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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 1902)
s 10 THE MQKNING OEEGONIAN, TUESDAY. NOVEMBER 1S: , 102. ' . ' ' ' - IRRIGATION OF ARID LANDS IS NOW A SUBJECT OF GREAT MOMENT TO THE STATE UNDER GAREY LAW Exp erience of Other Semir arid States. LOCAL STATUTES DIFFERENT That Wny Operations Under the Carey Act Have Not Been Uniform la the Several States No Call for It Repeal. The Oregonlan asked officials of some J states in the arid belt for their experi- ence with Irrigation enterprises under J the Carey law. with the particular pur- pose in view of getting matter that would . be useful as a guide to Oregon. Of j tion as to which tracts of landare en course no operations under the new law titled to the water will sooner or later have yet been entered on In any of the j arise. If the state neglects to Drovlde a states. From Idaho and Wyoming we ,' slmDfle and direct means whereby this -v"" .1. c . . auestlon crfn hfi riptprminrl until lnrire Viar-tt valnnhlo Infnrmatlnn nn the sub- ' . ject The news from Colorado is that no Irrigation enterprises under the Carey act have been undertaken Jn that state. This is significant because very large reclama tion works have been constructed there and are in successful operation. Experience with the Carey law is not the same in the several ' states', because no two states have accepted Its provi sions In the came way. In Idaho. apd other states the state provided the. ma chinery for starting operations under the law, and this local machinery was not the same in any two states. ' In Oregon no provision was made for Independent ac tion on the part of the state, all the preliminary work being left to the parties who might seek reclamation-contracts, the State Land Board being authorized to pass upon the matters submitted. In Washington the state has selected a quantity of land, but Its statutes are In such shape that capital will not under take the works necessary for reclama tion. In each of the states the matter presents peculiar features because of the varying local regulations. The same Carey act applies to all, but no two have accepted Its provisions in the pame way. Experience of Idaho. Hon. D. W. Ross, - State Engineer of Idaho, writes the following compre hensive statement of the workings of the Carey act. in that state: "We accepted the provisions of the Carey law In 1835 by enacting such legis lation as- Ave thought would supplement . the act of -Congress. Since that time the' state has applied to the Department of the Interior for the segregation from the. public domain of some 320,000 acrea The department has approved the withdrawal of about .310.000 acres. The state hr(s ..en tered Into formal contracts with com panies for the reclamation of about 63;000 acres of these lands, 2500 acres of which, tlying below a canal partly constructed ."before segregation of the lands was asked for, were thrown open to . public ntry in May, 1902. No applications for entry have as yet been made. During the -past six years about $40,000 has been spent upon the constructldn of a canal sys tem designed to Irrigate some 57,000 acres of land". The estimated cost of these works is $350,000. This is all the actual work which has been done to date under the provisions of this act Th? other projects are in various stages of promotion. The estimated cost of reclamation varied from $3 to $10" per acre, while the maximum selling price of the water rights fixed by the state varies from ?10 to $30 per acre. "It was claimed by the friends of this measure at the time of Its passage, that all that was necessary In order to re claim the Irrigable lands of the West was the co-operation of the states them selves and the enactment by" them of legislation supplementing the provisions of the National law. Like the other states, Idaho accepted the provisions of the Carey law. but did not provide for carrying out the purpose of the Congres sional act through the initiative of the state Itself, but sought instead to Inter est capital In this work of development Three agencies are thus employed in car rying out the purpose of Congress the United States, the owner of the land, the state, who has declared Its control over the water supply, and the construc tion company. The United States agrees to patent thes? lands to the state free of all cost upon condition that the state will effect their reclamation. The state'is authorized to create a lien against the land to secure the return of the actual cost of such reclamation with reasonable Interest thereon to the date of entry of the land' by the settler. Besides, the state Is authorized to sell the lands to the settler at any price it may fix. the only condition imposed by Congress being that any surplus - received . from-such sales over and above the cost of reclamation" shall be placed in a fund for the reclama tion of other lands, "The scheme.