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THE SUNDAY OREG0XIAN", PORTLAND, JULY 7, 1907.
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WESITE-JcJX
TO sound the death knell of 295,000
acres of sagebrush and cause to
spring up tn its stead great
stretches of alfalfa, to transform the
home of the coyote and ground squirrel
Into homes for thousands and tens of
thousand of happy and prosperous
people. Is the plan of Uncle Samuel,
who, through the Reclamation Service,
is spending millions of dollars upon
the Payette-Bolse irrigation project,
now well under way.
Water for the great development
. work is to be secured by constructing
Immense reservoirs to conserve the
Summer supply from the immense
floods which come down from the
mountains in the early Spring months,
doing damage at times to great bodies
of bottom lands. The supply will be
taken from the headwaters of the
Boise and Payette River?. The head
waters of the Payette, the principal
stream for the purposes of this project,
are in Payette Lakes, about 200 miles
above the mouth of the river. These
lakes 'are three miles wide and nine
mllea in length, with steep cliffs all
about them. The outlet is through a
natural opening about 30 feet deep and
70 feet from side to side. The Jut
ting points are of granite formation,
ideal for. the construction of a dam
to raise the water at least 20 feet. The
representatives of' the Reclamation
Service saw the opportunity, and the
Government is now building a solid
cement and steel dam to hold the wa
ters of the lakes.
A diversion dam will be built in
Black Rock Canyon, five miles above
the town of Emmett, on the Payette
River, at which, point water will be
taken for about 55,000 acres of land.
The main canal will pass through the
divide between the Payette and Boise
Valleys, by a cut 0 feet in depth and
over a mile long. Another canal will
be taken from the Boise River, on
the north side, near the City of Boise,
to water lands not under the Payette
canal. This territory Is adjacent to
the towns of Emmett New Plymouth,
Payette, Parma, Notus, Mtddleton, Star
'and Caldwell, headquarters for the
- work.
The lands on the south side of the
Boise River, adjacent to Nampa, Cald
well, Meridian and Parma, will be sup
plied from a canal taken from the
south side of the river juet above the
City of Boise, near the point where the
New Tork canal gets its supply. In
addition to supplementing the supply
of water for the lands now under cul
tivation this canal will furnish enough
to reclaim about 800.000 acres of desert
land now covered with sagebrush.
Deer Flat Reservoir.
The principal feature of the south
side works is the construction of a
great reservoir in Deer Flat. This is
a natural site lying five miles south of
Caldwell, and covering approximately
10.000 acres. When completed, the res
ervoir will hold water about 60 feet
dep over the basin, and the supply
will be sufficient to carry all the adja
cent lands safely through a dry Sum
mer. The laterals from this reservoir
will cover all the land on the south
side of the Boise River from Nampa
down.
Included In the project are two
smaller reservoirs on the headwaters
of the Boise River, to serve lands
above Deer Flat, relieving the heavy
demands on the lower section of the
system during extreme dry weather.
Work Xow Well Under Way.
The diversion dam In the Boise Riv
er Just above the City of Boise is being
built of concrete, of the most sub
stantial character. A diversion canal
40 feet wide on the bottom and with
a carrying capacity- of 75,000 miners'
inches of water, extends from this dam
to Indian Creek, above Kuna, on the
Oregon state line, about 21 miles in
length. The water Is turned 'down In
dian Creek for eight miles and then, by
another canal, carried 12 miles further
to the Deer Flat reservoir. These
canals are even now practically com
pleted, and the diversion dam In the
Boise River will be in readiness for use
next Spring.
The Deer Flat reservoir is being closed
by two dams, the one at the lower end,
known as the Hubbard and Carlson dam,
being 7200 feet In length, SO feet in height
and 250 feet wide at the base. It will
have a roadway at the top, 20 feet In
width. The construction is of clay and
gravel. The gravel Is brought from a
neighboring hillside and the clay is
taken from the soil below the surface
Just above the dam site.
Two steam shovels with a capacity - of
two and a half cubic yards each are
tearing into the nillslde, the gravel being
loaded onto trains of car which are
driven out on the dam and there dumped.
The clay is excavated and loaded by
means of two big plow graders and eleva
tors. These- graders keep two long strings
of wagons going all the time, a con
tinuous stream of dirt and gravel being
poured onto the dam.
