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THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



KANSAS CITY, Dec. 28. The States of Kansas and Colo- 

 rado are the contestants in a suit of law in the United States 

 Supreme Court. The bone of contention is the Arkansas 

 River. 



This river flows through an arid region in southwestern 

 Colorado and western Kansas, that was known as the Great 

 American Desert fifty years ago. The development of irri- 

 gation has turned a large part of this, nearly 350,000 acres, 

 into the most fruitful fields of the entire Rocky Mountain 

 States. The celebrated Rockyford melons are grown here, 

 likewise heavy yields of sugar beets, alfalfa, fruit and garden 

 truck. 



Land that could not have been given away a few decades 

 ago is now selling at from $50 to $200 per acre, and farmers 

 are making it pay at these prices. All this prosperity has 

 come through irrigation and the source of the water supply 

 is the Arkansas River. 



Now Kansas goes to the United States Supreme Court 

 with the complaint that the appropriation 6f the river waters 

 by the Colorado farmers has had the effect of almost entirely 

 drying up the stream in Kansas. 



The water used by the irrigators is not lost, but percolates 

 through the surface soil and then unites to form an under- 

 ground stream, flowing in approximately the same direction 

 as the course of the river in its normal flow before any of 

 its waters were' diverted for the purpose of watering the 

 thirsty fields of the Great American Desert. 



The question involves a large amount of capital. The 

 value of the irrigated lands of this section of Colorado is 

 $269,000,000 and the irrigating works have cost $25,000,000. 

 There are a number of large reservoirs, and some of the 

 canals are over 100 miles long. 



The defense made by the people of Colorado is that unless 

 so used the water would go to waste, and that the benefit 

 derived by using it in irrigation is sufficient to warrant its 

 used for that purpose. 



It is further argued that it has been used for irrigation 

 since 1859 and was, in that year, recognized by the legis- 

 lature of Kansas Territory, then including the Arkansas Val- 

 ley of Colorado, by granting charters to several companies, 

 for the purpose of establishing irrigating works. Also that 

 Kansas upholds the irrigation system today by allowing the 

 use of the Arkansas waters for irrigation of lands in western 

 Kansas to the extent of 150,000 acres. 



The case will probably not be heard for at least two years. 

 In the meantime the Colorado people will endeavor to have 

 the supreme justices visit the territory in question in order 

 that they may appreciate the gravity of the question. Should 

 Kansas win the whole system of irrigation would be en- 

 dangered by like claims. 



GROWTH OF UTAH'S SMELTERS. 



While the mines of Utah are yearly producing more 

 than $30,000,000 in ores, an army of workmen employed 

 at the nearby smelters contribute in no small degree 

 to Salt Lake's trade and wealth. 



Nearly 3,000 men are constantly on the payroll of 

 the various plants in the valley that are occupied with 

 the reduction of ores. 



The largest of these great plants is that of the Amer- 

 ican Smelting and Refining Company, which alone en- 

 gages 1,000 men and daily transforms 1,000 tons of ore 

 into bullion. This smelter is located at Murray, seven 

 miles south of Salt Lake City. In the past four years 

 Murray has advanced from a straggling village into an 

 active and growing little city with all modern improve- 

 ments and hundreds of new buildings. 



Three miles further to the southwest is the plant 

 of the Highland Boy Mining Company, which in the 

 last year has been doubled in capacity and now employs 

 400 men. Then in the same vicinity are the smelters of 

 the United States and the Bingham Consolidated Com- 

 panies, both of which are now largely increasing their 

 daily capacity to keep pace with their mine development 



and also for the purpose of entering the open market 

 for ores. 



The total capacity of these plants contiguous to 

 Salt Lake City is now 3,500 tons of ore per day and as 

 another year or two will advance Utah from fourth to 



Biagham Copper & Gold Mining Co.'s Smelter, Bingham Junction. 

 Utah, near i-alt Lake. 



second place among the States that produce precious 

 metals, the smelting interests will certainly grow in 

 like manner. 



RECLAMATION OF ARID WEST. 



Government Engineer C. J. Blanchard, of the United States 

 Reclamation Service, Writes of Work. 



The Engineers of Uncle Sam's reclamation service 

 now engaged in solving the difficult problems incident 

 upon the irrigation of millions of acres Of arid public 

 lands in the inter-mountain country, are often at work 

 in regions which possess remarkable historical and 

 archffiological interest. 



ANCIENT CANALS UNEARTHED. 



In the valley of the Salt River the lines of modern 

 canals follow closely the ditches of the ancient races 

 which once densely populated it. The excavations of 

 the scientific ditching machine uncovered the irrigating 

 canals of lost races, the records of which are shrouded 

 in the gloom of past centuries. Many of these ancient 

 canals show a knowledge of engineering, and all bear 

 evidence of the patience and industry of their builders. 

 Although construction took place doubtless before the 

 age of metals, these canals in many places were cut 

 through solid rock at a cost of time and labor which it 

 is impossible for us now to more than faintly conjecture. 



Down in the lower valley of the Rio Grande in this ; 

 country, Government engineers for many years have] 

 studied the problems of flood storage, and have made 

 exhaustive researches for feasible and adequate reservoir 

 sites. Since the passage of the irrigation law the en- 

 gineers of the service have pursued these investigations 

 industriously, and an especially fine reservoir site has 

 been located which promises to transform a wonderful' 

 desert valley into one of our most productive and pop- , 

 ulous sections. 



A peculiar interest attaches to the selection of this 

 reservoir site from the fact that the region which is to; 

 be benefited by the waters conserved in it is today being 

 irrigated by the oldest irrigation system in use in this 

 country. This portion of the Rio Grande basin is 

 known as the Mesilla Valley, and lies on both sides 



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