-so far .as. Congress is con. cerncd, is sound, asd had we enacted the proper legislation. I am satisfied that the greater part of our irrigable lands would by this time have been reclaimed. The Congressional act paves the way for a pian wmch might be based upon condi tions required for a safe investment by xne state, but the completeness of the scheme is questioned where the develop, ment Is to be done through the agency of private capital. ' "To undertake, the work of reclamation Itself, the state should have either crc ated a construction fund, "by direct an propriation. or guaranteeing the interest on a bond issue, to be secured by the land after its reclamation. If by direct appro prlatlon the selling price of the lands and works, would have returned to the state the original amount appropriated and pro vided for the perpetuation and gradual in crease of the reclamation fund, making the whole scheme self-supporting; if by guaranteeing the bond issue, to be se cured -by a Hen against the lands, the bonds could have been readily sold to In vestors and the state in a short time re lieved, frqm. the guarantee by the .fund which would have been created from the sale of the lands. The work could have been carried on by either of these means, and both would have been self-supporting. "The.state did not adopt either of these plans. 'but lacking faith in the value of its great resources, sought Instead to work cut the problem through the agency of private capital. Working through the agency of a third party, the plan adopted for securing the Investor is not thought to be. -complete, there being no security at all for the money expended until the works have been constructed, or. In other words, until the lands have been re claimed. The result of this is that these projects.- instead of being considered legit imate '.Investments, are classed by in vestors as 'speculative contracts. "The incompleteness of the- security is not the only feature objected to by the" would-be investor. Although we have de- clared in our constitution that the state shall exercise control of all the streams used for Irrigation, no such control lias ever been asserted. Our streams are all overapproprlated, more water having been claimed during- the past five years, than would be needed for the reclamation of all the reclalmable lands of the arid "West These claims are made -without the state's exercising any supervisory au thority whatever. The effect of the ab sence of a proper administrative system iy already proving a serious drawback In promoting some of our Carey act under takings. The state has agreed with the United States to effect the reclamation of these lands, but, falling to exercise any control over the water supply, there is no guarantee that there will be any water in some cases for that purpose by the time the works shall have been con structed. In the case of one very large project of this kind, more than 10 times the August flow of the stream has been claimed for other purposes at a point on the stream where It cannot be used again for irrigation, part of these claims being made by members of the company which is preparing to enter into a contract with the state for the reclamation of the lands. Under these circumstances. It will proba bly be Impossible to raise money for the construction of the works, and, even II they should be constructed, there might be a Question as to the right to divert the water. Whether or not the state would be able to fulfill Its contract with the Department of the Interior under weae conditions remains to be seen. de - nave an by tnc land however, la llm. Jted Under these conditions, the ques- investments of money are made in canal . . . . construction it-should not be surprising it Investors refuse to carry on this develop ment at their own risk. "These are some of the reasons why, in my judgment the results which have fol lowed theenactment of the Carey law have not come up to our expectations; but careful study of the causes which have been largely responsible for. the dis couraging results attained under the Carey law points clearly to the fact that we are just as unprepared to co-operate with the Federal Government In promot ing similar development under the pro visions of the National Irrigation law. We have not displayed much wise statesmanship-in promoting tliese undertakings. "The land, after its reclamation being worth more than it costs to reclaim it, I believe our Carey act should be amend ed so that the state itself could do the work which it has been waiting for private dnterprlse to undertake. This work could then go on in connection with Govern ment 'undertakings of a similar nature, but before we go any further in this work under any plan we should devise a sys tem for the public administration and con trol of our streams, which should be as precise and as definite as our land system.