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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1910)
THE MORNING OREGOMAX, SATURDAY. JANUARY 1, 1910. WATER POWER OF DESCHUTES RIVER GIGANTIC Development of Energy, After Railroads Are Built and Irrigation Cared For, Would Represent Investment of $100,000,000 By J. C. Stevens. Trtstrict Engineer, United States Ideological Survey. Member of Oregon Conservation Committee. OUR rivers would serve us best if they were uniformly flowing streams, if their drainage area could absorb sufficient water to bridge entirely over the inequalities of rainr fall and give us a continuous rate of flow. Then the improvement of inland waterways would be comparatively easy, irrigation of all contiguous lands would be simple, and every river would be a water-power stream. Unfortunate ly for us, this condition i3 seldom real ized, and but very few streams have this duality to any marked degree. AVe are. therefore, required in certain cases partially to remedy the direct by the construction of storage reservoirs. Under present-day conditions, the valuf of a. river for water power is di rectly measured by the volume of wa ter it carries at its minimum stage. When, however, we do find a stream that possesses the unusual qualifica tions of uniformity of flow, its value as an industrial factor over rivers without it is almost incalculable. Deschutes River possesses this qual ity to a greater degree, I think, than any stream of its size in America. Or dinary storms do not affect it to a no ticeable extent, and only when a' large snowfall on frozen ground is suddenly melted by Chinook wind and heavy rain does the river respond. On Thanks giving day of the present year the newspapers of the state heralded an unprecedented 'flood" of 18 inches at Bend. Just think 18 inches! Wil lamette River at Portland must rise 18 feet before it reached the danger mark. This remarkable uniformity of flow of Deschutes River is readily account ed for. The rocks of the territory are lava flows, with a preponderance of scoria, or "spong rock." the solidified froth and foam on molten rock that welled up from subterranean depths during early peologic time. This por ous lava has disintegrated- Into a pum ice soil that absorbs water like' a eponge. and allows it to Alter gradu ally into the river beds. No artificial control can be half so perfect. The Federal Government is spending $6,000,000 in constructing reservoirs on the headwaters of Yakima River, in Washington, merely to render the flow of that river a little -more uniform. Kven after the Government's work there is finished, the controlling sys tem will not compare in point of per fection with the system nature has pro vided on Deschutes River. You have noticed the little spring that gushes from the side of the hill? Winter and Summer it flows the same. Well. Des chutes River Is merely a big spring, nothing more. It drains o-ver-"9000 square miles of land surface, is 224 miles long and drops a vertical height of 4840 feet In that distance. Its flood discharge at Bend is only three times Its minimum flow. The flood discharge of Willamette River is 65 times, and of Takima River 200 times, the minimum. On account of these remarkable prop erties and the strategic position .t holds as an entering route for railroads to that great field of undeveloped re- sources. Central Oregon, this river has been a fruitful source f contention within the past few months, and pub lic interest In the situation has been exceptionally keen. Two masters of railway finance, James J. Hill and the late Edward H.. Harriman, contended by Held stratagem and through the ma chinery of the courts for this valuable right of way. The conservationists of the country have been greatly exer cised over the possible loss of water powers that would attend the construc tion of railroads on a low-water grade. The Central Oregonian has been in a frame of mind to "chuck" all the wa ter powers on Deschutes or any other river if he could only get a railroad. But now affairs appear to be shaping themselves satisfactorily to all con cerned, and the present outlook is very DESCHUTES LINES WILL TAP KLAMATH REGION IN SOUTHERN PART OF STATE Vast Timber Belt Near California Line, Fine Stock Country, and Irrigated Farm Land Will Be Penetrated by Hill and Harriman Railroads Now Under Construction.. By Frank Ira White. TRANSPORTATION is the essential to commercial greatness in Ore gon at this time, as it is in every other part of America. Kind and qual ity are quite as Important in this com modity of modern business as in other affairs, and the trade center of South eastern Oregon that experienced the sensation or having its first railroad in 1903 Is to become a center of activ ity for two railroads during 1910. Klamath Falls occupies a location that marked it a place where homes of men would be established and marts of trade thrive, even before the coming of the