycombs
every cell of which can be opened UP
in time of flood and the torrent al
lowed TO pass through and over the