- We can give title to land by a very simple process, and investors have a per fect right to demand the same considera tion" "where the right to use the public waters is Involved, and perhaps the Fed eral Government may also demand the same consideration before investing any large amounts In the development of our resources. Carey Act in Wyoming. Governor DeForest. Richards, of Wyo mingthe home of ex-Senator Carey, "father of the Carey irrigation law writes as follows of the operation of the law in tthat state: v "In cases where those appropriating water and having lands segregated under the Carey act have been supplied with -sufficient means, energy and ability, the working of -that Jaw has been successful In. this state. "I do -not think that it would be wise, in-view of the new irrigation law passed recently by Congress, to repeal the Carey act, as both can be used in the same state without conflict " One can be applied .to such sections of" the country where . there is an abundance of water in the streams. whereas the lands Intended to be watered under the irrigation act are such as will require the construction of reservoirs or dams, in order thai the surplus and waste waters of our streams may be used in their reclamation. "In all the larger and more difficult projects under the Carey act in this state, ?10 per acre has been the maximum amount charged for water rights." No Carey Projects In Colorado. "I do not now recall a single instance in this state where any -person or cor poration has taken advantage of the Carey act," writes Governor Orman, of Colorado. HOW IT WORKS IX WYOMING. Assistant Land Commissioner Rich ards Tells About It. OREGOXIAN NEWS BUREAU, Wash ington, Nov. 17. "Reclamation of desert lands under the Carey act has, on the whole, been successful In Wyoming," said j Assistant Land Commissioner Richards, of that state, to The Oregonlan corre- j spondent today. "There has been more irrigation undertaken in Wyoming under this law than in any other state, and the J practice is continually spreading. In the j town of Cody, which is being built up by" 'Buffalo Bill.' "after whom it was ! named, there are large contracts which j have been worked out, but perhaps the I most successful work has been In what is known as the Mormon settlement A colony from Utah settled upon a con siderable tract of arid land. Each mem ber of the colony, when the contract with the state was approved, turned In and as sisted In constructing the ditches. As fast as a section of ditch was completed the water was turned In and the' lands W'ere irrigated. It was but a short time before the first crops were planted, and as the work of reclamation extended, the agricultural development followed. This contract Is nearer the ideal form of de velopment under the Carey act than any other I know of. and the results are cor respondingly more satisfactory. "It is true that no contractor in the state has yet secured full return of all the money he Invested in constructing Irrigating ditches, but this is because sufficient time has not yet elapsed. Pay ments for the water rights are made in installments, in order that the " settlers j ill may have the use of the water on easy terms, and before full payments have been made. I have no doubt however, ' but a portion of the contractors with the state will be amply repaid for their in vestments." "In Wyoming the state disposes of lands under the Carey act for 50 cents an acre. The contract price for furnish ing water ranges from 58 to ?16 an acre. This covers the cost of construction of ditches, and allows the contractor a mar gin. The great difficulty has been In get ting people on to the lands, and in this respect the Mormon colony has the ad vantage of all others. Much land now reclaimed is worth ?50 and more per acre, to my certain knowledge. "Generally speaking it is my opinion that the Carey act reclamation Is not only .practicable but profitable to the Investors, If good management Is used, and they are successful In having the lands taken up, so that thej- can dispose of all their water rights. I see no reason why there should be conflict between reclamation under this law and under the Hans-brough-Newlands law of the last session." WORK OF TODAY. (Continued from First Page.) I regret that at this time I cannot visit jr'ou again. I have asked, however, Mr. Arthur P. Davis, principal engineer of the Reclamation Service, and Mr. Charles H. Fitch, diversion engineer, to meet the association and be prepared to answer questions as far as they can. F. H. NEWELL, Chief Engineer. ALL FOR IRRIGATION Demand Comes From Every County of State, STRONG DELEGATIONS SENT Convention Promises to Be Iilvely Leading- Members Favor Working Under Both Carey and Na tional