pioneer, for it Is at the only point outh of the Columbia River where the waters that drain from Eastern Ore gon find a direct outlet to the sea. and where the water gradients form passes between the coast and the interior, as well as "between the north" and the outh. Latent wealth abounds in mag nificent forests of the mountain, rich verdure of the valleys, and fertility of oil. There was a time when railroads wer built at the whim of men who kjiew only 'the promoters' spirit of rail road building, but that day is happily past, and the master minds of the rail road world direct construction of lines where the best grades can be found, the greatest traffic originated, combin ing low cost of operation with large earning power. When James J. Hill built the North Bank Road it was to secure the water grade route to the nearest point where train might meet ship for exchange of cargo Portland. That certain logic of railroading that has made the name of Hill synonymous with successful opera tion assured that feeders would soon reach south from the Columbia River to tap the rich traffic of Southern Ore gon for the long haul to Eastern mar kets of the Great Northern-Northern Pacific-Burlington lines. Closely allied with the Hill railroads are the far sighted timbermen who have amassed millions In converting the forests of tiie great Northwest into merchantable products. These same men have come nr-ross the Rockies from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, to the timber sections of Washington and then into the Foft pine timber east of the summit of the Ca.s.-iidcs. There is a belt of timber extending from Wasco County across Oregon, and to the southeast of Siiasta in Northern California, that is- without equal in quality or quantity in any other forest of the continent. The value of the Klamath County portion alone is of almost staggering proportions, for it covers upwards of 3500 square miles, shout one-thirty-second of the area of the St.ue of OreRon. Its stumpago ' value at present moderate prices would approximate $40,000,000, and ils value v v. S e TT" -1 I 1 I I I J 7oo -C JJ ! toe S -QS. V .TTJO q V A i r J) iS AGO Vl I t 3 A 5 b 7 L ATER PUWF.it DIMS ON DESCHl'TES RIVER, SHOWING ELBVATIOX gratifying indeed. The net results are: The railroads for Central Oregon "a consummation devoutly to be wished": there is water power enough left to supply all the Pacific' Northwest, and the conservationist is satisfied at least he ought to be. The physical features that govern, water powers are (1) the quantity of water available at the minimum stage of the' river, and (2) the vertical height through which this water can be dropped. The commercial feature that governs is the market for this power when developed. Evidently the physi-. cal features may be ever so favorable, yet the power be without value. The water power on Deschutes and other rivers of Central Oregon are today without value, tomorrow they may be worth millions, our industrial progress is so rapid.. Without transportation facilities the great resources of this neglected area have lain dormant. Of what profit is it to raise wheat, or irrigate lands, or mine ores, or cut lumber, if the prod ucts cannot be taken to market? How can power plants be built if machinery and materials cannot be taken to the power sites? Heretofore only sheep and horses and cattle have been prof itable, for they are provided with means of transportation. But this In dustry does not tend to increase a coun try's population .or develop Its re sources. Therefore these great water powers have been without value, and today their value is only potential based on prospects. The' wisest conservation policy thct can be adopted with reference to this enormous aggregation of water power is. therefore, one that allows a sane and reasonable adjustment between the commercial desire to hold for private or corporate exploitation and the ex tremists' desire to preserve in public ownersiiin for future generations. With this in mind, a study has been made along three lines. 1. What amount of water-power orig inally existed on Deschutes River be fore the territory was. settled? 2. How much will this power be re duced by the construction of railroads and what increased value will attach to that remaining by reason thereof?" 