Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1917-07-20

Uncle Sam, by means of great irriga-
ton projects, has turned many
stretches of desert into blooming gar
dens but there is one project that
stands out particularly as an example
of what man can do toward altering
the conditions established by nature.
Along the Snake river in Southwest
Idaho there Is stretch Of territory 40
miles in length which was once bar
rem desert, but is now dotted with
green farms and prosperous, busting
towns. This metamorphosis has been
brought about by the building Of the
Minidoka dam on Snake river, but it Is
not merely the transformation that has
been wrought in the appearance of
the country by the miracle of irriga-
ton that is of chief interest. The
Minidoka project has an attraction all
it's own because Of the varieties Of
public service which the water i'm
pounded behind the dam renders.
Here Is to be found a miniature cleo
trical world. Electricity, generated at
minimum expense by water power and
sold by the government at cost, is used
almost exclusively for light, heat and
power in the five towns located in the
d -rict and also upon the several thou
sand farms scattered throughout the
project. It operates large grain ele-
vator, sugar refinery and an alfalfa
meal mill. 1t heats and ventilates
schools, churches and 50-room hotel.
1t heats and lights the farmers houses
and furnishes power for the farm ma
chinery.
Approach to Communism.
An economic unit has been created
in waste of sand and lava ash-or
rather has grown up there under the
wing of the government, the only pos
sible way it could have grown-which
represents close approach to COM
munism.
A portion of the water impounded
| by the dam enters canals and Is dis
tributed by the gravity system over
900 acres. Half of the water, in
passing over the dam creates 10000
horse power which lifts the remaining
part of the first half of the water to
| higher benches of land that otherwise
| would still be barren. Thus more than
10000 acres In all have water.
After lifting water for the extra
1900 acres, there remains power suf-
ficient to provide nearly all the essen
tials and many of the luxuries of life.
BY law the United States reclama-
ton service is required to supply wa
ter and power, when power is avail
able, at cost. Hence the charges are
low. For light, the average farmers
bill runs to about $1.25 month. For
light, ironing, washing, vacuum clean
ers and cooking, the cost in the aver
age household Is $500 month. In
winter, adequate power for heating a
8, 6 or 7-room house is obtained at
from Sc to So a month. Soft coal costs
| So ton on the project and as consid-
erably more than one ton a month is
needed for continuous heating and for
cooking, the actual money saving is
large.
Electricity Heats Schools.
In Rupert and Burley, the principal
towns, IS per cent of the buildings and
homes, large and small, are heated by
electricity. Last year Rupert com.
pleted high school housing 600 pupils
which is ventilated and heated
throughout by electric power from the
government plant. Burley has now In.
vested $4,000 in a concrete school
building, also to be heated and ven
tilated by electricity, which will house
1000 pupils.
In the Rupert school. fresh air is
drawn from the roof at the rate of 80,
coo cubic feet a minute. 1t passes
through electric coils which heat 1t tt
80 degrees Fahrenheit. Next 1t Ii
washed and humified and then reaches
a large .motor-driven blower. This
forces the air into two chambers, II
the one Of which a portion is raised t.
about 100 degrees and In the other OF
which cool air Is retained. Separate
ducts carry the air from the two cham
bers to each room In the building. Tht
ducts are connected and there are con
nections controlled by hampers, so tha
the temperature in ench room Is main
tanned at 68 degrees.