Laws. Oregon is stirred up. It calls for Irri gation. The demand comes from every county In the state. This common voice will be heard in the convention today. Last night it was heard in every hotel lobby. "Store the floods and save the forests." was the common plea. If any body wished to keep irrigation out of Ore gon he was nowhere in evidence. . The convention will meet this morning at 9 o'clock In A. O. U. W. Hall, Sec ond and Taylor streets. It will be a no table gathering. Prominent citizens from all parts of the state are In the city. So far from fighting against irrigation are they that they are contending to have the Government establish irrigation works in their own home districts. "We want our share," they cry. "Our eectlon" is just as good as the best In Oregon. Don't leave us out' Rejiresentative-elect to Congress J. N. Williamson, a member of the executive committee of the convention, arrived In .Portland last night and was at once be sieged by a . host of admirers. , H. B. Maxsqn, secretary of the National Irri gation Congress, came to represent that body. F. J. Holmes, of Salt Lake, presi dent of the Congress, and Fred Klesel, of Ogden, chairman of the executive com mittee, did not find it convenient to at tend the convention. A sure forecast of the convention Is that Its resolutions will not be Inimical to the Interests of. private companies working under the Carey law. "We want Just as many Irrigation projects as we can get," say the delegates. "We want them under both the National irrigation law and the Carey act. Oregon has mil lions and millions of acres of arid land enough for both systems for years to come. Both systems are good. Let us use both." In a choice between the two systems the convention would doubtless favor that of the Government. "But we don't have to choose," declare the delegates. "We need $11 the Irrigation we can get. We favor Government Irrigation because we can get that at cost But we shall not discourage private enterprises." The Carey. act and the National Irriga tion law are perceived to be qu(te dis junct in tneir operation, ah tnc dele gates Interviewed last night said there was "no necessity of discord between the two laws. "They don't conflict,"- asserted- H. B. Maxson, secretary of the National Irri gation Congress. "They supplement each other," sug gested the reporter. ? . - "No, not even that They don't have anything to do with each other.. They are as separate as A from Z." O. L. Miller, chairman of the Baker County delegation; spoke in the- same Vein. "We can get more Irrigation under the two systems than under one," he re marked. "And Eastern Oregon, you'll And, is all of this opinion." County Judge G. A. Hartman, chair- man of the Umatilla County Relegation, J MAP ILLUSTRATING fj DlST'N l 1 - ; -r 'g The Baker County delegation has three projecta in view for Irrigating the lands in the 'of the projects as given with the map are as follows: PROJECT 1. "Water taken from Powder River eight miles south of Baker City. Reservoir site located about two miles east of Baker City. Reservoir covers: Private lands, "OOO.acres, located from one to seven miles from Baker City. Government lands covered by reservoir, about 10,000 acres, located from 7 to 20 miles from Baker City. Landswproduce two rops of alfalfa hay, averaging five tons per acre, worth $4 and $5 per ton in the field, stacked. All " kinds of hay, grain and vegetables and fruit raised In a temperate climate grow In abundance and good quality. PROJECT 2. Water taken from Little Lookout several reservoir sites. .advocated, encouragement of private en terprises, as well as of Government "Oregon should go after the money coming to it under the National act," was his opinion. "It should also respect the rights of companies that are working unT der the Carey law." L. N. Liggett, chairman of the Crock County delegation, said that the inter ests of his county, livestock and all, de manded Irrigation. "We have no flght against Drake," said he. "If we have a bone to pick with anybody it Is with Major Sears, who has misrepresented us. He has arrayed the whole county against him by saying we don't want irrigation and railroads." Eastern Oregon has come to the con vention with strong delegations. Those of Baker, Crook, Umatilla and Malheur are particularly aggressive. These four counties alone will have over 100 dele gates In the convention. The largest delegation is that of Baker, which sends 35 of its most prominent citizens. Uma tilla is represented by about 30 delegates, Malheur by about 12, Wasco by about 15 and Crook by about 30. Baker County comes with maps and surveys of Its best areas. These are north and east of Baker WILL PRESIDE AT OREGON A. H. DEVEHS. City, and aggregate about 46,000 acres of land. The rumor has been floating around that the Irrigation companies will try to capture the