TWO YEARS OF RECLAMATION WORK. 



SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF PASSING OF THE RECLAMATION 

 LAW IN JUNE WORK HAS PROGRESSED RAPIDLY A HIGHLY 

 EFFICIENT ENGINEERING BODY HAS BEEN ORGANIZED- 

 SUMMARY OF PROJECTS AND APPORTIONMENT OF FUND. 



THE 1 7th of June is a day celebrated his trusted agents, ' ' Perform this work 



in American history, and it has an carefully and as rapidly as is consistent 



added meaning to people of the West, with business caution, and I will see 



for upon that date, in the year 1902, that you are protected from outside 



President Roosevelt signed the Recla- pressure for places or spoils. " He has 



mation Act, initiating the great gov- committed to Mr. Charles D. Walcott, 



ernment work of reclaiming the arid the Director of the Geological Survey, 



lands of the West. the larger aspect of the work, and has 



June 17, 1904, is the second anniver- approved all of the important recom- 



sary of the Reclamation Service. Start- mendations made by him. 

 ing with a small group of engineers who Mr. Walcott, in the thorough and 



had been engaged for years in studying active way in which he has directed the 



the opportunities of reclamation, it has Survey, has thrown himself into the 



rapidly expanded within this short time prosecution of this great work. For 



to a large, well balanced engineering years he has studied the question, and 



corps that is the equal of any in the the passing of the Reclamation Law was 



world. This has been done by drawing but the signal he had been waiting for 



experienced men from all parts of the to set in motion the machinery of what 



country, and particularly by grouping has already proved to be a most compe- 



together those who have had practical tent organization. 



experience in the construction of irri- The actual field-work of the Recla- 

 gation systems. The expansion of the mation Service he has wisely left en- 

 work, though rapid, has been carried tirely to Mr. F. H. Newell, chief engi- 

 on with great caution. Every man has neer, whose long service as head of the 

 been considered and has been selected Division of Hydrography has given him 

 after competitive examination and full unusual opportunities for studying the 

 approval as to mental and physical needs of the arid regions of the West, 

 qualifications. Under Mr. Ne well's energetic lead the 



At the outset fears were expressed field-work has gone forward vigorously, 



that the reclamation law would prove with the result that today, two years 



disastrous to all concerned. The prin- from the passage of the Reclamation 



cipal opponents of the passage of the L/aw, fourteen highly important projects 



law were among the wisest of the states- have been approved and funds appor- 



men of both parties. They prophesied tioned for their construction. At this 



that there would be a sudden influx of time a summary of the various reclama- 



political appointees and a carnival of tion projects being undertaken by the 



spoilsmen in the distribution of the federal government will be of interest, 

 money. So far these gloomy forebod- An apportionment of $27,000,000 of 



ings have not proved in the least true. the reclamation fund for the construc- 



Great caution has been displayed in the tion of fourteen irrigation projects in 



organization and conduct of the work, the arid West has been decided upon 



and while energy and zeal have been by the Secretary of the Interior, who 



employed, yet each step has been care- has approved the plans of the engineers 



fully considered by far-seeing engineers for works in the following states : Ari- 



and business men. zona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Mon- 



The Secretary of the Interior has tana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, 



guarded every point from attack from North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, 



the outside. He has said in effect to Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. 



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