3 TlfE BTJXPAY OREGOXtAy. rORTLAyD. AtTGUST 20. 1911.
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TIETON PROJECT MODERN MIRACLE
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BT RAXOALL K. HOWARD.
THIS 1 the firt of a srrtv of eight
or more artlclas. to be publlvbed
weekly, that will deal Intimately
lth the present atatoa of the great
I nited Platen reclamation project of
the WL Each article will dliicuea a
special phase of the work of the rec
lamation iortirf, and the difficult
Tohlema of one project. Among the
project to be vl.oted and dexerlbed.
re: The Tleton and the Sunnyolde.
Washtnaton: the Payett-Bole and the
Minidoka. Idaho: the Truckee-Carson.
Nevada: the Orland. fallfornla. and the
. t'malllla and the Klamath. Orrtton.
The rannl. lateral and larae tlltrh
e of these project have a total ap
proximate lencrth of one and three
fifth time the distance around the
world, not Including the many thou
tands of mile of emaller dltche that
will UIMnbute the Immense volume of
formerly masted water that Is beinc
ronserred by the reclamation service.
'ountinc a family or four to every ten
rres. these wafr-rrea ted district will
support a population of more than half
a million people.
I .aw Approverl hy nooscvelt.
The reclamation act, was made a law
by the slitnuture of Preldent Roose
velt June 17. 1nl. The subetanc of
the art Is that all money received
from the s.ile and disposal of public
lands In Anions. California. Colorado.
Idaho. Kansas. Montana. Nebraska. Ne
vada. New Mexico. North I'akota. Okla
homa. Oreaon. Houth I'skota. Utah.
Vt'axhlncton and Wyomlna. bralnnlns;
with the fiscal year ended June lu.
l?0l. Includlnir the surplus of fee and
commission In etces of allowance
to register and receiver, and ea
ceptir.ii S per cent of these amounts,
which Is set aside for educational and
other purposes, be appropriated a a
pedal fund In the Treasury, to be
known as the -reclamation fund.- to
be used In the examination and survey
for and the construction and main
tenanc of Irrigation work for the
storsae. diversion and development of
water for the reclamation of arid and
aeml-arld lands in the said atatea and
territories,
A blrdseye view of the various
projects provided for by the act of Con
grens follow:
Tleton Protect Area. JS.001 acres:
altitude, about rioo feet: canal and
laterals. ; mile In length: farm unit.
o acres: location. Central Washington:
rpened November T. 1M0: products,
hops, alfalfa, fruit, vegetables; precip
itation, eight Inches:. soil, deep volcanlo
ash and gravel.
t'mattlla Project Area, first unit.
t.44 acre; altitude, average 479 feet;
construction charge. per sere; ca
nals and laterals. ISO mile In length:
dims, storage, length of. SSOO feet:
farm units, 1 to 40 acres; location.
Northeastern Oregon: maintenance, an
nual fee per acre. 11. 1; opened, first
unit. PecemberN 17. 107: products, hay.
fruit, vegetables, poultry. dairying;
average annual rainfall, eight Inches;
soil, sandy loam and volcanic ash;
water supply, I'matllla River.
8unnyslde Project Area, lOO.OftO
acres: altitude, about 1004 feel: canal
and laterala. 410 mile In length; con
struction cost. S1 per acra; farm units.
40 to SO acres: location. Central Wash
ington: opened November 1. l0t; pre
cipitation, eight Inches; product, al
falfa, fruit, vegetables, melons, .hops:
soil, deep volcanic ash and gravel.
Work Phowo In Operation.
One of the mot daring of ths Irri
gation plan of ths United States
reclamation Service Is the Tletoa proj
ect of South Central Washington. Here
may be seen the practical working out
of many Government reclamation the
ories. The work of ths Iteclaraatlon Serv
ice appeals strongly to popular Inter
est, and some of Its snginserlns; ac
complishments have been spectacular
In the extreme. Water Is such a com
mon substance that the average man
takes a little thought of It aa he doe
of the air that he breathes. But no
western man need be reminded that
this most common of all substances
cn be made to perform miracles f or
the very term "reclamation" Implies a
transformation from dead aridity to ths
hiithest tat of productivity of ths soil
that may be een among clvlllied men.
