58 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



A recent dispatch from Portland, Ore., gives the 

 following information : 



The Oregon irrigation association adopted resolu- 

 tions requesting F. H. Newell, chief hydrographer of the 

 United States Geological survey, to begin work at once 

 on reclamation projects under the national irrigation 

 law at such points in Eastern Oregon as in his judgment 

 offer the best assurances of success and benefit. 



Mr. Newell, in an address to the association, said 

 the United States would not interfere with existing 

 rights and that companies organized to do the work 

 would be allowed to continue without interference from 

 the United States government. 



had by purchase at cost from the Superintendent of 

 Documents, Washington City, and may also generally 

 be obtained free of charge from the applicant's Member 

 of Congress. 



One of the functions of the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion, at Washington, is the diffusion of knowledge in 

 language "understanded of the people;" so that, while 

 most of its works are intended primarily for the special- 

 ist, there is an exception made by the Secretary in pub- 

 lishing an Appendix to the Report of the Board of 

 Regents, which is in fact an annual summary of the 

 most interesting events of the scientific year, prepared 

 for that large body of the public which does not care for 

 professional memoirs, but has a general interest in such 

 matters. 



This popular volume for 1901 is before us. It con- 

 tains fifty articles, many of them illustrated, nearly all 

 prepared by masters of the respective subjects, telling 

 in clear and interesting language of the latest progress 

 in all the principal branches of knowledge. 



A short s-ketch of the history and work of the 

 Smithsonian Institution begins with a paragraph from 

 President Roosevelt's first message to Congress, in which 

 he calls attention to the Institution's functions and "its 

 present needs. The paper further states that the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, which is composed of the President 

 and his Cabinet, and the Vice-President and Chief 

 Justice of the United States, has a remarkable organi- 

 zation for the administration of funds for the promotion 

 of science. Its activities could be still further increased 

 if it had greater means at its absolute disposal; while 

 those who are thinking of giving for some special 

 scientific object may yet find the Regents, on account of 

 the peculiarly disinterested position they hold, the best 

 counsellors in suggesting the channel into which gifts 

 for public purposes might be directed, even should they 

 not see their way clear to accepting such donations for 

 the Institution itself. 



"Bodies Smaller than Atoms" is the title of an 

 interesting paper, and as we read "The Laws of Nature," 

 "The Greatest Flying Creature," and "The Fire Walk 

 Ceremony at Tahiti," we are reminded of the wide range 

 of subjects included in the Report. Wireless telegraphy, 

 transatlantic telephoning, and the telephonograph are 

 discussed by experts in electrical progress. Attention 

 ought also to be called to papers on utilization of the 

 sun's energy, the Bogosloi? volcanoes of Alaska, forest 

 destruction, irrigation, the Children's Room at the 

 Smithsonian, the submarine boat, a new African animal, 

 pictures by prehistoric cave-dwellers in France, auto- 

 mobile races, the terrible lizards that once lived in Am- 

 erica, and Mr. Thompson Seton's paper on the National 

 Zoological Park at Washington. 



The whole volume has been called "the best popular 

 scientific annual published in the world." 



The Smithsonian Reports are distributed by the 

 Institution to libraries throughout the world; may be 



ONE HORSEPOWER. 



When men first begin to become familiar with the 

 methods of measuring mechanical power, they often 

 speculate on where the breed of horses is to be found 

 that can keep at work raising 3,000 pounds one foot per 

 minute, or the equivalent, which is more familiar to some 

 mechanics, of raising 330 pounds 100 feet per minute. 

 Since 33,000 pounds raised one foot per minute is 

 called one horsepower it is natural that people should 

 think the engineers who establish that unit of measure- 

 ment based it on what horses could really do. But the 

 horse that can do this work does not exist. 



The horsepower unit was established by James 

 Watt about a century ago, and the figures were fixed in 

 a curious way. Watt found that the average horse of his 

 district could raise 22,000 pounds one foot per minute. 

 At that time Watt was emploved in the manufacture 

 of engines, and customers were so hard to find that all 

 kinds of artificial inducements were necessary to induce 

 power users to buy steam engines. As a method of en- 

 couraging them Watt offered to sell engines reckoning 

 33,000 foot pounds to a horsepower. And thus he was 

 the means of giving a false unit to one of the most im- 

 portant measurements in the world. 



THE DEARBORN CANAL. 



Montana State Arid Land Grant Commission Reports 

 on It. 



A meeting of the members of the Montana State 

 Arid Land Giant co anunon was recently held in M ; s- 

 soula at 'the office of the president, Col. Thomas C. 

 Marshall. The full membership was present President 

 Marshall, Vice-President and Field Agent Donald Brad- 

 ford, Helena, and Secretary D. H. Cory, of Helena. 

 The business considered was largely routine, but a re- 

 port presented by the field agent showed the affairs of 

 the commission were being carried forward as directed, 

 and that indications pointed to a large amount of good 

 which would follow plans for irrigating a large area of 

 land in Northern Montana. 



Figures of the agent were confined largely to work 

 being done on the Dearborn canal in the northern part 

 of the state. He furnished documents to show that 

 the canal now carried water that was irrigating satis- 

 factorily nearly 14,000 acres. One-half of this has been 

 contracted for bv settlers now living on the lands, and 

 who have made at least one payment on a contract pur- 

 chase. Other letters read gave assurance that the re- 

 mainder of the land would probably be claimed within 

 the coming six months. 



According to previous arrangements, the board 

 will go ahead with the erection of reservoirs and dams 

 to hold water for the irrigation of a tract containing 

 22,000 acres in Cascade county. The supply for this 

 will come through the Dearborn canal. It is not 

 expected the work on this feature will be completed be- 

 fore 1904. 



Renew your subscriptions to the IRRIGATION AGE 

 for 1903. Send us in Post Office or Express money 

 order for $1.00. 



