Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1918-08-22
FOREST CITY. POTTER CO., SO. DAKOTA, AUG % 1918
DAMS, ELECTRICITY, IRRIGATION

lhe following article was writ
ten by Mr.. T. l.. Vars, of Nile. n.
Y, and recently printed in the
Kansas City Star. If the sugges-
tlons OF the article are practicable
in New York and other eastern
states. they most certainly are
along the arid slopes of the Mis-
souri, river.
But lnasmuch as the matter of
drainage is associated with all such
works OF plans, they can only be
carried out most economically and
successfully as community affair,
by a municipal or some other form
OF township organization.
''s'troug, durable, concrete dams.
that can withstand floods, con
slructed at a minimum cost, pos
sessing maximum strength. to
furnish power for electrical and
lrrgating purposes. are much i'm
demand. To build short dam. a
wide channel or ditch should be
! dug across the streams bed. 90 to
40 feet deep, convex up stream,
extending some distance into the
bank Fill with concrete for a
foundation upon which to build
the dam, which. above the bed of
the stream, should be reinforced
lengthwise, and from top to bed
rock, with heavy steel rods. form
ing network of same within the
dam. Floods, ice jams, contrac-
tlon and expansion caused by heat
and cold, could not destroy this
dam. People and property below
it would be safe. A long dam
could be built on this plan by put
ing in several short convex curves.
using extra posts at ends of each
curve, and filling in such concave
places, on upstream side, with
clay. gravel, dirt or riprap, the
object being to make a slant up
stream, thus t,slfif.g the water
pressure downward, toward the
center of gravity. thereby reliev
ing q part of the downstream pres
sure, which is 62.5 lbs per cuLic-ft.
'slt is not generally known that
electricity is as great a boon to the
farmer as to the city people. 1t is
fertilizer, and when applied to
plants and young animals increas-
es their growth rapidly from Is to
100 per cent. 1t is also natures
great health restorer. For irrigat
ing truck gardens, water and cleo
trlcity may both be used at the
same time. One inch tubing can
be used for posts. Smaller per-
forated tubing hung on movable
wires overhead can be charged
with electricity and filled with
water ready to be turnd on at any
time. Electricity will soon be alb
sorbd from the air.
elf people now living could re-
turn to earth hundred years
hence, they could see all machine
ry propeld by electricity and
smaller farms blooming like flower
gardens. Ali heating. lighting.
cooking, washing of clothes and
dishes, churning and scrubing in
the home will be done by electrici-
ty. Housework will be a pleasure.
Boys will stay on the farm, for the
plowlng, sowing. reaping and NOW
ing will be done by electricity.
knowledge, reason and invention
will bring about these pleasing re-
suits. People will once more re-
turn to the soil and enjoy the most
tranquil life, and thereby cheaper
farm products.
1t goes without saying, that ce-
ment, the principal item of all
concrete work. is costlier in South
Dakota than almost anywhere else
in the q. S. and that great quaint
ties of it are needed in building
such things as walls and dams.
Consequently, the rosy picture
painted by Mr.. Vars ought to make
every So. Dakota voter vote YES