The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1917-08-30
ENGINEER Wants
IDEAS OF CITIZENS

W ulle mere, state Engineer OCTuS-
ham discussed with Col. Place the
plans that have been formulated by
the colonization department of the
Western Pacific railroad, in conjunc-
ton with different commercial bodies
of the State, to bring settlers to Ne
vada and place them upon lands with
water. The State engineer is in full
accord with the movement. and has
extended an invitation to Col. Place
and G. NJ. Levey, president of the
Western Pacific, to meet with the
State officials at Carson City with
the view of working together in the
upbuilding of agricultural Nevada
upon basis of Facts and Water"
There is no question as to the fer
tility of Nevada soil-what it needs
is the water for production. Water il
must have; and from present indica-
tions, with the interest now being
manifested by the State, the Western
Pacific. and citizens in general, water
1t is going to get.
After proving the practicability of
irrigation projects On the Truckee and
Carson rivers, the government, in CO.
operation with the state engineer. is
looking into the feasibility of conserv-
ing the surplus and flood waters of
the Humboldt river for the purpose of
reclamation of greater area of agri-
cultural and ranch land.
A party of engineers and assistants
has arrived in town to arrange for
the preliminary surveys, which will
start from the Lovelock valley at
once.
The party consists of DR.. Samuel
Fortier of Washington, D. c., chief of
the bureau of irrigation and investi-
cation for the federal government; ].
G.. Scrugham, state engineer; +. L.
Bixby, head of the local irrigation and
investigation bureau of the federal
government; Seymour Case, deputy
state engineer; F. Warren and r. A.
Allen.
DR.. Fortier expects to spend week
or ten days looking over the project
and then a force OF engineers from
the state engineers office and the
irrigation and investigation depart
ment will proceed with a survey of the
Humboldt river and its tributaries.
The expense of the survey work is to
be borne in equal proportions by the
state and the federal department of
Irrigation, the funds for which are
already available.
- H4 .orix &c
a tremendous waste of waters of the
river in seepagle and evaporation and
the present survey is for the purpose
of investigating the practicability of
various proposed storage reservoir
sites and to straighten the channel of
the river, which is very winding in its
course, and to deepen the channel in
several places.
A great deal of this work will be
done near Battle Mountain and Ar
genta, where the river bottom is of
great width and where there are nu-
merous sloughs.
After the present reconnaissance.
permanent survey crews in charge of
F. L. Bixby, of the federal bureau,
and Seymour Case. deputy state en-
gineer. will be placed in the field.
DR.. Fortier is in the engineering de-
partment of the department of agricul-
ture. which includes irrigation, drain
age, roads and rural engineer work in
general.
In speaking of the project, DR.. For
tier and State Engineer Scrugham
stated that they would be pleased to
meetlocal people and get opinions from
all interested. So far they said they
were meeting with good reception
from the ranchers and water users of
the Humboldt river. and this fact has
given them great encouragement. They
also stated that the most competent
engineers will be engaged for the
work.