574 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



December 



placed on canal excavation, finishing 

 structures, etc., as soon as unfavorable 

 weather made concrete and embank- 

 ment work impossible. 



In many respects this is one of the 

 most remarkable irrigation projects 

 yet undertaken by the overnment. It 

 involves the construction of one of the 

 greatest earth dams in the world, a 

 structure over one mile long, ioo feet 

 high in the highest place, and 90 feet 

 wide on top. Its cubical contents will 

 be nearly half those of the Pyramid of 

 Cheops, which is estimated to have 

 occupied 900 years in construction. 

 The Belle Fourche dam will be com- 

 pleted in less than one year. This dam 

 will create a reservoir 60 feet deep with 

 a water surface of about 9,000 acres 

 when full. 



More than 1,000 new farms will be 

 created by this project in a valley 

 where the principal product has been 

 low grade range cattle, and the value 

 of lands which now ranges from $5 to 

 $10 per acre will be increased to $75 

 and upwards. 



With assured forage crops the ranch- 

 men can greatly increase their herds, 

 and with winter feed the quality 

 will be materially improved and the 

 prices correspondingly better. Small 

 grains such as oats, wheat, rye and 

 barley, and such fruits as apples, pears, 

 plums, cherries and small fruits can 

 be raised. Sugar beets will also prob- 

 ably prove a profitable crop. The de- 

 mand for farm and garden products 

 is great on account of the proximity 

 of the mining regions of the Black 

 Hills. The mining industry will un- 

 doubtedly undergo a fresh boom, as 

 food supplies at a reasonable price and 

 increased transportation facilities make 

 the working of low grade ore profit- 

 able. 



New lines of railroad are already 

 being built which will connect this 

 valley with Minnesota's Twin Cities, 

 and already the population of Belle 

 Fourche has more than doubled. 



The Government officials hope to be 

 able to furnish water for about 10,000 

 acres during the season of 1907. 



^ . The engineer in charge 



Gunnison f . _ . 



Tunnel * operations on Gunni- 



son Tunnel, Uncompah- 

 gre irrigation project, Colorado, re- 

 ports that 17,374 feet were completed 

 December 1, and nearly a mile of ma- 

 sonry floor was laid in the west end. 



The progress on tunnel work during 

 November was 586 feet, less than that 

 made any previous month. This fall- 

 ing off was due to the unusual difficul- 

 ties encountered. In the east end the 

 material is quartzite of such a degree of 

 hardness that it is very difficult to 

 drill. In the west end the strata 

 changed several times, necessitating 

 change of tools. Men who were ex- 

 perts with coal augurs, for instance, 

 had scarcely any knowledge of piston 

 drills. A great deal of pumping was 

 necessary to remove the water which 

 came into the headings. Experienced 

 drillmen are very scarce. Wages are 

 high, but the unusual activity in the 

 mining industry makes it difficult to 

 secure assistance. 



It is believed that better progress 

 will be made during the present month. 

 Canal work is being pushed as rapidly 

 as possible in order that when the tun- 

 nel is completed the distributing sys- 

 tem will be ready to carry the water 

 over the land. It is expected that the 

 tunnel will be ready for operation in 

 June, 1908. 



The recent unusual and 

 do Little unprecedented floods in 



Damage the Cascade Mountains^ 



in Washington, did but little damage 

 to the works of the United States Re- 

 clamation Service. The principal dam- 

 age was to the roads which had been 

 constructed to take in the heavy ma- 

 chinery, and the total loss will prob- 

 ably not exceed $10,000. The dams 

 being constructed at the mouths of 

 several lakes were but little injured, 

 while the large dam in the Yakima 

 River was not injured at all. 



The Government was exceedingly 

 fortunate, as the flood which came 

 down the Yakima Valley, was the 

 largest ever known in the history of 

 the country, and caused the loss of 