Ths Tleton project offers example
doth of the spectacular and of the
miracle-working power of water. Ths
great Yakima Valley, that contain
hlf a million Irrigable acres, was an
lid Irrigated section when the Reclama
tion Act was spproed nine year .
In fact. Irrigation began In the Yaki
ma Valley as early as 147. But con
illtloo wars aot -Ideal. Water rlghla
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were In a tangle: litigation was threat
ened:
ras considered separable
from the land which It reclalr
Mo
the Reclamation Act had scarcely be
come law before the s
Yakima Valley appealed
lle
In the
to the Cot-
ernment officials for help.
The Investigation of this the largest
of the National projects began In 11)03;
and so complicated were the water
rights on the aireams'and the lakes of
the Yakima basin that the agreements,
which alone committed the Government
to proceed, were not signed until 105.
I .and Values I.
So little faith did the Investing pub
lie have In the reclamation of the dis
trict Included In the Tleton unit of ths
Yakima project, that 10 years (as the
railroad lands In this section were sold
as low as to cents an acre land that
has recently been resold at prices
ranging from $73 to S-00 and more an
acre. It should be noted, too, that this
price doe not Include the water-right
charge of $!J an acre which Is the cost
to ilhe Government of reclaiming the
land.
Contrast this former condition, also,
with the singular struggle on the part
of horaeseeker to file homestead right
on hs project. The total area of land
Included In the Tleton unit Is 34.500
acres. Of this amount, about 2000
acres was publlo land. Fsrly during
the present year It wa officially an
nounced that on April , 1711. 1.1 home
stead would "lp" open to entry .under
the terms .of the Reclamation Act
which demands Ave year residence on
the land, and the payment of the water
right In 10 eiial Installments. Three
week Jefore the date on which filing
could be made, would-be homesteader
began to line up at ths district land of
fice at North Yakima.
At the head of the human line that
did not break for more than to nights
and 20 days, was a high school lad. It
Is said that the young man was offered
S1200 for his place In the line, and that
thla offer was later increased to I IS 00.
but ha did not yield. One of the resi
dents of the section told ms that he
"would have been willing to stand In
line all Hummer for SUO1)" but the
young man was working for a bigger
reward, for when his five-years' resi
dence is completed and his water pay
ments made, he will be owner of a farm
that has a present value of between
J4W00 and 15000.
Arre Ma do JKasy.
The Tleton project la one of the best
to study the practical working out of
the water theories of the Jteolamatlon
Service. The reclaimed area a west
toward the Cascade Mountains from
North Yakima, and the surface eleva
tion is 1J0 to S100 feet. One may ap
proach eitheron a branch steam rail
way or on an electrlo line. Ths offi
cial center of the project Is the creit of
a rolling rldsje from which one may
look In all direction over newly-reclaimed
land.
In reclamation parlance, ths Govern
ment headquarter and the neat little
village of erfices. dwelling and stable
la merely "Camp Four." rown at the
railroad station Is a long, well-used,
warehouse, which Is filled with machin
ery and electrical and engineering sup
piles for the final completion of the last
small units of the project. The station
and ths various temporary and perma
nent camps are connected by good
roads that are traversed by old
fashioned, true western, stags coaches
and freight team. Also, the automo
bile belonging to the office of the
Supervising Knglneer at North Yakima
Is constantly driven over the different
units of the great Taklma project:
and the buggv teams and the saddle
horse of the officials and the employe
ef ths Tleton unit average many milt J
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a day In the task of Inspection and
supervision.
The office of "Camp Four" Is Indi
cated by a high, white flagpole, from
which th Stars and Stripes are tin
furled during office houra. The office
la low and neat and crowded with the
various departments of the work. The
Chief Knglneer and the Superintendent
of Irrigation, the officials who have
the greatest responsibility, are. like
ail other reclamation officials I have
met. approachable and earnest and en
thusiastic in their work. Office hours
do not measure their work, and the
building is usually occupied from early
morning until late In the evening.
Talk 1 All of Water.
