266 THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



SNAKE RIVER. 



Snake river was gaged; immediately above Jackson's Lake on 

 September 5th. It discharges 147 cubic feet per second. This is 

 above all of its important tributaries. When it crosses the Wyoming- 

 Idaho line it rivals the Big Horn in size. On September 5th the 

 Arkansas river discharged 184 cubic feet per second; the North 

 Platte river discharged 575 cubic feat par second; the Laramie river 

 discharged 70 cubic feet per second; the Poudre river discharged 165 

 cubic feet per second. 



THE SHOSHONE RIVER. 



On September 15th, 1897, the Shoshone river was gaged near 

 Corbett, Wyoming, Its volume on that day was 360 feet per second. 

 This discharge is the lowest that has ever been known. On the 

 same day in 1897, the Arkansas river discharged 426 cubic feet per 

 second; the North Platte river discharged 525 cubic feet per second; 

 the Laramie river discharged 70 cubic feet per second; the Poudre 

 river discharged 70 cubic feet per second. 



In 1897, the streams draining this part of Wyoming were unusu- 

 ally low while rivers in the south-eastern portion of the state were 

 .correspondingly high. The Shoshone river particularly felt the 

 effect of a light snow-fall in the mountains. However, in May its 

 mean daily discharge was over 8,000 cubic feet per second and in 

 June it exceeded 5,000. The June discharges would in one day cover 

 9,900 acres one foot deep or suffice for the proper irrigation of 5,000 

 acres one entire season, if impounded and utilized. 



In thirty days with this volume flowing each day, 297,000 acres 

 could be covered one foot deep or to contain it would require a 

 reservoir, covering nearly 6,000 acres 50 feet deep. This quantity of 

 water would irrigate 150,000 acres. 



WATER POWER. 



All of these mountain streams have a large fall. Wind river is 



as fair a type as can be chosen. From the mouth of Warm Springs 



creek to Crowheart Butte is a distance of 46 miles. The total 



difference in elevation between these two points is 1,775 feet, or 38 



feet per mile. Sixteen hundred cubic feet per second with this fall 



would furnish nearly 7,000 horse-power each mile. At high water 



his would be increased to exceed 159,000 horse-power per mile. In 



his small portion of the river there goes to waste at low water 322, - 



000, and at high water 6,900,000 horse-power. 



The Shoshone river, excepting the canon through Cedar Moun- 

 tain, has an average fall of 25 feet per mile. Through the canon 

 it falls 100 feet per mile. 



The lowest discharge of the stream, or 360 cubic feet per second, 

 would furnish 1,025 horse-power each mile, which, in the canon, 



