The Sunday Oregonian., July 18, 1920, SECTION FIVE, Page 2, Image 60

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COLUMBIA BASIN NEEDS ONLY WATER TO BE
Vastness of Area Makes Problem Big One, but All the Elements Necessary to Success Are Present.
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" BY R. G. 'CAT.T.VKRT.
IRRIGATION, it is definitely known,
was practiced successfully In the
' old world as eaxly as the year
2000 B. C. It was also practiced in
"an unknown era in the western hem
isphere not only in South America
but In New Mexico and Arizona. To
an unidentified race of irrigationists
the world today is indebted for sev
eral of its most widely used - food
6taples. Science now is convinced .that
a. people which has left no written
record . first developed from wild
plants the potato, the tomato, . the
sweet- potato and Indian corn. ' All
attempts to trace the origin of these
staples end in the mountain fastnesses
of Peru. There still may be seen the
ruins of irrigation works of unknown
antiquity, yet conceived and con
structed -under conditions and difficulties-
that would appal modern
reci&mationists.
Despite, these facts and despite the
additional facts that, free land and
cheap land no longer are to be had
in America, and that there is possi
bility of food shortage, it is 'neces
sary"" to wage an . educational cam
paign, to .promote, irrigation, projects
In the west.: ; - .'
The greater " population of the
United States, set down in lands
watered naturally in growing season,
seemingly clings to the belief that
no land is good or can be made good
unless it ' is subject to rainfall. The
people there raise their, corn.' their
potatoes, their tomatoes and-a dozen
other food artlele.3, creating and pil
ing up wealth therefrom, Indifferent
to the fact that some race wiped out
by an unknown scourge before Amer
ica was discovered, a race that with
out steel or machinery, or even beasts
of burden, built dams, pierced granite
walls, constructed flumes, lined with
blocks of rock, and brought water for
many miles to lands upon which it
never rains and there provided a
heritage which has brought life, com
fort and prosperity to one hundred
millions of people of a later genera
tion. Bijr lroJect Innprrtrd.
10 lurnisn newspaper , and mae-a-
line writers with information upon
wnicn 10 preacn tne gospel of irrl
gation -to the indifferent east the Spo-
Kane cnamDer ot commerce,, assisted
by similar bodies in Newport, Qulncy,
fephrata. W ilson Creek, Othello. Pasco.
Frosser and Yakima, conducted a tour
last week of the Columbia Basin .Irri
gation project... The Columbia Basin
project lies in the form of a great
V" between the Columbia and Snake
rivers, with its apex at the con
fluence of the two streams. Within
this area, are 3.000,000 acres, of which
more than 1.700,000 acres can be Irri
gated. On this tour the parti4 was a Co am.
panfed by the chief engineer of-the
project, by soil experts who have
gone over the district section by sec-'
tion and by members of the commis-
.rion appointed by the governor of
'Washington. The engineering plans
anq cnaracter ot tne soil were ex
pinea n aciau. ine mam areas to
: be irrigated were . visited and the
.nver irom which the water will be
diverted was Inspected.
- The columoia Basin Is an area In
'which dry farming has been prac-
,.tlcei m some, years wtth success, but
during the greater portion, of the
. time since its settlement withou
"profit- There are some localities
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within it where the. soil retains mois
ture longer, or where showers, more
often fall in the growing-season," or
where because of higher altitude bet
ter advantage is obtained from winter-moisture.
- But. in. the main the
district is a failure as a. dry farm
ing enterprise. The rainfall is about
eight Inches annually. The- soil has
all the elements of fertility- which
made Irrigation so ivondrously profit
able in the Yakima valley.
Strange Contrast Shown.
The climate is the' same, the gen
eral elevation the same, the drainage
as good or better. Whereas the
Yakima valley, where water has been
turned upon the land, is a famed
garden spot, virtually . adjacent lies
this far greater area dotted here and
there with fields of spindling wheat
or rye, but. more impressive and de
pressing to the visitor, with aban
doned farmsteads, dying orchards, al
most deserted towns, all set down, in
flat plains of sagebrush monotonous
in their view and pungent odor.
It 1s proposed to "water' this area,
containing' more tarra land than Is
now cropped in any one-of at least
ten eastern states, - with the waters
of Fend d Oreille river. The-Pend
d'Orellle -river is the" outlet of a lake
of the same name lying tn Idaho.
This lake is one of the largest-bodies
01 rresh water In the. United States.
But the plan goes baclr of . that with
a scheme for impounding in Flathead
lake : in Montana,. From these two
great reservoirs the flow and quan
titywill be made continuous. ;An im
pounding dam is necessary at Albany
Falls, in the Pend d'Oreille river,
about 60.. -miles north of - Spokane.
Thence the Impounded water are to
be .diverted through 56 miles of con
crete-lined canal, 34 miles of tun
nels, and 40 miles of artificial and
natural lakes, a otal distance of 150
miles to tt point of diversion into
distributing canals at. - - Hillcrest,
Washington.
" " Xeeded Elements There.
- The -distributing system will re
quire construction of 10,000 miles of
concrete-lined laterals. For this
service only one-third of the average
annual flow of the Pend d'Oreille
river will be -utilized. ...
Ail of the physical elements neces
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sary to a successful irrigation project
are present: The water is abundant,
th land fertile, the growing season
long, the drainage perfect, railroad
transportation already present and
adequate. . The feasibility of Irriga
tion in a- neighboring district, identi
cal in all these particulars, has been
proved. The only present lack is a
practicable method of financing so
great a project. The area embraced
is five times that of the largest single
area reclaimed by the government.