3. What effect will irrigation, when fully developed, have on the power sit uation both, as to re'duclng-the amount and as to furnishing increased market facilities for that remaining? In answering the first question, only physical features are Involved. The river and its- tributaries have been considered in sections of from two to 20 miles each. The total fall and the quantity of water available at the average minimum stage determines the theoretical amount of en ergy. One cubic foot of water per sec ond falling 8.8 feet develops one theoreti cal horsepower, which expresses the rate in the market will be 10 times as great. Sawmills are now established, and others projected to begin the gigan tic Industrial task of converting this timber into lumber. It will be largely" devoted to the manufacture of boxes in the early stages of the industry, and in sending the select grades for use in building homes and for finishing work in the building era that is present throughout the Western states from the Mississippi Valley to the Pacific Coast. With mills cutting half a mil lion feet of lumber each day, it would require more than a century to de plete the forests of Klamath County. More than 21.000 acres of Irrigated lands produced crops In the season of 1909, and prolific yields of grain crops afforded considerable tonnage for ship ment to outside markets, notwith standing a tremendous local consump tion and no old stock of grain on hand. This producing area will be increased with great rapidity as the land is cleared and put into crop, the canal system now being to the point where the United States Reclamation Service can prosecute work of extending the canals with celerity to furnish water when the land Is ready. Lack of trans portation until the past Summer has been the obstacle to placing settlers on Klamath Basin lands, and there is every reason to believe that more new boines will be established In this proj ect during 1910 than have been found ed in all the previous years since it became known that the reclamation work would be accomplished. There was a total production of all grain crops that approximated 600.000 bush els for the season of 1909 wheat, bar ley and oats chiefly, with some rye and spelts. It may be anticipated that next year will probably record more than a half million bushels of wheat alone for this district. ind that this will steadily- increase for several years. When the lands of the reclamation dis trict are brought under Irrigation, it Is not unreasonable to expect that this district alone will attain a production of not less than 3.000,000 bushels of wheat annually, ' with as much more from the dry farming sections of the county. Keeping pace with grain pro duction will be the growth of forage crops, easily first in value and tonnage at the present time, and in which this portion of Oregon is unsurpassed. There is a strong demand and ever open market for whatever excess of alfalfa, timothy and other forage crops may be ready for shipment to the cities of Portland and San Francisco. Livestock has been the sole market product of the great Interior region that has been without shipping: facili ties until the present. Cattle and sheep drtven overland to the distant shipping points represented the chief revenue of the region where wealth has been accumulated by hundreds of shrewd men inured to out-of-door life and who have found no hardship in the life of the range. More recently this Industry a 9 to II " iJ I' a c ve o -fi uii-i-f 1 1 h' m 3o". y W.tlarrmf ' WATER 1HVER OP OREGON RIVEltS COMPARED WITH THAT OF MI AGAR A FALLS, at which the energy is developed. This theoretical energy has been reduced 30 per cent because It is not possible to. utilize more than SO per cent of the to tal fall and only about 80 per cent of the theoretical power can be -realized on water wheels. The following condensed tabular statement gives the result of this study: Original amount of waterpower in Deschutes drainage area at th mini mum stage: Horsepower. Desfhutes. from prcscent Lake to Bend -. Deschutes, from Bend to Tvout Creek . . . "Deschutes., from Trout Creek to Columbia River Davis Creek Wot Fork, from Lake to Davis Creek Tumalo Creek Squaw Creek Crooked Uiver . . . Melolius River Warm Springs River White River Minor tributaries . 60.SOO 486.000 404.000 :t.0uf) 11.. -.AO .".UO0 13.7O0 8.000 77.2iX 18.400 21,000 0.000 Total '.1.115. 000 has undergone the gradual change from direct from range to market practice to that of feeding for a time In the al falfa fields and lots of the valley farms before sending the stock on to the packing-houses. Stockfeeding is rapidly developing into one of the big branches of the in dustries of the farm?r and thousands of head will be topped off on alfalfa, combined with rations of beets or grain, or both In cases where it may be found necessary. I.amb-feeding is as certain to become a great industry bere as it has :n other districts with similar conditions. Thousands of head of lambs will be brought from the great range regions of Lake, Klamath and Crook Counties, fattened here for the packing-houses of Portland and San Francisco. Hogs can be grown on a 1 faifa at a cost per hundredweight low er than on any other feed. Klamath Valley lands will easily raise ten head of pigs to the acre to a weight of 100 to 150 pounds at six months old. and these pigs csn be put Into market af ter a short period of feeding with a ration of grain at weights from 160 to 200 pounds, in prime condition. Klam ath Bn.stn will unquestionably become one of the sources of supply to