MURPHV: IRRUiATION IN WESTERN KANSAS. 12^ 



a large amount of water for years show no sign of failure or diminu- 

 tion. 



This water must be raised to the surface before it is available for 

 use. Two methods of doing this are in use, that of a long reservoir 

 or canal whose bed is below the surface of the underflow water and 

 into which it gradually collects and either runs off by gravity or is 

 pumped out into a canal. The second method, and the only one 

 now used, is to drive one or more well points down into the under- 

 flow stratum, attach a pump and operate the pump by windpower. 



The canals' in the Arkansas valley in western Kansas are shown on 

 the accompanying map and will be described in the order their head- 

 works are found in going up the river. 



The South Dodge Canal was constructed in 1889 b}- the South 

 Dodge Canal Co. It is located on the south side of the river and 

 irrigates bottom land only. It was the intention of the owners to get 

 all the water for this canal from the underflow but they have found 

 it impossible so to do, and three years ago a channel was cut to the 

 river and now nearly all the water carried by this canal is taken 

 directly from the river. The head of this canal is about 9 miles west 

 of Dodge. The canal is 15 miles long, has 20 miles of laterals, is 

 15 ft. wide at the bottom, 25 ft. wide at the top, 3'- ft. deep, has a 

 grade of from 2 to 3 ft. to the mile and a carrying capacity of 75 

 cu. ft. per sec. 



The foundation or underflow ditch from which the water was to be 

 gotten is i '4 miles long, 50 ft. wide, and extends along the river 

 from 100 to 200 ft. from it. The fall of the river being 7 ft. to the 

 mile and that of the underflow ditch 2 ft., the upper end of this ditch 

 was 6I4 ft below the bed of the river, and thus the water from the 

 river and the underflow on the other side of ditch gradually found its 

 way into the ditch by seepage. The sand is gradually flowing in and 

 filling up this fountain, and the owners see that it is cheaper and 

 better to pump the water from a small area or well than to try to 

 collect it in a long ditch. The cost of the works was $50,000, one- 

 half of which was spent on the fountain. It commands an area 

 of 15,000 acres. 



The Eureka canal was constructed during the years 1S84-88 by the 

 Eureka Canal Co.; it is now owned by the Western Kansas Water 

 Works & Irrigation Co. It is 96 'miles long and has 150 miles of 

 laterals. It is 40 ft. wide at the top, 25 ft. at the bottom, 5 ft. deep, 

 and has a carrying capacity of 300 cu. ft. per sec. It leaves the 

 river on the north side at a point about i'.' miles west of Ingalls. 

 It has a fountain or underflow ditch at its head constructed in 1S86 

 and '87, extending about ^4- "'^i^e up along the side of the river from 