. Water Is the one toplo at head
quarters, and the water-talk streams
begin to flow as early as 30 In the
morning, for between that hour and 7
o'clock is the regular period for the
seven patrolmen scattered over the
project to report by telephone to the
Superintendent of Irrigation. By 7
o'clock the patrolmen will have re
ceived suggestions and orders for meet
ing the various water-supply problems
of the day. Chlerly. they will- make
notes concerning those. Irrlgatlonists
who want the water turned off or
turned on, and concerning any breaks
or dangerous places In the many miles
of ditch that they must watch.
Ths personality and the work of the
water patrolman on tha reclamation
project resemble. In some degree, that
of the ranger In tha National forests.
Each must be Intensely Interested In
his work In ordsr to do It well, and
both'must view their respective sub
jects of water and forests broadly snd
Impersonally. The patrolman's chief
equipment is his hardy pony, his shov
el, and his practical knowledge of the
control and the use of water. He must
traverse and watch his ditches during
every on of ths 15S rays of
the regular water season on the
Tleton project, beginning not later
than May 1. each Spring. The
patrolman will ride an average of IS to
13 mile a day. noting tha head of
water In the main ditches, and regu
lating the flow In the laterals and
the sub-laterals that deliver the water
to ths user. The ditch rider comes Into
contact with the Irrlgatlonists on the
project, and Is In a position to give
manv practical suggestions for nine
out of ten of the settlers on ths Gov
ernment reclamation projects of the
West are entirely new at tho Irriga
tion game.
On the Tleton project Is seen still
another analogy between the Reclama
tion Service and the Forestry Service.
In the Forestry Service they have ths
'Use Book" the ranger's Bible and on
the Tleton project there has been re
cently published a small book of
"Water Users' Instructions." a copy of
which Is sent to every holder of a
Government water right. Every em
ploys of ths Service is also given a
copy. This book Is official, having been
approved by the Secretary of the In
terior, and applying to all Government
Irrigation works and employes In ,the
Ststr of Washington.
The water laws of the Nation and
the state, and the contract between
the Government and ths Individual
7
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Li r
water user and the local Water Users'
Assooiatlon. are summarized and ex
plained; also, the duties and the re
sponsibilities of the employes of the
Keclamztlon Service are -stated, so that
each irrigationist may read and know
Just what he may and may not expect
from Uncle Sam's man who measures
and watches the portion of water that
is vital to crops, the life-giving ele
ment which measures the difference be
tween ,a seared, dusty str'p of desert
and an oasis that will support a per
son on every two acres. ?
At the end of each day the observa
tions of, the ditch patrolman are re
duced to writing, and the reports sent
to headquarters. These reports, and
the rer,csts of the water tigers that are
tranamltted by telephone, are turned
over to the clerk who carefully tabu
lates them. And the resulting dally
water balance sheet woul'' dohtle9 be
classed as the most waivable record of
the office as Important as the ticker
tape lp Wall street or the condensed
budget of the srreat corporation.
The water balance sheet tells the
whole tale of the working of the rec
lamation system. It indicates Just how
much water .Is used, and how much is
wasted by seepage and through breaks
In the ditches; whether enough water
Is leaving the upper diversion dam or
the headgate of the storage reservoir
to supply the known needs of the Irrl
gatlonists. or whether the lower water
users must endure a day's water fam
ine: It tells which of the farmers are
playing the "water hog" by applying
for and Using more than their legiti
mate share for that particular period
of the Irrigation season, or whether
they have learned the wise lesson of
water economy and are in no danger
of drowning out their crops which
nscd water, but -will be as surely In
jured by too much water as by too
llttU.
Water Used Tabulated.
Tha chief trouble of ths water cleric
at the main office is to make his water
summary balance. A definite amount
of water Is reported by telephone to
have entered the head of the main
canal or canals. Portions of this are
diverted and redlverted at specific
points, and In accurately measured
quantities. Some of It flows in open
sandy and rocky-sided ditches; some
In newly patented steel flumes; 'some
In concrete canals along dangerous
sidehllls; some through rock-paved
open ditches; some Is dropped Into hid
den -concrete or tarred-wood syphons.
Invisible until It has crossed to the
opposite side of the deep valley; and
some of It Is carried by wooden flumes
to the highest point on the final Irri
gation unit.
A small percentage of water loss can
be charged to evaporation and seep
age. If this percentage is very large
tha loss must be traced. All of the
headzates, both large and small, are
under lock, and it Is a punishable of
fense to steal water on a reclamation
project. But ss one of the superin
tendents expressed to m.