which the Portland packing-houses will look for hogs. T7nusual circumstances combined to make Klamath Falls attractive to the Southern Pacific ss a division point and location for extensive shops. Its situation on the route of easiest gra dients between San Francisco and Portland and the economic necessity of building a new line that would evade the heavy grades of the Siskiyou Moun tains Just north of the California-Oregon line, the troubles of Cow Creek Canyon, and other equally expensive portions of the present line, were com pelling forces for an alternative route. The tremendous traffic of the Klamath timber region, coupled with the certain production of tonnage from agricul tural lands that could be pretty certainly approximated, was a local incentive of no small influence. While it was the Southern Pacific system that was first active in actual construction work, the field was being carefully Investigated and as earnestly mapped by the great rival system head ed by James J. Hill. Although not quite so early in displaying evidence of a purpose to share this traffic, it was none the less positive and determined long before the public became apprised of the fact, when the forces of the rival lines clashed In Deschutes Canyon. The advance of Hill Interests came with the advent of the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company in 1905, followed by other al lied timbermen, whose interests in Klamath County have mounted into many millions of Investment in timber lands, and whose great mills will be located on Upper Klamath Lake and throughout the great timber region, withjthe Hill railroad finding a route of easy gradients, developing other new El o. t . C . . . , j, rrJ r ' IB " PO 1 2 Z3 ZA, S3 E6 87 of DescAtyeji fR i s e i OP RAILROAD GRADES ORECON TBCSK SHOWN BY BROKEN UKB, DESC WATER POWER OREGON "From this table we see that today the' total energy or the Deschutes sys tem reaches the enormous figure -ef 1. 115.000 horsepower. Only by comparison can we arrive at an adequate conception of the amount of energy here represented. For this purpose the accompanying dia gram is usel'u' It compares the power on Deschute-j P.iver with other streams and recogi.ized power sites in Ore gon and with that developed and tinder construction at Niagara Falls. A faint conception is also conveyed by the fact that all developed water powers in Oregon. Washington and Idaho today do not exceed 150,000 horsepower, or only about one-seventh of this amount. This enormous energy is today expending itself in wearing down the hills and mountains of the drainage area and has had no value unless it be that as an agent in carving a canyon through whtch railroads may be built to develop the country be yond. It is comparatively, simple to obtain a fairly reliable answer to the first part districts even though closely parallel ing the Harriman sj-stem line. The en trance to Klamath Falls has not yet been definitely fixed. The Southern Pacific has acquired 55 acres of land adjacent to the depot yards for shop and roundhouse pur poses. That extensive car shops will be built is conjectured, but with the usual demeanor of -railroad officials, no promises are being made, and plans of improvement are being worked out with out publicity. It is understood that work will begin on certain of these division shop buildings early next Spring. The plant of the Long Lake Lumber Company, situated on tiie Upper Lake,s Is reached by a spur from the main line to the north. Thij plant is already in operation, and has TSontracted its en tire output to a box factory located near, that is shipping all of its product to the citrus fruit growers of South ern California. The Meadow Lake Lum ber Company is preparing to install a new plant about five miles from Klam ath Kails, east of the city, and has contracted its entire cut for five years to a company that will erect a box factory near the depot and on the track, where the lumber will be converted into shocks and shipped to California. Ackley Bros, have a large plant : on J-ake Ewauna. within the city limits, and the big plant of S. and R. S. "Moore is situated on the west side of LI nl: River, just at the upper end of I-ake Ewauna. There are a number of other plants scattered at various points, largely engaged in cutting tim ber for local use. The Weed Lumber Company, with its main plant at Weed, the connecting point of the Klamath branch and wharis now the Southern Pacific main line, is handling Its logs over the Klamath Kails line, and is a big factor in the lumbering develop ment of the entire region. Navigable waters of the Klamath Basin also form an important link in local movement of traffic, as well as being valuable aids to the railroads in bringing the products to the cars at some points. Upper Klamath Lake is the largest body of navigable fresh water west of the Rockv Mountains in the United States. It is fed by moun tain streams and countless