426 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



September 



tion of homes for thousands of set- 

 tlers in place of allowing the stream 

 to flow idly to join the Missouri with- 

 out benefit to the community. 



On Cash 

 Basis 



The Reclamation Service 

 has definitely put all of 

 its engineers and experts 

 on a cash basis. During the period of 

 initiation of the work it was necessary 

 to pay the men in the field not only 

 their regular wages, but also to fur- 

 nish them subsistence. With the crea- 

 tion of permanent camps or stations 

 the necessity of furnishing rations no 

 longer existed, and it seemed wise to 

 require that all men, whether laborers 

 or engineers, obtaining subsistence at 

 these camps should pay a flat rate of 

 75 cents per day for meals furnished. 

 This charge is accordingly deducted 

 from the salaries or wages paid, and 

 these are adjusted accordingly, so that 

 salaries are now comparable on a 

 money basis, and are not confused 

 with the questions of subsistence. 



More than one-half of 

 Half Done tne g reat Gunnison tun- 

 nel in Colorado was 

 completed by the first of September, 

 according to a report from the en- 

 gineer in charge of the work. The 

 total length from the east portal in 

 Gunnison canyon to heading No. i 

 on August 31st was 4,416 feet. The 

 total length from the west portal, in 

 Uncompahgre Valley, was 10,896 feet, 

 making a total of 15,312 feet. 



The Reclamation Service, which is 

 prosecuting the work by force account, 

 has broken the world's record in tun- 

 nel construction on this work. During 

 July and Augiust, however, the rate 

 of progress was reduced on account 

 of an extremely hard vein of rock in 

 heading No. 1 and the treacherous 

 ground in heading No. 2, which re- 

 quired handling with the utmost cau- 

 tion in order to prevent loss of life and 

 destruction of property. The difficul- 

 ties in connection with ventilation and 

 transportation also increase with the 

 length of tunnel from portals. Six 

 hundred and ninety-eight feet were ex- 



cavated during August. Machinery is 

 in place and the work of placing con- 

 crete masonry will commence this 

 month. Work on the South side canal 

 is progressing satisfactorily. 



Pumping 

 in Kansas 



In September, 1905, the 

 Secretary of the In- 

 terior approved the plans 

 for the construction of a pumping 

 plant in the Arkansas Valley, near 

 Garden City, Kans., to supply water 

 to the Farmers' Ditch. Contracts have 

 been let and the work of construction 

 of this project is now under way under 

 the supervision of the U. S. Reclama- 

 tion Service. 



Mr. Charles S. Slichter, of Madison, 

 Wis., who made an extensive investi- 

 gation of the movement of the under- 

 ground waters of the Arkansas Valley 

 is in Washington for a few days and 

 is most enthusiastic over the future 

 of that portion of Kansas. He said : 

 "The stimulus given to this part of 

 the Arkansas Valley by the proposed 

 pumping plant has greatly developed 

 the installation of pumping plants by 

 private parties. The census recently 

 taken shows that 162 privately built 

 pumping plants have been put in ser- 

 vice in the Arkarsas Valley within the 

 last twelve months. 



"A large number of these pumping 

 plants are operated by gasoline en- 

 gines. A few that have been installed 

 at Rocky Ford, Colo., use hard coal in 

 gas generators which supply gas en- 

 gines. These gas plants at Rocky Ford 

 show very remarkably results in the 

 production of power at low cost. A 

 test of a thirty-five horsepower pump- 

 ing engine at Rocky Ford for ten days 

 during the month of May, 1906, 

 showed that the cost of coal per hour 

 averaged but 7 cents. At this place 

 the fuel used costs $6 per ton at the 

 ranch. 



"It is believed that the development 

 of the bottom lands in Arkansas Val- 

 ley by private pumping plants has 

 just begun, and a very large number of 

 new ones will be put in during the 

 present year." 