"If there Is any hog In a man, irri
gation will bring It out."
Another of the reclamation officials
commented that aome persons still per
sist In thinking that water la free
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substance and that many preacher
like man, who never knowingly did a
wrong, thinks nothing of stealing
water whenever he feels that he will
not be caught. It Is possible, also,
when there Is a water discrepancy, that
the ditch rider is not dolnjr his full
duty and has not accurately read some
of the many small weir gauges that
he must report on each day.
Ixss Results In BeKlnning-.
turlng the first year of the use' of
the open Irrigation ditch, a large seep
age loss may be expected. Along one
section, of a main Tleton project canal,
for example, tue water loss last year
was abnormally large. The loss was
checked up from each end, hut the
exact point could not bo located. After
a time the observant reclamation men
discovered, at the bottom of a hill
several miles away, a new cold-water
spring. But this only confirmed sus
picions and did not solve the problem.
After a timei however, several fissures
were discovered In the rock sides and
bottom of the ditch, and the openings
were filled with concrete. The spring
disappeared.
The most-wrltten-about features of
the Tleton project are the engineering
wonders. Irrigation .has been prac
ticed on land within the boundaries of
the project for more than, St) years, but
the former low-selling pries of unlr
rlgated land proves that there was lit
tle thought that it would ever be re
claimed. The land is rolling, with
high hills on either side, and the
streams that have their headwaters In
the Casecade Mountains to the west
have worn deep canyons. The en
gineering problems were most difficult.
The main canal of the project diverts
water from the Upper Tleton River,
but In order to pay back the water
taken from the Naches River, of which
the Tleton is a chief tributary. It was
necessary for the Reclamation Service
to provide a storage reservoir.
The storage reservoir site was found
at Bumping Lake, far up toward the
summit of the Cascade Mountains, and
in a primitively wild spot where a bear
may frequently be seen within gun
shot. Indeed one of the freighters
who recently made the Bumping Lake
trip reports having seen four bears at
one time. - Construction difficulties
were not confined to work on the large
dam. where all materials must - be
hauled for long distances over difficult
roads. Twelve miles of the main canal
Is excavated along the steep sides of
a canyon, more than 600 feet above the
river and the level of the valley at the
lower end. This canal is formed by
a large half-oval concrete flume, which
Winds serpent-like along the precipi
tous side of tha mountain.
Flume Built Strongly.
This flume was constructed in short
units and. these heavy forms were
hsuled up the hillside hy means of
tramlines and aerial cables. Barring
accident, this flume is practically ever
hvMlng. ' So strong is it constructed.
Wonder Wrought by Water on Near-Desert .Lands is seen on
Reclamation Work in South Central Washington.
I
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Mr
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SAW
A,
too, that when a two-ton boulder re
cently shot 200 feet down the precipice
onto It, the body of the canal was not
damaged.
One of the most Interesting features
of this part of the project is the more
than two miles of tunnel through
EUROPE LEADS AMERICA
IN CONSERVING TIMBER
Experts Say Taxation Should Be Removed From Our Virgin Forest. Lands;
1 Avert Fire Menace Among Growing Trees.
CAPTAIN JOHN B. WRIGHT, of
Kansas City, and William U.
Barnes, of St. Louis, have. Just
left Taris for America, after pass
ing several dayB here in a study
of the systems of management of
French forests, says tho Paris edition
of the New York Herald. Captain
White is a member of the United States
Conservation Commission and chairman
of the executive committee of the Con
servation Congress. Mr. Barnes Is sec
retary of the Missouri Forestry Com
mission and editor of tho Lumberman.
The tour, which was semi-official,
embraced a considerable portion Of Eu
rope. Captain White and . Mr. Barnes
brought letters of Introduction to for
estry experts and Ambassadors, Minis
ters and Consuls, from . Philander C.
Knox, the Secretary of State; James
Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture; H.
S. Graves. Chief Forester of the United
States; Gifford Plnchot, formerly Chief
Forester, and It, S. Hadley. Governor
of Missouri.