The filling is put on in layers of about
eight laches, then it is sprinkled well,
rolled with Immense rollers and thorough
ly packed. The wet clay and gravel mix
and form a cement, which, experts say,
makes the very best of permanent struc
tures to repel water. When completed
this dam will contain 1,000.000 cubic yards
of material. It Is now about two-thirds
finished.
The second outlet of the Deer Flat
reservoir is known as the' upper dam. It
Is not so long as the other, but Is 70
feet in height and will contain 50,000
1 cubic . yards more earth. Two . TO-ton
steam shovels of the type used in digging
the Panama Canal are excavating earth
for this dam.
The reservoir Itself will form a body
of water having a shore-line of 27 miles
with a depth of from to to 60 feet, and a
capacity of 8,102.160,000 cubic feet of water
a good-sized lake.,
. A Great Project.
The project rank well with the great
Irrigation schemes of the world. It will
reclaim 25 per cent more land that the
original Twin Falls project, and more
than twice as much as the Minidoka.
While these figures give some idea of
the Immensity of the Government work,
the real results will come from the pro
ductiveness of the soil and the adapta
bility of the section to the building of
homes and to Intense farming.
The altitude of the land is 2100 feet ap
proximately, and the land is rolling,
easily brought under cultivation. The
climate is moderate. Summer being
wirm, but Winter weather seldom shows
colder than sero. Little wind U ex
I perienced and the son shines a large
What Uncle Sam is Doing to Make an Idaho Desert Blossom as
the Ros.fi ; Conservation of Flood Waters
is empowered to withdraw from entry
and sale all public lands necessary for
the purpose of constructing the works
and for- reservoir sites. Following this,
he is empowered to let contract for the
work of construction, so far a money
on hand will allow completion, and af
terward appropriate money as may be
reeded. If available. The Government re
tains title and supervision of the works
until the cost is r.cpald by the land-owners
or purchasers under the law. Ten
annual installments paid by settlers fully
satisfies the Government and title passes
to the holder. After full payment the
owners become a co-operative association
of water-users, controlling the entire
project.
At the time the law was enacted two
great projects were ready to be taken
up. They were the Truckee-Carson. In
Nevada, and the Salt River, In Arizona.
These have progressed wonderfully, in
Idaho, the Minidoka project has recently
been completed to the extent that water
I provided for a large part of the land.
By the storing of waste waters in time
of plenty and sending them over desert
tracts in time of drouth, the scarred face
ever, the cry of the coyote is be ng
stilled, and the home of man 1 being
bullded up everywhere. The places
which were wind-swept, arid
bearing upon their parched bosom the
bleaching bones of cattle dead of 'hirst,
with neither track nor fence to guide tne
stranger lost to his kind, will blossom
like the rose in the oasis, and ture
generations will find here homes of hap
piness, prosperity and comfort.
Under the munificent hand of a ,s
government It Is possible that the Great
American Desert will entirely disappear
from the face of the Earth .
Women
Dueling.
(Ladles' Pictorial.) ;
Princess Therese of Schwarzenberg.
who has founded the Viennese Ladies'
League against dueling; has happily
declared that the 'strongest, fighting
weapons of her sex are heart and in
tellect. With these she is confident
that the women of Vienna will be abls
tn nnnniier th foolish system of duel-
In:, and. without doubt, she
II u ( a in uhiv 01 arouiii, ins autti rcu . ,. ...... .
of the West Is being beautified, tlie aage- Women can always persuade men to go
-brush Is disappearing, the home of the their way If they bring real womanly
ground squirrel is being destroyed for- influence to near upon mem.
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right.
part of the time, bummer seasons are
long and vegetatton. with water, makes
remarkable development. The soil is of
volcanic ash, but particularly free from
atone, easily worked and rich in the
necessary mineral constituents. By rota
tion of crops, without water or with poor
Irrigation methods, the land has been
made to produce abundantly. Farms now
In fair cultivation produce five to seven
tons of alfalfa per acre, three cuttings
being the rule; four to six tons of clover;
40 to 60 bushels of wheat and 75 bushels
of oats. Considerable clover and alfalfa
seed Is produced.
Small Farms the Rule.
On account of the productiveness of
-the soil under water, the land will be
farmed on a small, but Intense, scale.
Perhaps the average farm will be 20
or 40 acres, likely less. Alfalfa will
be the staple crop on the start, but
fruits and other cereals will likely
build up practically new industries.