convention. Any such ef fort would be ill-advised, because of the generous disposition of the delegates toward the companies. It- would he futile because of the powerful resistance it would encounter. On the other hand there are rumors that livestock inter ests will endeavor to sway the conven tion. These are denied by the persons on whom suspicion is directed. The convention will be a spirited one. It promises to be enlivened by. occasional tilts Of competing Ideas. But the outcome will be harmonious. The convention will j recommend districts in the state for Gov- I THE IRRIGATION PROJECTS Mountain watershed, Numerous 'streams arid eminent projects, so as to reapportion the $800,000 which Is due Oregon "from the rec lamation fund. The convention will be called together by A. H. Devers, president of the Ore gon Irrigation Association, under whose auspices the sessions will be held. ThaJ convention will elect new officers as pro vided in the by-laws of th.e association. Severe criticism has been heaped upon the association because of the general un derstanding that the convention would not elect Its own officers. The opponents of the convention on this account have called the organization of the association a "star chamber affair." The by-laws adopted October 16 are as follows: Section l.Thls .association shall be known as the Oregon Irrigation Association. Its dur ation shall be" perpetual and Its object shall be to advance the general welfare of the state by promoting irrigation, especially irrigation enterprises conducted under the auspices ot the United States Government. Sec. 2. All persons or. associations In accord with the object herein set forth are eligible to membership In the association. Sec. .3. The officers of this association shall IRRIGATION CONVENTION. Photo by Moore. consist of a president, a vice-president, a sec retary and a treasurer, who shall hold their offices for the period of one year and until their successors are elected and qualified; provided. that the cHlcers elected at the first meeting of this association shall hold .their offices until the second meeting of the association, which shnll be called upon the order of the presi dent. Sec. 4. The annual meeting of the associa tion shall be held annually on the first Mon day In October, at 10 A. M., at such city In the State of Oregon as shall be designated by the association at the previous annual meet ing. Sec. 5. These by-laws may be amended or repeaiea reg"'ar meeung oi me asso- ' (Concluded on Pace 11.) ADVOCATED BY THE BAKER COUNTY DELEGATION. vicinity of Baker City, which will benefit nearly 00,000 acres qf land. The statement Land located from 8 to 20 miles from Baker City, on the south side of Powder River, on the north slope of Lookout Mountain range. Nearly all Government land. Several farms irrigated from reservoirs owned by private parties show abundant crops, of alfalfa, grain and vegetables. About 30.000 acres of Government land covered by this project. Free from alkali or rock cliffs. Within easy reach of Baker City market. Good market; good roads: good soil. PROJECT 3. "Water, taken from Easle Mountain watershed. Numerous streams. Several res ervoir sites. Land located about 15 miles from Baker City. Good roads. About 10,000 acres of Government land. Several thousand acres of land now owned and Irrigated along the streams show abundant crops of hay, grain. 1 vege tables and fruit. Watershed covered- with heavy growth of, yellow pine timber. OVER IN DESCHUTES Seat of Proposed Great Irri gation Plans. WHAT COMPANIES HAVE DONE Shall the Government or Private Enterprise Continue the Work? Both Sides of the Controversy. BEND, Or. (Deschutes Valley), Nov. 14. special corresponuence.j crook coun- ty, the home of CongreBsman-elect J. N Williamson, is Intensely Interested in the question of irrigation. This Deschutes Valley Is thought by many to be in the best general situation in all Oregon for an Ideal Irrigation system. Crook County contains about 10,000 square miles, has not one foot of railroad, and a population of less than 5000 people, including the Warm Spring Indians. Outside the Cascade Re serve, Crook County contains over 6,000,000 acres of land, and the larger portion of this 13 still vacant Government domain. The county is eight times larger than Rhode Island, four times as large as Del aware, double the size of Connecticut larger than Massachusetts, New Jersey or Vermont and almost as large as Mary land. Each inhabitant has a pro rata of two entire sections. If it were as densely peopled as Rhode Island, it would have a population of 3,500,000 souls. Of the land In Crook'County 00,000 acres are arable and so located that the Deschutes River, it is believed, may be utilized to Irrigate about 300,000 acres. These facts, together with the Govern ment's favorable attitude toward the re clamation, of