England, Belgium, Austria. Hungary
and Switzerland were visited before
France was reached. Unfortunately the
time at their disposal was so limited
that Captain White and, Mr. Barnes
were forced to make a very hurried
study of conditions In France. How
ever, they found the systems here simi
lar to those in other Continental coun.
tries. On their return to the United
States they will submit reports to the
Governor of Missouri and the Conser
vation Congresl.
Some Recommendations.
"The United States has much to
learn from Europe regarding the con
servation of' natural resources," said
Captain White to a Herald correspond
ent at the Hotel Regina. "Wo shall
recommend the adoption of methods of
the nature of those which have been
in suocpKSful operation here for many
years. The taxation of American for
ests is a hardship which discourages
the planting and cultivation of trees,
11
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Wis
which the water is carried. The lower
tunnel is three-quarters of a mile long.
It is a most surprising and a novel
spectacle, this great spring of water
bursting from the side of the moun
tain, apparently coming from no
where,. The upper end of the tunnel
is high Ifiough for a tall man to walk
through, but It narrows funnel-like
and the lower end is entirely filled
with water even when only one-third
of tho head is flowing.
Settlers have gathered on tha Ticton
project from all parts of the United
States and from all kinds of previous
occupation. For example, there are
many former professional people. One
dltchrider says, for instance, that he
supplies water to three former minis
ters; another fixes and locks the head
gate that supplies the ranch of tha
nun who was formerly general freight
agent for a great railway system. An
other water user gained notoriety as
the cashier of the bank' in Northfield.
Minn- which was raided by Jesse
James and his gang, the raid resulting
In the capture of the Younger brothers.
A colony of -school teachers who be
lieve In Government reclamation ara
here, as well as a man who for 26 years
was a proofreader on an influential
publication of New York City.
Land on the Tleton project Is selling
at prices ranging from $75 to 260 and
more an acre, not Including the Gov
ernment water right of 193 an acre,
which is payable in ten equal install
ments without interest. It should be
explained that the Government was pe
titioned to carry the water to the high
est point of each 40-acre unit of land,
and the cost of the construction of
these sub-laterals has been included
in the total water right charge. It
has been roughly estimated that this
extra work done for the settler has
added about 13 per acre to the water
right charge.
Alfalfa Is one of the big crops on
the project, the yield being five to
eight tons to the acre. The section
Is also thought to be exceptionally fa
vorable for the production of Winter
apples. Other fruits, all kinds of ber
ries, hops, grains and root crops grow
prollflcally. The fertility of the Tie
ton section Is insured by the fact that
this area is a part of tha great Yakima
Valley, sections of which are among
the richest and most highly developed
portions of the entire West, which val
ley will be described more in detail
in another article.
and with Its abolishment a long step
forward would be taken.
"In Austria a landowner Is relieved
of taxation for 20 years provided he
grows trees on his property. The ta
is imposed only when he starts cutting
and begins to receive a return on hie
Investment, and even then It is onlj
nominal. In Switzerland forests, what
ever their age, are always exempt front
taxation.
"We need relief and encouragement
of this character In the United States,
Our contention is that, when only on
crop of timber is produced In a genera
tion, it is unfair and unwise to levy s
tax annually, for 30 or 40 years, on
timber lands. We believe timber should
be treated like corn or wheat or any
other crop that it should be free from
taxation until it Is cut."
"The subject of forestry preservation
should be removed entirely from th
sphere of politics," said Mr. Barnes,
"The United States should handle It ai
a business proposition, as is done in
France, Germany and most of the other
European countries. In Germany the
first demand made upon the forests if
for firewood. The nation has found
that it is cheaper to Import timber for
telegraph and telephone posts from
Russia than to chop down its own trees
by wholesale.
Zurich Owns Sawmills.
"The Slwald forest, in Switzerland,
hae been cultivated for more than a
thousand years. The city of Zurich
owns it and operates a sawmill. Tha
municipality's profit, over and above
the expenses of maintenance and re
planting. Is $25,000 a year.
"Not only should the United States
encourage forestry development by re
moving the taxation from virgin forest
lands, but It should adopt more strin
gent measures for the protection of its
forests against fire. In Washington,
Oregon and other pine-producing states
In America probably as much timber
has been burned as has been cut. We
have been afforded an object lesson in
our travels about Eurojjc."