378 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



August 



and Coronado Beach, draftsman in 

 the surveyor's and city engineer's of- 

 fice in Los Angeles. In 1901 he was 

 employed by the United States Geo- 

 logical Survey in hydrographic and 

 geological investigations, and in 1903 

 he received an appointment as engineer 

 in the Reclamation Service. 



Mr. Hamlin's resignation was ac- 

 cepted with much regret by the officials 

 of the service, as the demand for good 

 engineers is greatly in excess of the 

 supply. This is especially true in Gov- 

 ernment work on account of the low 

 salaries paid by Uncle Sam as com- 

 pared with those received in private 

 practice. 



. Information has been re- 



Drow^ed ceived at the Washing- 



ton office that Mr. I. \Y. 

 Huffaker, of Wheatland, Cal., assist- 

 ant engineer in the U. S. Reclamation 

 Service, has been drowned in one of 

 the canals of the Truckee-Carson irri- 

 gation project, about five miles west 

 of Fallon, Nev. 



While awaiting the arrival of a sur- 

 vey party Mr. Huffaker and one of 

 his assistants decided to go in swim- 

 ming at a point where the water sur- 

 face of the canal was about 60 feet 

 and the depth of water between eight 

 and nine feet. Both of them were 

 poor swimmers and he sank while at- 

 tempting to swim across the canal. His 

 companion, Mr. Wilbur, was barely 

 able to save himself. 



Mr. Huffaker has been engaged in 

 general surveying in Montana and in 

 the construction of iron smelters. In 

 1903 he was appointed engineering aid 

 in the Reclamation Service on Walker 

 River basin and since the fall of that 

 year has been constantly engaged on 

 the Truckee-Carson project, having 

 had charge of the construction of the 

 Carson River diversion dam and Lake 

 Tahoe outlet regulation work. 



Hondo 

 Project 



Mr. B. M. Hall, of the 

 Reclamation Service, 

 and supervising engineer 

 for \Yu Mexico, Texas, and Okla- 

 homa, who is in Washington for a few 

 days on business connected with his 



district, reports a most promising state 

 of affairs on the Hondo irrigation pro- 

 ject in southeastern New Mexico. 



All contracts are completed, earth- 

 work on the laterals is finished, and 

 nothing now remains undone except 

 seme of the small structures in the dis- 

 tributing system, and some puddling 

 in the reservoir. This work is being 

 carried on by force account under the 

 supervision of the engineers. The set- 

 tlers have been receiving the usual low 

 water supply throughout the season, 

 but next spring they will enter into 

 their proper heritage, the reservoir be- 

 ing completed and an ample water sup- 

 ply for all needs assured. 



Although the land under this project 

 is all in private ownership, Mr. Hall 

 reports that most of the farmers are 

 cutting their farms down to forty 

 acres. This action will insure a dense 

 population, more intensive cultivation, 

 and a consequence increase in the 

 value of the land. The marvelous re- 

 sults of irrigation in this section when 

 sufficient water is applied has been 

 demonstrated in the Roswell district 

 lying just to the east of the Hondo 

 project. Four crops of alfalfa are 

 harvested, while corn, garden truck, 

 cantaloupes, grapes, apples and other 

 fruits produce abundantly. The de- 

 licious flavor of irrigated fruits is be- 

 coming well known, and the apples 

 which are shipped to Chicago and 

 dther Eastern markets command a 

 high price. 



Next year one-tenth of the cost of 

 construction of this project, or $33,360, 

 will be returned to the reclamation 

 fund to be used again in the construc- 

 tion of other projects. 



Contracts 



with 



Water Users 



The Secretary of the In- 

 terior has executed a 

 contract with the Sunny- 

 side Water Users' Association, Wash- 

 ington, to secure repayment to the 

 United States of moneys expended in 

 the construction of the Sunnyside ir- 

 rigation project. Wash. 



A contract on behalf of the United 

 States with the Yuma County Water 

 Users' Association, organized in con- 