arid lands, and its probable desire to establish an irrigation system in Oregon, have enlisted the interest of the Crook County taxpayers as one man in the Oregon Irrigation Convention, which is to meet in Portland, November 18 and 19. The Deschntes. The Deschutes Valley, or that division under consideration in this article, is to pographically and geologically divided into two distinct portions, one known as the Walker Basin, the other as the "Des- i ert." The Deschutes River has Its main j source in a series of lakes in a large val ley to the south of the Three Sisters Mountains. The lakes are fed by sub terranean springs, and have no visible outlets, except the two which form the j which unite in Crane Prairie, and from thence flow southeast, then east, then northerly along the base of the Cascades. Coming in from the south and uniting with the main stream near where it bends northerly is Davis Creek, the outlet of Odell and Davis Lakes, and Little River, the outlet of Crescent Lake, all of these uniting in the Walker Basin. This Is properly termed a basin, having been formed by a volcanic obstruction in the original Deschutes Valley, at a point about eight miles south of Bend, consist ing of recent lava flow covering several square miles, which formed a, dam of probably 100 . feet in height and created a lake on the Upper Deschutes, many) miles in extent. The site of this lake was nbt apparently covered by the lava flow, but was an allu vial valley, with a deep clay subsoil, on which may now be found vegetable loam and alluvial deposits. During the sub mergence of this tract pumice and vol canic ashes were blown by volcanic actiOD and washed by streams into the lake, and gradually spread over the bottom of the lake to depths varying from one to 20 or j more feet. Subsequently the lake was drained by the Deschutes River, cutting through the lava obstructions, 'leavinr the Walker Basin substantially In its present condition, a practically level area, with a clay subsoil covered with pumice and volcanic ash. Anywhere in this basin water is obtained by digging down to the clay. Below this volcanic obstruction lava from a group of craters which are known as the Paulina Mountains flowed north ward at least as far as Crooked River, covering the entire valley hundreds of feet deep and extending eastward to the foothills of the Blue Mountains about Prlnevllle and eastward. This lava sheet was comparatively smooth on the surface, and the leveling hand of time has still fur ther reduced its Inequalities and filled the Interstices, crevices and valleys with the dust and debris of its own erosion, leaving, the higher points and ridges still project ing above Its general level, while beneath are vast fissures and caverns, due to ex pansion of steam and gases generated at the time of the eruption and overflow. This lava sheet, tTith Its superficial cov ering. Is what Is known as "the desert," and desert it Is. Not a dron of water can remain above the foundation uDon which it rests, and which it covers to unknown depths: This Is the bedrock of the lands proposed to be reclaimed by the Pilot Butte Development Company. Its founda tions are not built upon sand, they are lit erally upon the solid rock. In fact, ver large areas, Nature, prone as she Is to cover her deformities, has yet failed to hide her barrenness, leaving the unpro tected lava sheet still exposed to the scorn of man. NaTure, in her younger moods, cut some fantastic capers in this ancient formation. Scores of buttes, with extinct craters from 100 to 1000 feet in diameter, are grouped around "the desert" and the Deschutes Valley to the east and south, and appear as grim, mute, but eloquent, representa tives of that mysterious age of the world's history which still defies the mind of man In his effort to classify and systematize archaeological data on the basis of true science. It Is claimed by some authorities that Uiis was one of the greatest lava flows of the prehistoric world. It averages about 20 miles wide, and is about 75 miles long. It Is mostly In Crook Coiinty, and Is covered by sagebrush, chemlscl and a for est of small, scattering Juniper trees. Run ning through near the center of this des ert, from southeast to northwest, there Is an old channel, varying in width from 100 yards to a mile, and known as the river bed. For most of the way, the banks afe low and not steep, but near its mouth. 