great, springs that, burst from the earth around its shore line. Williamson Riv er. Sprague River and Wood River are the larger streams that drain its basin, and its outlet is through Link River to Lake Ewauna and tiie Klamath River. There are a number of power propelled craft on Upper Klamath Lake and several steamboats of considerable tonnage that find employment In car rying passengers and freight and tow ing service. Incidentally, this is one of the most delightful of Summer boat ing lakes, its waters abounding in fish and wild game haunting its bordering forests and valleys. The Klamath River is navigable from Lake Ewauna. at Klamath Falls, to Keno. a distance of 22 miles. Lower Klamath Lake is also navigable, and was reached through the Klamath Riv er, until the construction of the South ern Pacific Railroad, which closed the channel. Likewise, Tule Lake is navi gable for craft of considerable draught. But the reclamation of Lower Klamath and Tule Lake will terminate naviga tion of these two bodies of water, un less they be navigated through a svs tem of drainage channels, such as might be cut through the swamp lands. la e9 SO 31 v7 '. it 33 3A 33 36 31 of the next question. How' much will this power be reduced by the construc tion of railroads? Quite contrary to the popular conception, the railroad, strict ly speaking, does not destroy any water power at all. It simply changes the man ner of development. The canyon of Des chutes River lends itself admirably to development under low heads using the large volume of water available. The canyon is narrow., the sides precipitous and composed largely of basaltic rock. Every section is a dam site. Thus it is physically possible by a succession of dams to -"develop practically the entire head from Cline Falls to the mouth of the river, a distance of 134 miles. Of course, this method Is not possible if railroads are built in the bottom of the canyon, for the tracks would be submerged. Two alternatives present themselves: 1) to build the railroads on the canyon sides above the possible height of dams, "or (2) to adopt the method of develop ment by means of flumes or pipe lines along the sides of "the canyon. The first greatly increases the expense of railroad construction, the second that of power development. What has actually hap pened is this: Both railroads, one on each bank of the river, have elevated their tracks at three distinct points in the lower 40 miles of river to permit the erection of three dams. 1 two miles above the mouth known as Moody's dam, (2) at the Government dam site, 20 miles above the mouth and (3) at Sherar's bridge, 40 miles above the mouth. These three dams will ultimately develop' 139, 000 horsepower. The elevation of the tracks will cost both, lines about one and one-half million dollars more than a low line would have cost. Below each by rea son of railroad grade requirements it will be possible to build other dams, from 20 to 40 feet in height, by which 37,200 additional horsepower can be developed. At intermediate points and along the 40 mile stretch from Sherar's bridge, to the mouth of Trout Creek, near which latter point both railroads leave the Deschutes canyon, the method of flume or pressure pipe construction will have to be fol lowed. Above Trout Creek as far as Cline Jalls the river is in its primeval state and 390,500 horsepower can be de veloped here whenever future conditions require. With reasonable allowances for the fact that flumes and pressure pipes cannot be economically made to carry large vol umes of water, the following condensed table shows that in the aggregate 824, 200 horsepower will b left in Deschutes River after present railroad construction is complete and that 190,800 horsepower has been sacrificed between Trout Creek and Columbia River for the sake of a railroad. Water-power remaining in Deschutes INDICATIONS OF OIL ARE DISCOVERED AND WELLS ARE NOW BEING BORED Prospecting Is Going On in PROMISINqS indications of oil are found in several localities of Central Oregon. An expensive outfit is now drill ing for oil near Dufur. the lermiuus of the Great Southern Railway, which ex tends from The Dalles and for a distance Into the interior. Several wells are being drilled in the vicinity of Vale In Malheur County, and another outfit is at work a few miles southeast of Madras. In the Madras country a dozen wells sunk for water have yielded water unfit for. use because of the petroleum that comes with it. The drillers near Madras assert that they now have one well that produces two barrels of oil a day. Tn Harney County, on the shores of Malheur Lake, natural gas has been tapped at a depth of S30 feel and appar ently In considerable' volume. The gas chamber was encountered in drilling for water and when the drill pierced the chamber, tools were blown out and the hole blocked. The firm of Howell & Jones, owning a large acreage on the shores of the lake WMlliam Hauler, the