Pueblo chieftain., 1921-02-08
A RED RIVER" TO TAME

government agreement and universal
consent II is not n naviGable stream
and Its waters may, therefore. be i'm
pounded and made available for both
irrigation and power.
There is an added reason in the fact
that the Colorado river occasionally
runs wild and tears up things general
~. having been tho direct cause of
many great losses in the past cspc-
cially in Its lower reaches. The pro
posed control will mako this damage
impossible In the future.
At tho two largest proposed dam
sitcs, which Mr.. Mulholland has in
spcctcd. tho side walls are already
there in towering cliffs many hundred
feet high. 1t is necessary, therefore.
to build only the cross or gate dam,
and this again is made easier by tho
material being practically all on the
site.
Mr.. MuIholland figures that he could
put in the two largest dams with COM
plctc hydroolectric machinery. for the
conversion of all available power. with
canals and distributing bitches for the
irrigated lands, for thirty million dol
lars, and that these two sites alone
would produce over six hundred thou
sand electric horsepower as well as
enough available water to irrigatc over
six hundred thousand acres. Leaving
obi VI 'll' FNASFFiN inc lui-
mensc value OF the water for irrisa-
ton, placing the cost solely on tho
power produced, this figures at $50 per
horsepower. Ask any user OF power
what this means in value. Figuring
generously for interest sinking fund
labor and replacement, the annual cost
per horsepower is so small that a mar
kct for IL is assured at once. or Ger
tainly for all OF 1t within five years.
The railroads would like this cheap
power. To the mining enterprise
scattered thru these states this power
will enable profit where there is now
a doubt. To tho municipalities and tho
small towns and their citizens It means
cheap light, heat and power. And for
tho country az n whole there will be
n vast economic saving. According To
Mr.. Mulholland's hasty figures, in re-
ply to n question, one million horse
power expressed in fuel terms. taking
power value on tho basis OF two
pounds OF coal per horsepower hour.
amounts TO tho same as tho consump-
ticn OF ono thousand tons of coal per
hour under tho very best practice.
This means that tho Colorado river,
when harncssod and put to work will
save The nation twenty-four thousand
tons OF coal per day.
Mr.. Mulhollsnd has figured on three
large and several small dams and
l'NfE tlA'r FN NH' various bNSl points
along the river and this natural ad
vantage, skilfully developed. will en-
able the best distribution of water and
tho power also. He figures that tho
whole work could be finished and put
in operation within four years.
To sum It up, tho American people
can take a desert and mako 1t one OF
tho most productive sections of tho
country aud n sure crop section. II
will give homes and farms to say fifty
to one hundred thousand American
citizens and their families IT will
take some of the burdens from tho
railroads by selling them power at
much lower cost than they can make
It. 1t will stop all floods in this sec
ton, some of which have cost mil
lions. It will enable this desolatc re
gion to produce millions every year in
direct taxes and Indirect taxes from
its trade and commerce.
1t will cost tho American people
nothing to do all this except to stand
behind IL. after all tho assets arc
pledged, and to give the bond issues
the same status as the farm loan
bonds now have.