Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-06-07
IRRIGATING WESTERN LANDS
by FREDERIC J. UAsI<,

WASHINGTON. juno 6.--There is an
overworked Southwestern saving which
tells the stranger that 'in this coun-
Try there ;.fe more cows and less milk,
more rivers and less water. and YOU can
see farther and see less than any place
on Garth" That provcrh IS I'm danger
Of going badly out of date They are
changing 1t to read that you can sec
farther and see more than any place
else in the world
The work Of the Federal Reclama-
ton Service is changing tho whole face
and appearance of the country over
stretches as big as Eastern states. II
is one or the biggest things that the
American people have ever accomplish
ed. and before il is finally finished IL
VIII be great deal bigger than il is
acres OF irrisablc land in the arid
states are put under ditch they will
be capa bic OF supporting a million fam
ilies--say 100000 people. taking the
average family as 1t is found on the
farm When YOU consider that each
such family is capable of raisi,t:
enough to support another family in
city i'll addition TO producing what
II needs for itself from the soil tho
Importance Of the work In this day OF
conEestins population is apparent.
Ii is hardly possible to comprchend
the whole work OF reclamation in a
summary, hut "a single project can be
taken as typical. There are twenty
SIN projects OF various types and sizes
irrirntins the desert to-day. The
latest and biggest to ba added to the
II &c s1.. 10. e..
ing New Mexico and Texas, which will
hc formally opened in the fall though
parts Of il arc already operating Presi-
dent Wilson will proba bly, he present
at the exercises defeating the project
10 the service OF the country.
Built Immense LIKE.
In constructing this Rio Granic pro-
jet, the biggest artificial lake in the
world was built in one OF the drycSt
of countries. II puts the famous Eng
lish Assuan Dam work in Egypt, that
long stood for the last word in recls-
nation engineering, completely in the
shade. The new Elephant Butte Dam.
at EnEle, ~ NJ. stores three gallons o!
water for every two behind the AS
suan. 1t stores three gallons of water
for every one in all the reservoirs OF
the Greater New York water system.
constructed and projected.
The Rio Graudc is one OF the half
lea, but while il looks we'll on the map.
in that part of Its course that Is en-
tirely in United States territory-be-
fore it becomes the international boGn-
diary line---it is n stream with Giscour
aging idiosyncrases. In spring. when
the mountain SHOWS melt. II comes
roaring down mile wide and plucks
up modern steel bridges by the roots.
AS the summer advances 1t dwindles
and shrinks, Just when its waters are
needed. until in very dry years. 1t re-
tires completely underground, leaving
n dry, sandy bed that can be crossed
afoot. The problem was one of catch
ing the useless spring waters AID hold
ing them until summer, when every
drop means wealth.
Now the new Elephant Butte dam
has created n lake-a lake more than
forty miles long-that the river has
not yet succeeded in filling. The stor-
age capacity is over 500, 900, 100000
gallons. In the five years work on
the big dam, the reclamation service
built a town for its workers. At times
there We're az many at LOO men en-
ployed and living on the work with
their families. The government sup
piled everything necessary for NUM-
cipal affairs from water AMI electricity
to n y. NJ. G. a. and n moving picture
show, that netted the reclamation fund
a neat profit. The town was laid out
on the latest sanitary lines, am had
one of the best health records OF the
whole Southwest
Other Great Projects.
The Elephant Butte is only one Of
the four biggest reclamation projects.
The other three are the arro"rock
Dam. In Idaho, the highest dam in tie
world; the Shoshone Dam. in Wyom-
ing, only twenty-five feet lower, ana
the Roosevelt Dam, in Arizona, that
whose successful completion marked
the solution Of some Of the toughest
engineering problems ever tackled.
These four dams will insure water sup
ply for 773,000 acres and homes for -
600 families. The land when irri-
gated will be worth $4,000. 090--a good
example OF the conservation, not to
say creation, Of national resources.
Such figures as these represent the
dry bones of the situation To appre.
ciate what the work means i'll hT-
man sense, it is necessary to see the
new towns that are sDrngin,s UP be-
low the dams. the new class OF farm
ers that is being brought into being.
The officers OF the reclamation service
enthusiastically believe that the reclaim
cd lands will produce one of the most
advanced and progressive types CT ru-
raj civilization that the world has
ever seen. Their reason for This be-
lief can DO stated in three words--jr-
rigation means cooperation.
The main ditch, or irrigation canal
supplying ali the farmers or single