big stockman of Harney County, and several Burns citi zens, it is reported, will organise a com pany for the purpose of prospecting thoroughly for oil and gas in that vicin ity. It will not be a stock-selling Foheme. but the capital will be sub scribed by the oraanisers of the company. FEDERAL CANALS SERVE LARGE AREAS Thirty-Five Thousand Acres Are Now Watered by Completed Ditches of Umatilla and Klamath Projects. Upon Which Only Beginning Has Been Made. IN OREGON, outside of the central po-tlon of. the state now experienc ing, the impetus of forthcoming rail way development, the Federal Gov ernment has two Important irrigation projects. One of these Is the Umatilla project, on which has been expended about 500,000 and which has provided water for, 20,000 acres of rich and fertile landj, now settled. In Klamath County, the Government has undertaken to reclaim 190,000 acres of arid lands. There are two divisions in this pnoject. One provides for the impounding of the flow of Lost River and the irrigation of several small valleys. For the other division water is to be taken from Upper Klamath Lake, while Tule Lake and Lower Klamath Lake are to be drained and their a-ea added to the dry lands that will fall within the scope of the project. The sum of $2,000,000 has already been ap Sherars Dam 60 ft high 27fiOy Horsepomr. 3 39 AO AS A3 AA 3 AO A-7 HUTES ROAD BY CONTINUOUS LnE drainage area at the minimum stage after "construction "of railroads: Horsenower. Dchutes. from Crescent Lake to Bend OO.SOO Deschutes, from Bund to Trout Creek .-ISO.OOO Dewohutea, from Trout Creek to Co lumbia River l!t An Dsivla creek a'lHHi West Fork, from L&Ue to Davis CreeU ll.."Ot Tumalo Creek . .. 5.O00 . . . i:s.70 . . . 8 N0 . . . 77.2 . .. 18.4M . .. -Jl.SKt o.OUO Squaw.' Creek Crooked River Metoilus River Warm Springs Rlv;r White River Minor tributaries . . . . .. . a' Total 924.200 The next part of the second question: What increased value will attach to that remaining by reason of the railroads? Is not so easily answered. The railroad companies may some day decide to use electrical energy for operating trains. Their construction will undoubtedly" in crease the population of the country and the cities and towns will afford a mar ket. They will also encourage lumber ing, mining, and extensive irrigation de velopment and an additional market will be afforded. But when we realize that the energy capable of being developed at the lower dams is almost enough to supply all the present waterpower re qpirements of Oregon. Washington and Idaho combined, we see that new fields must be opened to afford markets for even these projected plants. But present day conditions are changing rapidly and cannot be taken as a rigid criterion of future needs. Before construction of the railroads, this 1.115.000 horsepower had only a potential value that depended en tirely on future probability of a railroad that would make their construction pos sible, and gradually change the potential to actual value as the country developed. Of course only arbitrary money values could be assigned under these conditions and the best we can say is that before, the railroad, the 1.115.000 horsepower was worth practically nothing, but since the railroad, 50 per cent of the remaining 924,200 horsepower! may some day be worth $50 per horsepower per year to the owners and afford an annual income to the state of say $2 er horsepower. The third problem: What effect will ir rigation when fully developed have on tho power situation both as to reducing the amount an'd as to furnishing increased market' facilities for that remaining? is very difficult of solution, both from tho physical and economic side. A rigid so lution of the physical problem fails for lack of physical data concerning the flow of the streams and seepage condi tions of the lands to be Irrigated. Some assumptions were necessary: (1) that, all the Summer How of the river above 1-aidiaw will be diverted for rrigation. 2) that from 10 to 30 per cent of this Several Places in Intsrior Oregon Are .expected to xieia .faying quantities of m::.--::.-.-.-:.--., ., .. r ! :to-r.,x.:-:.:.:y,;i DRILLING FOB OIL The topography of the Harney valley is such that experts assert that if there is propriated for this work and water has been delivered . to about 15.000 acres. In the eastern end of the state are the Malheur, a proposed Government project, and the Owyhee project, a private enterprise. This district was "visited by Secretary Balllnger, in the latter part of July, but no definite an nouncement of" the Government pro ceeding with the Malheur project has been given. The private enterprise provides for the eclamation of much of the lands In the Government project and in both it is proposed to reclaim large areas of land. In the northwest corner of Harney County there is a proposed Government reclamation project of about 150,000 acres. The project covers lands lying Just