266 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



This fact is amply attested by the course and con- 

 duct of Messrs. Walcott and Newell of the Geological 

 Survey. 



The moment those distinguished gentlemen got a 

 few whiffs of that peculiar ozone they forgot that they 

 had ever recommended the San Carlos reservoir and sup- 

 ported that recommendation with facts, figures and ar- 

 guments that are positively unanswerable. In truth, 

 forgot everything except that they had suddenly become 

 enamored of the Tonto reservoir project and the man- 

 agers of the private land syndicates who are endeavoring 

 to turn a beneficent public measure to private account. 



To what peculiar quality in this ozone is its hyp- 

 notic power due ? A curious public would like to know. 

 Has it in it merely a sort of love gas that enchants and 

 enchains, or other seductive quality that captivates ? 



'But whatever the cause, the effect is painfully ap- 

 parent. It has caused these geological gentlemen to 

 repudiate all their reports and recommendations relative 

 to the feasibility of, and necessity for, the San Carlos 

 dam, and placed them in the unenviable position of hav- 

 ing discredited themselves in the estimation of all fair- 

 minded people. 



From 1889 up to the time when the breathing of 

 thi's Phoenix hypnotic ozone began to work a reversal 

 of their opinions as to the feasibility of the San Carlos 

 project, these geological gentlemen widely proclaimed 

 the San Carlos reservoir as the only feasible storage 

 proposition in Arizona that could be taken up by the 

 government with justice to itself and to the people. 

 After devoting two years' time to the work of surveying, 

 sounding, testing the bed-rock borings, making contour 

 and other maps, making estimates, studying conditions, 

 etc., and expending about $30,000 in the work, they 

 recommended the construction of the San Carlos dam, in 

 reports to the Secretary of the Interior, in such strong 

 terms, and supported this recommendation by such an 

 array of alluring figures, as to cause the .secretary to 

 earnestly press Congress for an appropriation for its 

 immediate construction. 



These recommendations are still on file in the de- 

 partment, together with all the official map?, data, etc., 

 and in view of the present attitude of these gentlemen 

 toward the San Carlos dam they will make very inter- 

 esting reading. I cannot quote them in full, as they 

 would fill an hundred columns of THE AGE. On the 

 recommendation of Mr. Walcott they were printed by 

 the government in pamphlet form as document "No. 

 33, Irrigation Papers of the U. S. Geological Survey." 

 Any one can obtain a copy by writing a request for it to 

 the department of the Geological Survey. 



In transmitting the reports to the Secretary of the 

 Interior, Mr. Walcott states that the investigations upon 

 which they were based were originally entrusted to 

 Arthur P. Davis, assisted by J. B. Lippincott ; that be- 

 fore they were completed Mr. Davis was called away and 

 the work was completed under the direction of Mr. Lip- 

 pincott. Mr. Walcott also stated in the letter of trans- 

 mittal that the conclusions of Mr. Lippincott had been 

 verified by Mr. James D. Schuyler, one of the greatest 

 engineering authorities on dams and reservoirs in the 

 United States. Mr. Schuyler submitted a separate and 

 detailed report from which we quote only a few of his 

 conclusions and recommendations as follows: 



That the Gila river is the only available source of 

 permanent supply for the Pima Indians. 



That feasible reservoir and dam sites exist on the 

 Gila at the Buttes, Riverside and San Carlos. 



That it is feasible to construct a masonry dam at 

 Riverside at a cost of $1,898,605, including damages for 

 right of way and diversion dam at the head of the Flor- 

 ence canal, forming a reservoir with a capacity of 221,- 

 134 acre-feet. 



That it is feasible to increase the height of the dam 

 at the Riverside dam at least 70 feet higher than the one 

 estimated upon, giving an ultimate reservoir capacity 

 of about 650,000 acre-feet, which would not be filled 

 with solid matter short of sixty-seven years. 



That it is feasible to construct a masonry dam at 

 San Carlos at a cost of $1,038,926, including damages 

 for right of way and diversion dam at the head of the 

 Florence canal, forming a reservoir of 241,396 acre-feet 

 capacity and that the water supply is ample to fill such 

 a reservoir in the years of minimum flow, and that the 

 volume of storage will irrigate at least 100,000 acres in 

 addition to the irrigation of the lands of the Indians. 



That it is feasible to construct a dam at San Carlos 

 at least 70 feet higher than that contemplaed in the es- 

 timates, forming a reservoir whose ultimate capacity 

 would be approximately 550,000 acre-feet and whose 

 probable life of usefulness would be sixty-three years 

 before being filled with silt. 



That provision should be made in the working 

 plans for these ultimate extensions suggested and the 

 right of way reserved in the reservoir basin for the ad- 

 ditional area that may ultimately be flooded. 



That the working plans for the San Carlos dam 

 should be drawn to permit of the complete utilization 

 of all power which may be developed from the head of 

 the water issuing from the reservoir and steps be taken 

 for realizing upon the full commercial value of the 

 power. 



From Mr. Lippincott's report we make the follow- 

 ing extracts: 



"The information concerning the bed rock is 

 meager, but it is considered fair to estimate the maxi- 

 mum depth of bed rock at 74 feet. The bed rock itself 

 is a very close grained; hard limestone and all that could 

 be desired for foundation purposes." 



Estimated cost of San Carlos dam on a basis of 74 

 feet to bed rock : 



Rubble masonry, laid in concrete, 94,730 



cubic yards, at $6 $ 568,380 



NOTE. With sand cement at $4.63 per 

 barrel, or $4.28 per cubic yard. (See 

 Duryee's report.) This figure is based 

 on half of the mass being large rock and 

 half concrete. 



Excavation, foundation, pumping, etc 150,000 



1 semi-circular tower of concrete, 13,632 

 cubic feet, at 50 cents 6,816 



1 tower, same diameter inside, 60 feet high, 



4,388 cubic feet, at 50 cents 2,119 



2 tower houses, including the semi-circular 



base of concrete, at $750 each 1,500 



10 inlets for towers, at $500 each 5,000 



2 balance valves, at $1,000 each 2,000 



2 balance valves, at $750 each 1,500 



610 linear feet of footbridge, at $10 6,100 



5 miles of railway, moved, at $10,000 per 



mile 50,000 



New irrigation system above the Indian 



agency 20,000 



Damage to agency and post buildings 60,000 



Low water diversion tunnel 10,000 



