The Red Cloud chief., 1921-03-31

THE primary purpose is to use all this water
and make II create wealth for the nation. There
Is, however, another purpose. The lower Col
orado has become u menace. Like other such
streams II has built for itself out of sediment
trough that is hundreds OF feet above some OF
the surrounding country. Whenever there IL
MOOD there Is danger Of breaking out OF tha'
trough. 1t did so once ten years ago and 1t re-
quired most frenzcd fight to stop It, There
Is an area In southern California as big as Della.
ware that might be submerged. The Imperial
valley might be wiped out. We must either con
troll the flow Of the Colorado or build a system OF
lcvees that must be watched and built higher
through all time If this latter project were ad'
visable from an engineering standpoint 1t would
be next to impossible of actual accomplishment
because much of the area requiring leyees is in
Mexico and international cooperation would be
difficult
1.-THE canal which now waters Imperial valley
partly through Mexico. The reclamation
service plan Is to substitute all-American canal
20 take the water out higher up, to run a ditch
at higher level that will double the area OF ir
rigable lands In Imperial valley. The dam for
this diversion is already built. 1t is the Laguna
dam, above Yuma. Already it Is dlvering water
for the irrigation Of 100000 acres In Arizona. II
the stream were regulated by storage all the
water in the river would be harnessed and all
the land available could be irrigated. The lower
Colorado would become the Nile Of America.
"Twcnty acres of land is enough for family
I'm this section so 1,0O0OO0 acres would make
homes for $4,000 families The manner of its
cultivation is intensive 1t Is the most nearly
tropical corner of the nation.
Great Electrical Power
"The electrical power developed would be very
large When this reservoir Is flled there Will he
column of water 800 feet high with the pressure
of this great artificial lake back Of 1t. A river
of water will be constantly flowing from beneath
the dam. II will have the force of that 800 feet
of pressure. 1t can be set to turning as many
turbines as it may he profitable to turn II can
be generated economically that II can be fur
nished at prices that will be surprisingly low
The only material problem will be transmission
lines 1t IS long distances to any centers Of pop
ulntion. Mines will, of course, be considerable
consumers. With cheap power new uses will de
veiop.
Every satisfactory results In power generation
have been secured at the Roosevelt dam. Th'
advantages of these projects In the Southwes
are many. Down there they irriGate summer an'
winter and so there is constant flow of wate
through the dam. At the projects further nOrti
the water runs hut part of the year There arr
no problems OF Ice none Of frozen ground. frozeI
pipes in the Southwest The electricity almos
makes itself every day in the year.
"At present we hung up on the snag o
finding the proper bedrock as a foundation 70
our dam We are boring holes In the bottom o
the river with diamond drills In search Of bed
rock We have not yet found II at the site whic
was our first choice.
"As to the cost, 1t will be large Estimates a
vet are little more than guesseS. There ar
suesses that range from S4O,O0O,0OO to S75,OOO.OO
for different designs with different assumptions
"Of course the theory Is that In the long ru
these reclamation projects cost the taxpayer moth
ing at all. The government advances the none
for building them but II Is charged up agains
the lands benefited and every cenr Is paid bac
nv those who use the water. The constructiO
money Is merely loaned to the settler to be r,
turned In installments covering period OF twent
wears Three-fourhs of the land benefited by Til
proiect Is already privately owned. The govern
ment will be asked to advance Only the none
that would he the share of the lands that ar
still owned by the Indians, Thus II will have
finance but about one-fourth OF the project Thu
the reservoir will pay for itself The land thu
II irrigates will over night be worth $500 an acr
The increased wealth and production of the Soutl
west will be an element OF profit In the futur
which will benefit the entire nation"