south of the boundary of the Mal heur National Forest, and it Is proposed to utilize the waters of Silver Creek, which rises in the reserve and flows southerly into Harney Lake, for rec lamation purposes. The unprecedented settlement on amount, depending on the distance be low the intake of proposed canals, will gradually filter back into the stream: (3) that -storgae reservoirs will be built at Crane Prairie and on Crescent. Davis and Odell Lakes and at the proposed sites on Crooked River. These will be filled during the Winter, for Summer use; 4 that the water powers survive on what is left. At the storage reservoirs and above the intake of irrigation canals additional power may be developed for part of the year and this has been taken Into ac count. No discussion of the very inter esting phases of this problem will be indulged in. The final results are given in the following tabln which shows that there will still be left 630,000 horsepower after the country has, been fully de veloped through irrigation and after the railroads are in operation. Water-power remaining in Deschutes River drainage area at minimum stage after construction of railroads and after full development of irrigation, and con struction of proposed reservoirs: Horsepower. Desohuts. from Crescent Lake to Heml l:t,tOO Deschutes, from Bend to Trout Creek. U70.00U Ies:hutes. from Trout Creek to Co lumbia River lo.ono Davis Creek i. ji,;;o.i West Fork, from Lake to Davis Creek :i.SOU Tumalo Creek , . . .- . Stiuaw Creek , Crooked River 45..".0. MetoliuH River 77. -Jim) Warm Springs River IS 4ilo White River 21. Soil Minor tributaries 5.000 Total 630.000 These three tables deserve careful study. They show that the reduction of water-power by the railroads alone is 17 per cent: by irrigation alone the reduc tion is 26 per cent. If the storage reser voirs are not built but Irrigation be otherwise fully developed half the water power of Deschutes River will be de stroyed. The increase through reservoi" construction will balance the loss through railroad construction. Bear in mind that the reservoirs are being built for irriga tion requirements alone, the increased water-power is merely incidental a by product. As this development will Increase the population of the countrw to nearly 200. 000 tho actual value of the remaining power will so far outdistance the poten tial value of the original 1.115,000 horse power that there is no comparison. It is all very well to talk of so many mil lions of horsepower bringing $30 or more per year and capitalize this at 5 per cent and obtain a valuation for undeveloped river energy that requires nine or ten figures to express, but unless there is some ultimate prospect of use, the value is purely fictitious. It's like the gold in sea water. The gold Is there in enorm ous quantities, but it has no value be cause it cannot be profitably extracted. In conclusion, let us summarize brief ly the various points brought out in this inquiry into the water-power situation on Deschutes River. 1. Deschutes River is the most uni formly flowing stream in America and as such is of inestimable economic value for both power and irrigation. The phen omena Is readily accounted Tor by the ex ceptional porosity of the rocks and soil forming its drainage area. . In its primeval state. Deschutes River afforded 1,250.000 horsepower at its minimum stage. 3. The railroads under construction will reduce this to 924,000 and irrigation development under way and proposed will still arther reduce it to 630,000 horse power. 4. The development of this remaining power at $150 per horsepower would rep resent an investment of nearly ilOO.000- ooo. . 5. It is likely that 40 years will see half of this developed, bringing an an nual income of J12.000.000 to the opera tors and to the state $650,000 annually in revenues. and Properties Being Developed V Petroleum. NEAR MADRAS. t . 4 oil in Southeastern Oregon It will he found in the vicinity of Malheur Lake. Government lands In Oregon now In progress as the result of new rail road development within, a few years will begin to have its effect on the Government reclamation fund, fo- thia fund is derived from the sales of Gov ernment lands. Jn addition, the money paid to the Government in the reclama tion projects is to be turned over to new projects. Under the Hitchcock interpretation of the law there should now be J2. 000.000 more available for Government reclamation wc-k in Ore gon than has been expended. This fund will increase to vast proportions and it can only be a question of time until other feasible projects are under taken in this state by the Reclamation Service. The Interior Department is not over looking the possibilities of other sec tions, for where permission has been granted to Carey Act projects to im pound waters of lakes the Government has reserved the right to take over such projects and calse the dams built if deemed advisable in the future. V