10 miles below Prlnevllle, It breaks into a deep gorge, and is lost in the Crooked River bottom. Parallel to this old channel la a series of basaltic rock-reefs rising from one to 20 feet above the common level, with lava ash and sand of various derees 0f fineness, intervening between tn stony reef3 The 0ij riVer bed is not straight, and the reefs are very tortuous, but in their general course parauei iu thi nlil river bed. The agricultural possi bilities of "The Desert" under irrigation. lt fs clajmed wm De great. The Deschutes Itlver. The Deschutes River, which is to sup ply this arid region with the major por tion of Its water supply, 13 one of the remarkable rivers of the West. As stated. Its sources are near the snow capped peaks of the Three Sisters Moun tains, Diamond Peak and Mount Thiel son, of the Cascade Range. All the branches have but little fall, with level, grassy meadow-like bottoms, bounded by dense black pine forests, with at times yellow and sugar pine for about SO miles, where, at the big meadows, all tho streams Join their waters, forming the Deschutes proper. Deep and slowly at this point Jt flows along, dammed by the most recent lava How. over wnicn it pours, bubbles, bolls and roars for three quarters of a mile; then lt reforms into a placid, limpid stream, varying In width from 100 to 300 feet wide, and from two to three feet deep; it flows rapidly to the northward for about 40 miles to its junction with Crooked River, " thence into the Columbia a few miles above The Dalles. The Deschutes- River, In the vicinity of the Walker Basin and "The Desert," has a volume of water of 350,000 Inches at its mean stage, and the variation from low to high water marks is about 12 inches. It has seldom been known to rise above 18 Inches above low water mark. On ac count of this, houses and barns are built near the water's edge, and bridges resting on trestles only a few feet above the water never wash away. This practically uniform flow makes the Deschutes an Ideal source of irrigation. This phenome non'' is essayed to be explained on various hypotheses. The most plausible is that the rainfall Is light about 10 inches an nually, and that the pumice and basaltic stones from numerous extinct craters catch up and absorb the water as it drops and slowly allow it to percolate through later. There are large areas of such sur faces hereabouts. It has been mentioned that private irri gation companies are already Interested in the Deschutes Valley. Some of these are of doubtful financial soundness, while others are known to be responsible and are acting in good faith. There are three large companies and one small one ac tually on the ground which have by sur veys, making ditches and filings on water secured what they term vested rights. It is the private corporations which have thus pioneered the Deschutes River "Valley, from an Irrigation point of view, that may stand In the way of the plan to have this section, so highly fa vored by nature, irrigated by the Gov ernment. Pilot Bntte Development Company. Of which A. M. Drake Is president and principal owner, under the Carey act, has asked for about 83.000 acre lying east of the.Deschutes River and south of Crooked River, on what is properly known as "The Desert" The entire system of canals and laterals have here been surveyed and com pleted In every detail, ready for construc tion when the company's contract with the state shall have been approved. Tho estimated cost of reclamation per acre Is about $10. The lands solected are not in a compact body, but, owing to the na ture and topography of the desert, are In a U shape, with the open end at the north and the largest compact tract at the base, or south. Between the arms of the U is an elevated, rocky, valueless tract. The soli is largely composed of disinte grated basalt and pumice; is naturally fertile and produces abundant growths of bunch grass, black sage, chemise and Juniper. Climatic conditions are favorable to the production of all cereals, vege tables, grasses and hardier fruits. The elevation being less than 3400 feet, snow seldom attains a greater depth than 12 Inches, and remains but a few weeks at a time. Stock thrives the year round on this desert without care or feed, except the native bunchgrass. Reclama tion of this tract by Irrigation would add much to the wealth of Eastern Oregon, but the general conditions are such that the undertaking must be a very expensive one. Mr. Drake's upper head gate of the Central Oregon Canal is located at the lava beds, about eight miles above Bend Postofflce, or the town of Deschutes, at Lava Island. It Is located on the west side of the river and winds about to get on grade before it recrosses the river, on the lava beds, and stretches away to the northeast, winding Its serpentine course along the eastern edge of "The Desert," and terminating In a "draw" or flat basin near Prlnevllle. It Is- to be 60 feet wide at the top and 35 miles long. This will be a very expensive ditch, as there is much fluming to be done and long distances of solid rock to cut through. His Townsite Canal (such Is the name) is taken out four miles above Bend, and Is to be flumed along the middle edge of a solid rock' bluff lor one mile and a quarter to start Thlsqanal is to be 16 miles ioug and