476 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



October 



Authority has been granted for the 

 construction of three miles of canal 

 inside the Belle Fourche Reservoir to 

 connect the Inlet canal by way of Dry 



During- the month of 



Gunnison September 7io feet were 



Tunnel Work ,K , ,( y . , 



added to the excavated 



portion of the Gunnison Tunnel, Un- 

 compahgre irrigation project, Colora- 

 do, making a total of 16,031 feet. 

 The progress during the last two 

 months has not been quite up to the 

 usual standard on this tunnel, on ac- 

 count of the extreme harness of the 

 quartzite rock in one heading and the 

 friable and dangerous nature of the 

 material in the other heading. The 

 work has reached points so far from 

 the portals that the difficulties in ven- 

 tilation and tramming have increased. 



Severe storms during the month de- 

 layed work on the South Canal and 

 caused a loss to the contractor of ap- 

 proximately $1,000. 



The scarcity of labor throughout 

 the West is being severely felt on this 

 project in all lines of work, both con- 

 tract and force account. 

 Creek, with the constructed portion of 

 the South Canal, so that water can be 

 delivered to lands under this canal 

 next spring. The engineers believe 

 the work will have reached a point 

 where water can be delivered to about 

 10,000 acres next season. 



The Secretary of the In- 



Progress on terior is asking- for pro- 

 North Platte , r A . f 



posals for the construc- 

 tion of a diversion dam and headworks 

 on the North Platte River in Nebras- 

 ka, in connection with the North 

 Platte irrigation project, Nebraska- 

 Wyoming. 



The work will involve the excava- 

 tion of about 100,000 cubic yards of 

 earth and rock, furnishing and placing 

 in structures about 10,000 feet B. M. 

 of lumber, and the construction of 

 about 8,000 cubic yards of concrete 

 masonry. The bids will be opened in 

 Mitchell, Nebraska, November first. 



Work on the North Platte project 

 has progressed rapidly during the sea- 



son. The first forty-five miles of the 

 Interstate canal has been furnishing 

 water at several places for irrigation, 

 but prepartaions for receiving it were 

 incomplete and full use of the canal 

 will not be made until next season 

 The second section of the canal is un- 

 der construction and surveys for the 

 third fifty miles 'are being made. Con- 

 tracts have been awarded on fourteen 

 schedules of the distributing system 

 and the work on the laterals is alreadv 

 in progress. The Pathfinder dam is 

 progressing favorably and it is expect- 

 ed that about 15,000 cubic yards of 

 masonry will be laid before cold 

 weather forces suspension of work. 



It is hoped that water can be deliv- 

 ered to about 40,000 acres under this 

 project during 1907. 



Contracts 

 Let 



The Secretary of the In- 

 terior has executed a 

 contract with the Gen- 

 eral Electric Compan, of Schenectady, 

 New York, for furnishing material 

 and machinery for the electric gen- 

 erating plant of the power and pump- 

 ing system, Williston irrigation pro- 

 ject, North Dakota. This work will 

 cost the Government $41,242. 



The operation of the pumping ma- 

 chinery in North Dakota will be 

 watched with great interest by the 

 people in many sections of the West 

 where the Reclamation Service has 

 located large areas above the line of 

 gravity supply. The power for the 

 Williston and Buford-Trenton pro- 

 jects will be generated at the lignite 

 mines in the vicinity of Williston. and 

 transmitted electrically to the several 

 pumping stations of the two projects. 



The Secretary of the Interior also 

 executed a contract with John H. 

 Donohue, of St. Paul, Minnesota, pro- 

 viding for the construction and com- 

 pletion of building for Station 1, pow- 

 er and pumping system, Williston irri- 

 gation project, North Dakota. The 

 estimated cost of the work will be 

 $13,886. 



A contract has been awarded to the 

 Kansas Portland Cement Company, 



