374 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



Reclamation Service 

 J^eivs 



An extension of sixty days' time has been granted to Mr. 

 S. R. H. Robinson, of St. Louis, Mo., for the completion of 

 his contract to construct the diverting dam and structures 

 of the main supply canal of the Belle Fourche irrigation proj- 

 ect in South Dakota. According to the terms of the original 

 contract this work was to have been completed July 1, 1907, 

 but an unusually severe flood occurred in May, washing out 

 a considerable part of the contractor's plant and temporary 

 works. The high water following this flood made it impos- 

 sible for the contractor to replace the works thus destroyed. 



A contract has been entered into between John T. 

 Whistler on behalf of the United States and the Portland 

 Wire and Iron Works, of Portland, Ore., whereby the latter 

 company agrees to furnish not less than 22,000 nor more 

 than 28,000 pounds of steel fabric to be used in the construc- 

 tion of concrete pipes for the Umatilla irrigation project in 

 Oregon. The contract expires September 15 and will amount 

 to between twelve and fifteen hundred dollars. 



Under date of March 14, 1906, the secretary of the interior 

 authorized the leasing for temporary use of lands withdrawn 

 under the Act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat., 388), until such 

 lands should be needed for the purposes of the project for 

 which withdrawal is made. The reclamation service has 

 accordingly leased 51,840 acres for grazing- purposes which 

 were withdrawn in connection with the Strawberry Valley 

 irrigation project in Utah. The lands are leased until Decem- 

 ber 31, 1907, to Messrs. James W. Clyde, James S. Murdock, 

 Davis Smith, Joseph R. Murdock and Albert Smith, all of 

 Heber City, Utah, at the rate of $10,408 per annum, with the 

 privilege of renewing the lease from year to year at the same 

 rate until the lands are required for irrigation purposes. 



The secretary of the interior has executed contract with 

 the New Jersey Foundry and Machine Company, of New 

 York City, whereby the fatter agrees to furnish f. o. b. cars 

 at Manasquan, N. J., complete for erection, all the metal 

 work for two sixty-foot steel span highway bridges for the 

 Shoshone irrigation project in Wyoming. The contract 

 amounts to $1,330. 



Authority has been granted to the engineer in charge of 

 the Umatilla irrigation project, Oregon, to construct a waste- 

 way on the storage feed canal, about three-fourths of a mile 

 below the town of Echo. The point at which this structure 

 will be built controls the operation of the canal throughout 

 a section about four miles long where the canal very closely 

 parallels the O. R. & N. railroad. This section has been 

 considered as threatening the safety of the railroad, owing 

 to its close proximity, its location on the steep slope directly 

 above the tracts, and also to the fact that the Furnish ditch, 

 which has not been built on such substantial lines as the 

 Government work, lies_ immediately above the project canal 

 throughout most of this distance. The estimated cost of the 

 wasteway is $3,750, and it is proposed to build it by fall so 

 as to be in readiness for operation next spring. 



An extension of time from June 10 to October 20, 1907. 

 has been granted to the General Electric Company, of 

 Schenectady, N. Y., in which to furnish electrical apparatus 

 in connection with the Williston irrigation project in North 

 Dakota. The delay in filling this contract was caused by 

 changes in the specifications by the Government engineers. 



The government has purchased the pumping plant and 

 right of way for five miles of canal and laterals of the Col- 

 orado Valley Pumping and Irrigating Company, of Yuma, 

 Arizona, for use in connection with the main Yuma irriga- 

 tion project. Until the project is completed and the canal 

 system is replaced by the government system, the pumping 

 plant will be used to supply the present settlers with water. 

 The price paid is $6,000. 



An extension of time of two months has been granted to 

 Mr. John W. Douglas, a local contractor, for completing his 

 contract for grading a portion of the main canal, Okanogan 

 irrigation project of Washington. The unusual condition of 

 the labor market has made it impossible for the contractor 

 to complete the work according to agreement, and the con- 

 tract will now expire on October 1, instead of August 1. 



The secretary of the interior has executed contract with 

 H. T. Adams, of Belle Fourche, S. D., for the construction 

 and completion of Section 2, Schedule 1, of the laterals under 

 the Belle Fourche irrigation project. The work consists of 

 9.6 miles of ditch, and involves the excavation of 54,950 cubic 

 yards of material. The contract amounts to $15,287.50 and 

 calls for the completion of the work by April 1, 1908. 



The development of conditions under the Umatilla irriga- 

 tion project, Oregon, having reached a point where it has 

 been ascertained that certain lands are no longer essential in 

 connection with the project, more than 62,000 acres of land 

 have been restored to the public domain. These lands will 

 be subject to settlement on such date and after such notice 

 by publication as the secretary of the interior may prescribe, 

 and shall be subject to entry, filing or selection upon the 

 expiration of thirty days from such date. 



The total advance in the Gunnison tunnel of the Uncom- 

 pahgre irrigation project in Colorado during the month of 

 July was 362 feet. The entire excavation now amounts to 

 20,496 feet, or more than two-thirds of the total length. 

 Another vein of water has been encountered in drilling, this 

 time in the east end. The flow, however, has abated so that 

 at present the total discharge into the tunnel amounts to 

 only 300,000 gallons in twenty-four hours. In the west end 

 the material in the heading has changed six times, the rock 

 encountered being alternately hard and soft, and of such 

 character that progress without protective timbering is 

 dangerous. 



An extension of time for thirty days has been granted 

 to Messrs. Orman & Crook, of Pueblo, Colo., for the comple- 

 tion of their contract to construct a portion of the north 

 canal of the Belle Fourche irrigation project in South Dakota. 

 The unusually rainy weather which rendered the ground unfit 

 for working during May, June and July made it impossible 

 for the contractors to complete the work according to the 

 terms of the original contract. 



The supervising engineer in charge of the Klamath irri- 

 gation project in Oregon and California reports that the main 

 canal was successfully filled with water early in June and 

 3,000 acres were irrigated, 160 acres being new land. Under 

 the Adams system 2,700 acres of land are receiving water, 

 and additional new land will be served as fast as contracts 

 made for the season can be entered into and approved. This 

 is the first time that water has been furnished by the govern 

 ment system under the Klamath project. 



The following described lands under the Sun River irri- 

 gation project of Montana have been reserved for townsite 

 purposes : 



Townsite of Simms: N. E. ^ Sec. 13, T. 20 N., R. 3 

 W., Montana Meridian. 



Townsite of Fort Shaw : N. W. J4 Sec. 12, T. 20 N., R. 

 2 W., Montana Meridian. 



The secretary of the interior has executed contract with 

 A. Y. Bayne & Co., of Minneapolis, Minn., for the construc- 

 tion and completion of three steel highway bridges in con- 

 nection with the Lower Yellowstone irrigation project, North 

 Dakota, Montana. The bridges will be located at the follow- 

 ing points : War Dance Coulee, Yakey's, and Pettigrove's. 

 The contract amounts to $7,026. 



The secretary of the interior has executed the following 

 contracts in connection with the earthwork on the distribu- 

 tion system for the North Platte irrigation project, Nebraska- 

 Wyoming: About fifteen miles of laterals to the Burke Con- 

 struction Company, of Mitchell, Neb., involving the excava- 

 tion of approximately 128,000 cubic yards of material, $30,159; 

 nineteen miles of laterals to Detrick, Rush & Hoth, of Bay- 

 ard, Neb., involving 96,100 cubic yards of excavation, $16,- 

 793.50; about forty miles of laterals to Marcus E. Getter, of 

 Mitchell, Neb., involving 230,100 cubic yards of excavation, 

 $37,626. 



