White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1922-05-14
SCRUCHAM MAKES PLEA
FOR BOULDER PROJECT

house last Thursday night under the
auspices OF the Ely Chamber Of Com
merce Colonel J. G. Scrugham, state
engineer and member Of the Colo
RADIO river commission, spoke for
little more than half an hour but
during that time he held the closest
attention OF the large audience which
! filled the district court room and lis
tened most attentively while the Ne
vada official outlined in concise but
convincing manner the mary adyan-
tages to be gained through Lha Boul-
der canyon dam project.
The speaker was introduced by At
| torney J. M. Lockhart, VINO after re-
ferring in a general way to achieve
ments due to progressive men in the
state of Nevada, which. he Said. while
enjoying perhaps less population to
| the square mile than any other state
in the Union, whenever called upon
for money or men went over the ton
F., with a rush that was astonishing.
Then Mr.. Lockhart referred TO Col
onel Scrugham as one of tie most
| foremost, progressive men in the
great state and to whose individual
efforts so much of the rapid progress
made could be attributed.
Colonel Scrugham lost no time i'm
getting to the main point ard refer
ring to the many advantages to be
gained by impounding. told of sor.e
of the difficulties encountered and
the work which had already been
done, said that the first step TO be
taken naturally was the determina-
| tion Of prior rights, which was neces-
sary III order TO ascertain what sur
plus was available. He compared ii
to the matter of bookkeeping in any
well-Iegulated establishment and
said that no business man would at
tempt to branch out without first
striking balance and thereby ascer-
tanning what surplus, IL any, he had.
That the state engineer said, had
J been done and he told of the nrmer-
Gus cases which had been adiudicat-
ed The Boulder canyon dam prof
ect, he further said, was not an en-
cheering problem, because Ii had
passed that stage. He referred to 1t
as perhaps the greatest power site
in the world and drew attention to
the fact that it was situated only
about 200 miles from the county seat
of White Pine county.
In order to solve all problem5. said
Colonel Scrugham. we must first as
certain what we can produce and
then find market for the product.
He rounded this out by showing how
on that basis the question of employ
ment of citizens could be solved, and
in referring to the steps necessary
to be taken in finding market for
the immense amount of power which
can be produced from the Colorado
river in Boulder canyon he said that
1t was in such matters organizations
like the Chamber of Commerce could
accomplish the greatest good for the
citizens of the community which the
civic body represents. Calling atten-
tion to the great mineral resources OF
this state and the wealth produced
from the ground. Colonel Scrlgham
said that the question of water and
water power was one that must be
faced at once. Coal mines ami other
mines may be exhausted but water Is
permanent.
BY way of advantages TO be gained
i'm White Pine county the speaker
referred TO the refining of copper.
which is now done by electric process
in the great -efineries at Perth Am
boy. " j.. and Baltimore. Md lie
Sdtu tHdl 21dndkCI isdhCudH
of the Nevada Consolidated Copper
Company had furnished him figures
which were of great value. Would
you like to have such great refineries
right here in your county. asked Col
onel Scrugham If so. ii is up tn
You To do your part and assist the
officials by gathering for them such
information as may be possible as to
the market YOU have and Will pro-
vide The people, he said. get ex-
actly the kind of government they
deserve. and by all working In La--
mony the greatest advantages are Oh
tanned.
The money being available and the
engineering problems having been
solved. 1t is now sluarely up TO tho
people OF Nevada to show market
for the power in the various lines.
The mining industry in this county
could use about 10000 horsepower.
and IL the matter Is given due con-
sideration there is no doubt In the
world but that an enormous amount
of power could be profitably used "
agricultural and other lines for the
driving of machinery such as is used
In the thrashing of crops and hand
ling them from the field to the barn.
II
The pumping of water, by which
so many thousands of acres OF lani
could be irrigated and put under cul-
| tivation by the use of electric power
when produced on such large scale
as to put il on the market within the
reach of all for hundreds of miles
around the great power site Is a most
important factor. The city of Los An
geles, the state engineer said was in
terested in the project and 1t was up
to the citizens of Nevada to find the
market for the product which lies
right at their door.
BY use of power furnished from
the Colorado river, through the Boul-
der canyon dam project, water pump
ed on now arid land will quickly turn
that land into waving green fields,
dotted here and there with fruit
trees, plants anG flowers. while the
homes of the ranchers will be lighted
| by electricity and the housewife will
have the heavy burden taken from