It Is equal to the entire cropped area
of the 30 projects now completed by
TIIE . SUNDAY OREGONIAX, PORTLAXD, JULY 18, 1920
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the government. The project is near
ly equivalent in area to the state of
Connecticut; it is twice the size of
the state of Delaware and one-half
as large as Massachusetts or New
Jersey. Nearly four states as large
as Rhode Island could be set down
within it. .
Irrigation projects, that are lm'
mense in area are consequently im
mense in cost. It is estimated that
on the basis of present day cost of
materials and labor the project could
not- be completed for less than $300,
000,000. It is its vastness, both as to
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area to be reclaimed and as to cost,
that calls for education. No detailed
plan of financing it has yet been
worked out", but the general trend l
thought given to the financial ele
ment is that when the shock to
world credits caused by the war has
Girlhood Friends Hopeful
for Mrs. Harding.
Wife of ominH Declared to Be
Woman of Great Ability.
MARION, O., July 17. Many women
of Marion, girlhood acquaint
ances, friends or chums of Mrs. War
ren G. Harding, wife of the republi-
can nominee for the presidency, are
enthusiastic over the possibility that
she may preside at the White House.
They say she is wejl fitted for the du
ties of a president s wife because "she
has a mind bt her own. generally
manages to get what aha wants, is
thoroughly democratic, likes to give
and go to parties, is interested in a
hur.dred and one things, knows how
to talk to everyone. Including men,
and once she knows you always
knows you."
Some Marion residents say that Mrs.
Harding has contributed In Important
ways to Mr. Harding's success in life.
Mrs. Harding was born here August
IT-, 1860, and was reared In this city,
where she attended grammar and
high schools. Afterward she studied
music at the Cincinnati Conservatory
of Music.
As Florence Kllng, daughter of
Amos Kling, banker and one of the
mcst wealthy men in Marlon, she is
described by a girlhood friend, Mrs.
Margaret Y'ounkins, as '"one of the
best, horsewomen I have ever seen."
"She rode and drove more like a
man than a girl," said Mrs. Younkins,
who said she was more accustomed in
those days to seeing Florence. Kling
.dabbing swiftly up the street on
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been overcome, bonds made a lien
upon the lands in the project and
guaranteed by the government should
be salable.
Thus It -Is not proposed that a di.
rect appropriation be asked of the
federal government. possibly some
Billy, her saddle horse, than walking
with the other-girls of her social cir
cle. Other girlhood .friends of Mrs.
Harding told of the times when they
used to "pile into Florence's phaeton
and ride with perfect confidence be
hind her speedy Billy."
rinrcni-n Kllni was married to
Warren G. Harding, then, 'as. now.)
newspaper publisher, on July 8. lssi,
in their present home in Mount Ver
non avenue, Marion. For more than
12 years, until illness prevented, Mrs.
Harding was circulation- manager of
the Star, her husband's newrpaper.
In addition she was the registration
bureau for complaints, advertising
manager and angel to the newsboys.
When Mrs. Harding returns to Mar
ion and mets any of the boys who
carried papers for Senator Harding
when she was circulation manager
sh? pats them on the back, it is said,
and remarks: "Here is one of my
boys he will be famous some day." .
Mrs. Harding has been a member of
"The Twigs," a card club of Marlon,
for many years.
Skirt an Index to Income.
' Indianapolis News.
It was once the custom in Corea
that a man was not permitted to at
tain to the dignity of trousers until
he married. A bachelor was forced
to wear skirts as one who possessed
no definite position in society. More
o.ver, the law prohibited marriage un
less the man was able to support a
wife in the station to which lie was
accustomed, so that the skirt also
served as an index to income.
Find $lS,OOOs He ward SIS.
Exchange.
A 12-e"yar-old newsboy at York. Pa.,
found a wallet containing; tlS.Ouu in
PRODUCTIVE
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method of etate and government co
operation may also be devipert for
guaranteeing the bonds. Just now
the educational effort will be '1'recteJ
toward spreading information 9 to
the physical feasibility of the proj
ect. the vaptness of the area to be
cash and securities and took it to the
owner, who had advertised il;s lo-s.
The man gave the boy $12 and .said he
would pray for. him.
Laminated Ships Explained.
VANCOUVER; B. C. T. Halliday,
Take Tablets without Fear if
For Headache
Pain, Colds
Neuralgia
Toothache
Earache
Lumbago
Rheumatism
"Bayer" introduced Aspirin to physicians 20 years ago.
Handy tin boxes of 12 tablets cost but a few cents Larger packages.
Aspirin la the trad mark ot Bayer Kanutacture of Uonoaceticacldef ter of aUcyUccl4
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reclaimed, the success of Jrrisat'on
in similar areas in Washington and
toward arousing interest 'n the ap
proaching necessity for enlirpr'ng th3
food producing area of th- nation
and supplying the demands of the
land hungry.
Canadian agent for Laminated Wood
Ships of London. Eng.. states some
ships are now beins: built in England
and-that they ran he built to the size
of the largest wooden ship. Lamina
tion is said to add strength by the '
three-ply system of wood, the grain
running in different directions.
you see the "Bayer Cross"
. Insist upon a
'Bayer package,"
which contains
safe, proper
- Directions.
Proved safe by
millions.
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