200 



THE IERIGATION AGE. 



commissioner of public works, dealing with drainage 

 and river rectification problems. 



A board of public works was created by a new 

 charter for San Francisco in January, 1900. This 

 board, under the presidency of Col. G. N. Kendell, 

 appointed Mr. Grunsky city engineer of that city, which 

 position he held until appointed Isthmian Canal Com- 

 missioner, 1904-5. As city engineer of San Francisco 

 he made plans for a municipal electric light plant, a 

 municipal gas works, a municipal telephone system, 

 waterworks for a supply of water from the Sierra 

 Nevada mountains, estimated to cost about $40,000,000, 

 a city railway system and various public improvements, 

 including a system of main canals ($7,250,000) public 

 buildings and parks for which bonds have been voted 

 aggregating about $17,000,000. 



While in private practice he was engineer for sev- 

 eral irrigation and drainage districts and consulting 

 engineer for a number of cities on sewerage and water 

 supply systems. In 1897 he contributed severa-1 water 

 supply papers to the United States Geological Survey's 

 publications and in 1899 and 1900 was one of the 

 experts reporting to the Agricultural Department of 

 the United States upon irrigation and use of water 

 from rivers in California. Some of his reports that 

 have appeared in print are: 



Eeport of the Examining Commission on Rivers 

 and Harbors for California, 1890; Report of the Con- 

 sulting Engineers to the Commissioner of Public Works, 

 California, 1895 ; Report on the Reclamation of District 

 108, California, 1896; United States Geological Survey, 

 Water Supply and Irrigation Papers, Nos. 17, 18 and 

 19; United States Department of Agriculture Bulle- 

 tin, No. 100, Chapter on Irrigation from Kings River, 

 California ; Report on a Sewerage System for San Fran- 

 cisco, 1893 and 1899 ; Reports on the Water Supply In- 

 vestigation for San Francisco, published in Municipal 

 Reports of San Francisco, 1900-01, 1901-02, 1902-03, 

 and 1903-04 (the last not yet in print). 



The Municipal Reports named contain also his 

 other reports relating to public utilities and to public 

 improvements of various kinds which are to be made 

 in San Francisco under bond issues. 



He is a member and director and has been presi- 

 dent of the Technical Society for the Pacific Coast; 

 member of the American Society of Civil Engineers; 

 member and one of the Board of Trustees of the Cali- 

 fornia Academy of Sciences; member and president of 

 the German General Benevolent Society of San Fran- 

 cisco (German Hospital) ; member of many other so- 

 cieties and organizations. 



He was married March 12, 1884, in Sacramento, 

 Cal., to Mattie Kate Powers, daughter of A. H. Powers, 

 now of Kings River, Fresno County, Cal. 



He has four children Carl Ewald Jr., Kate Louise, 

 Eugene Lucius and Clotilde. 



THE RECLAMATION SERVICE IN IDAHO. 



BY "UNCLE SILAS." 



In a recent communication from an official in the 

 Interior Department, Washington, D. C., we are in- 

 formed that the position which Mr. C. E. Grunsky is to 

 occupy is that of advisor to the Director of the Geolog- 

 ical Survey. This information reached our hands after 

 other matter on the subject appearing in this issue was 

 in type. 



In glancing at the map of Idaho it will be observed 

 that the Snake River almost encircles the southern por- 

 tion of the State. Snake River proper is formed by 

 the confluence of numerous streams and forks descend- 

 ing from the lofty and rugged mountainous region in 

 and about the Yellowstone National Park in the north- 

 western corner of the State of Wyoming. As these 

 streams debouch from the mountains they distribute 

 themselves over the lava plain forming the western 

 flank of the mountains through innumerable channels, 

 finally uniting, as already stated, to form the Snake 

 River near the eastern boundary line of the State of 

 Idaho. The fan-like course of these numerous streams 

 centering toward a common point has given rise to 

 the term, "The Delta of the Snake." Owing to the 

 abundance of water and the excessive slope of the plain 

 and the sha-llowness of the various channels, all con- 

 tributing to lessen the difficulty and expense of divert- 

 ing the water for the purpose of irrigation, this was 

 one of the first portions of the State to be occupied 

 by settlers and to be reclaimed by irrigation and is 

 today a thriving, prosperous, well-populated district. 

 From this part of the State Snake River flows toward 

 the south gradually swinging to the west, thence 

 toward the north and finally veering to the east, mak- 

 ing almost a complete semi-circle about 250 miles in 

 diameter. In a distance of 300 miles in its course across 

 the State the river falls over 2,000 feet, the general 

 slope of the country in a measure corresponding with 

 that of the river. The drop of the river is not on an 

 even slope, but is accomplished through a succession 

 of "over-shots" or cascades on a large scale. Above 

 these falls the river approaches the general level of the 

 adjoining country and at or near the crest of the falls 

 are to be found sites favorable for the diversion of the 

 water necessary for irrigating the contiguous country, 

 and practically every available location for such a pur- 

 pose along Snake River had been appropriated by in- 

 dividuals or corporations organized for the purpose, at 

 the time of the passage of the law instituting the recla- 

 mation work on the part of the Government. In most 

 cases these projects were well underway and some of 

 them had progressed to that point where the work of 

 construction was about to begin- plans formulated, ex- 

 tensive surveys made and financial backing procured, 

 when the agents and officials of the Government Recla- 

 mation Service appeared upon the ground and took 

 possession of them, appropriating everything the pro- 

 jectors had acquired up to that time a ruthless, high- 

 handed outrage. The first step taken by the Govern- 

 ment was to segregate the land and withdraw it from 

 entry. Of course, this step was effective and put an 

 end to the enterprise at once. Some of the companies 

 were wise and made peace with the officials at once. 

 It is alleged that it cost one of these corporations 

 $100,000 to secure immunity and it is a noticeable fact 

 that the enterprise concerned in this rumor is the 

 only one that has been allowed to proceed, and the con- 

 summation of this project is a striking demonstration of 

 the success of "private enterprise" in this direction. 

 The Minidoka Company placed such absolute reliance 

 upon receiving fair treatment and just consideration 