Under the system there will be 370,000
acre of land, of which 73,300 acres
are now under cultivation. Soma
wast land will of necessity be found
In the tract. None of the land will be
over 10 miles from a railroad, giving
excellent transportation facilities right
from the start. It is. estimated, tttat.
home for 100,000 people will be found
on the tract when settled.
Settlers After Land.
One of the most remarkable and .in
teresting features of the project is the
large number of prospective settlers
who have filed upon every available
acre of Government land, or secured
relinquishments, and are now waiting
for water to be turned on. They are
generally of the sturdy, industrious
classes, who blase the paths in the wil
derness and lead the way of civilisa
tion to new fields.
With the small farm and high-priced
land, intensive farming will ' result,
raising the standard of quantity and
quality, of fruits, grain and vege
tables. With the power-generating
possibilities of the country, at the
dam, and in the rivers, operating elec
tric railways and power plants will
be profitable. With these will corns
mills, factories and enterprise de
manded by the community, and a. won
derful prosperity will spring up. With
graded schools, churches, rural free
delivery, rural telephones, and close
settlement, the comforts and conveni
ences of city life will be coupled with
the freedom and open air of the coun
try, and the ultimate result will be
the establlslweat of a. flonsmunltj oX
homes replete with all the good thing
which characterize the civilization of
the twentletn century.
Obstacles Overcome.
A large part of the land within the
boundaries of the project is held by
private ownership. Before the Gov
ernment could take any 'action in de
velopment, the consent of tltese own
ers must be secured and an under
standing reached as to the ultimate
disposition of the land. Mass meetings
were held, contracts for water rights
were signed by over AO per cent of the
property holders, and on the 27th of
March, 1906, the people were ready
for the Government to proceed with
the preliminary work. The Govern '
raent was ready to approve the plan;
and ort the same day the Secretary of
the Interior gave hi approval to the
project and -funds were available.
Events followed rapidly, -Early in
1906 contracts were let for the first
division of the work, and as soon as
material could be had, the work was
begun. Completion of this portion of
the work la promised In time to provide
water for next season's irrigation.
Tears ago, when the purpose of the
Reclamation Act became known In this
section of Idaho, an intense popular
desire was manifested by the people
lor Government aid In reclaiming v
vast stretch of sagebrush land. As
the geological survey was carried on
it developed the possibility of an Im
mense project in the Boise and Payette
Valleys. But it wa not until the Fall
of 18S3, after the report of D. W. Ros.
engineer in charge in Idaho, wa filed
and made public, that any attempt was
made to organise and make an effort
to meet the requirements of the Government-Engineer
Ross' report Showed the
possibility of reclaiming, a great body of
desert land and of supplementing the al
ready inadequate supply of water used In
irrigating lands by private canals and
reservoirs. The ultimate object being the
fullest development of the resources of
the entire section, the project enlisted
the active support of a number of pro
gressive and substantial citizens. An
organization was perfected whereby the
land owner could deal directly with the
Government, and the Payette-Boise
Water Users' Association became a liv
ing' thing. Caldwell, the geographical
center of the district and the county seat
of Canyon County, was made headquar
ters for the association and the center of
interest generally. Caldwell has double
In population since the movement began,
having now fully 3500 population.
Scope of the Law.
The Reclamation Act provides,
among other things, that a certain sura
of money derived from the sale of Gov
ernment lands in all States located In th
arid belt of the western section of the
United States be set aside in a fund to
be known as the Reclamation Fund, and
that all such money be used In the con
struction of irrigation works to supply
water to desert land. The Secretary of
the Interior is Instructed to make all
necessary investigation as to the feasi
bility of projects and receive all reports;
on the same. For this work the Recla
mation Service has been organized. When
-aay. s reject la shown to be worthy, he
The Romance of a Prospector
BT MARCUS W. ROBBINS.
OUR prospector doe not look very
much like a romantic human being.
with his high-top shoes, corduroy suit and
bearded face, but under the rough ex
terior Is an imagination as wildly ro
mantic a ever tortured a boarding-house
miss of IS Summers. From the nature of
his occupation, the prospecjor spends
much of his time alone In the wilds of
nature, and this causes him to become In
trospective and to And amusement in his
own mental Images. It Is not fame or
beauty that leads blm on and on from
rock to rock, .but it is the glitter of the
yellow metal that appeal even to the
savage in breech clout and barbarism.
Desire for wealth is what lights up the
prospector's eye with hope and so he pans
the dust of the roadside looking for a
color and sample the rock Jutting from
the dirt In the hope of finding a trace.
For gold Is where you find it and some
times it violate all the rules of geology
by being In places where It had not ought
to be. When the prospector finds a trace
or a feeling that he cannot define makes
him think that he has Anally got some
thing good, he proceeds to stake out 'his
claim. He digs hi prospect hole, which
Is called his point of discovery and which
Is theoretically supposed to be on the
ledge, though it rarely ever Is. Then he
measures out his claim by staking off a
parallelogram that Is 00 feet wide and
1500 feet long, and ha hi ledge for the
axi.
This contains 20 acres, and to make
doubly sure of hitting it. the prospector
generally stakes off half a doien more
claims adjoining h! original one. Then
he posts a notloe of location describing
the boundaries of his claim on some tree
near his discovery point. He doe his di
covery work, which can be an open cut
ten feet long, four feet wlds and alx feet
deep. It is now his duty to go to the
county seat and record s copy of his lo
cation notice similar to what he posted
on the tree.
Every mining claim baa to have a name,
and In looking over the records, one
finds much that is of human interest. In
Josephine County alone, then have been
over 17,000 mining claims located since
1883, and filed In the records of the coun
ty. That means that there has been
dreamed over 17j000 different kinds of
dreams of richness. As one would nat
urally imagine, female names ere pupu
lar as a designation for claims, for to
every man there is always some woman
that wealth will bring narer. go we
have the Daisy, Marion, Sally, Ruby, Ada,
Blanche Maud, Dells, ZJlla, Lulu, Juanlta,
et
From qma- of th njunea-rivea one cea
make a good guess at the political Ideals
of the locator. Here Is a- mining claim
located In 1SS7 called the Black Repub
lican, a little farther down the -page is
the Southern Belle. In 1863 we find one
called the Constitution; that locator was
surely some sturay patriot. Then there
are Stonewall Jackson, Henry Clay, Gen
eral Grant, and In 1897 we find one called
the Boy Orator. But the sarcasm of sar
casm, though no doubt unconscious, is the
quartz mining claim called the Hearst,
located in the Sucker Creek mining dis
trict. Roosevelt. Teddy. Jim Blaine. Bis- A
marck. Von Moltke. and the heroes of the
world are chosen by these men who ses Vv
riches in the distance. V.
i ... . .. . .. ... - T
ncre is a ciaim canea me jvarr Aiarx
that is enough to make the expounder of
surplus value turn over in hi grave to
think that some one would name a gold
mine after him. . Political principles are
not even missed. We find Prosperity,
Gold Bug, Legal Tender. Reciprocity, and
here Is Senator R. A. Booth who locates
one that he calls the High Tariff. In the
same group Is one the Senator names the
Missing Link, which 1 surprising con
sidering the good Methodist that he is,
but then he probably meant it In an iron
ical sense. Here is a woman who lo
cates a group, and she calls them Prince
Drace, Pretonius '" and Phoebus. The
question arises, what had she been read
ing before she went prospecting?
There any number of Lost Treasure,
and Hidden Treasure seems also to be
popular. Then there are Rattlesnakes
without end. and also any number of
Jumbo Mining Claims. There 'are some
names that convey a sadness back of
them, and it is not hard to feel that may
hap a tragedy is close to them. For
instance, the Only Hope, the Last Chance,
the Ailup. the Hoodoo. Then there are
some that go to the other extreme and
convey the idea of exhilaration and the
thought that mayhap the prospector
pulled a cork before he christened his
mine. Witness the Holy Terror, tha
Hunkadoro, the Free and Easy, the Stem
winder. For odd names we have the
Crazy Swede, Grass Pants, the Cripples,
Pilgrim's Progress, and the Infidelity.
They take trees for names, the months
and days are called on. You can find
Shakespeare's characters, and all up and
down the animal world are names taken.
It is said that the Pullman Palace Car
Company rets hard up for names occa
sionally, but if they consult the mining
records of Josephine County, they never
need be at a loss, for whoever vet ssw
-a car called the June Bug or tha Red
Grant's Pass, Or,