248 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



practically up to the time the lookout sent his warning, with 

 the iceberg one-quarter of a mile ahead. Here we observe 

 that if the Titanic had been equipped with searchlights the 

 dangerous iceberg might have been discovered at a distance 

 of two miles or more, since the air was clear; that would 

 have given the officer on watch a chance to steer clear of the 

 danger. Another point we desire to call attention to is the 

 fact that if the boat had been making a speed of ten or 

 twelve knots per hour, the collision, if it had occurred at all, 

 would have been unable to destroy so staunch a vessel as the 

 Titanic, as the destructive force of colliding bodies grows as 

 the square of the distance; thus, the impact at a speed of 

 twenty-three knots per hour is four times as great as that 

 due to a speed of eleven and one-half knots per hour. Thus 

 it seems unpardonable for the officers of the Titanic to con- 

 tinue the terrific speed during the night when no searchlights 

 were available, and when the lookout was unable to see ahead 

 more than two boat lengths. The only excuse that can be 

 offered for the action of the officers is that they were prac- 

 tically convinced that the Titanic was indestructible and un- 

 sinkable. 



And, after the collision with the iceberg, when it became 

 apparent that the vessel was doomed, the fact also appeared 

 that there were barely lifeboats enough to save one-third of 

 the ship's passengers and crew. This is the most appalling 

 of the tragic facts connected with the terrible catastrophe; a 

 magnificent boat accommodating 2,500 people, yet having 

 only lifeboats enough for one-third that number. Not a soul 

 would have been lost had the provisions for shipwreck been 

 sufficient. And so nearly 1,600 persons perished for the want 

 of lifeboats. 



The inquiry further develops the astonishing fact that, 

 according to the Board of Trade rules of England, the build- 

 ers of the Titanic had conformed to all the laws, rules and 

 requirements of that body. 



Great calamities teach important lessons and the first one 

 is, no doubt, that every vessel should be equipped with suf- 

 ficient lifeboats to hold the maximum number of passengers 

 and crew. 



Then all ships should be equipped with searchlights and 

 wireless telegraphic apparatus. Compulsory reduction ot 

 speed in waters where dangerous obstructions may be encoun- 

 tered. These requirements should be rigidly enforced by law. 

 There are, however, other lessons which the thinking world 

 should ponder over: Are we not going a little too fast? 

 Have we not reached about the limit in the size and speed of 

 modern steamships, and perhaps also in the speed of our 

 modern limited trains? And as these features of modern 

 progress are the result of popular demand, why, then, should 

 not the public he indicted as a party responsible for so many 

 fatal accidents. Truly, it is time to make a survey in our 

 onward march of the dizzy heights we are attaining and see 

 whether we are giving the factor of safety due consideration. 



SIPHONING OF WATER IN IRRIGATION. 



It has been demonstrated to the entire satisfaction of 

 the writer on the Twin Falls North Side Project, that the 

 siphoning of water for irrigation, does away with much of 

 the continual worry and hard work incident to watering 

 new land. I do not know whether this method of watering 

 has been tried to any great extent in other projects, but 

 numerous ranchers on this project are using siphons quite 

 extensively, and much to their benefit. 



It is quite a serious problem to handle the loose lava 

 ash soil we have to contend with, and many systems of 

 irrigating have been resorted to, namely : lath boxes, gal- 

 vanized tubes, sod, etc., but the siphon method seems to 

 possess some very good advantages over the other methods. 



The method pursued in using these siphons is to use 



only one ditch, making the ditch of such a construction as 

 to raise the water several inches above the ground to be 

 watered. The siphons consist of three-quarter or one-half 

 inch iron pipe, about four to five feet long. The ends are 

 slightly bent, and then the remainder bent over a wagon 

 wheel, making them semi-cylindrical. A pipe is used for 

 each corrugation, and after the water is once started through 

 the tubes, the flow can easily be regulated, but raising the 

 end in the corrugation higher to give a less flow, or lower- 

 ing it again to give an increased flow. 



The one great advantage in this system is the use of 

 only one ditch. Land is not cut up by the use of sub 

 ditches. Of course, this method means additional check 

 boxes, for it is necessary that the water be almost on a 

 dead level in the ditches, and if the ground is steep, many 

 checks are necessary to accomplish the result of getting the 

 water on a dead level so that it will always be at the top 

 of the ditch. This method of irrigating requires less water. 

 One can make use of every drog of water coming down a 

 ditch, with a minimum amount of waste. 



The essential thing is to have the ditches in the best 

 of shape, and I find there is only one satisfactory way to 

 do it outside of using a 20th Century Grader, and that is 

 to plow several furrows with a turning plow, and then get 

 in with a shovel, and shovel the loose dirt on the bank, 

 building it up good and solid, and tramping it well, making 

 the ditch bank five or six inches above the ground to be 

 watered. With ditches in proper shape, and checks placed 

 correctly to give an almost dead flow to the water, the 

 question of starting the siphons is a very little matter. They 

 can be started by filling with water, or a tube made to fit 

 the end of the pipe, and sucking the water through the 

 pipe to get it started. Under favorable conditions, one ought 

 to start 200 of these tubes in an hour's time. 



I have been so favorably impressed with the work these 

 siphons have done for me this season that I intend to ir- 

 rigate my entire acreage with them. I have 250 of them 

 now in use with a supply on the way. It would pay anyone 

 to try this method where they have been experiencing trouble 

 in handling loose soil. FRANK S. REID, 



Helen-Mae Ranch, Wendell, Idaho. 



AN INTERESTING CATALOGUE. 



Everybody interested in hay presses and bailers should 

 send and get Whitman's big new catalog. It shows all 

 that is best in hay presses and bailers. These new improved 

 presses are great labor, time and money savers. This cata- 

 log will be sent free to anyone mentioning our paper. Write 

 for one today. Their address is Whitman Agricultural Co., 

 6962 Broadway, St. Louis, Mo. 



A PROGRESSIVE RAILWAY. 



The Rio Grande Service Gazette, issued monthly by the 

 passenger department of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, 

 is a bright and interesting little paper of four pages giving 

 all the items of railway news pertaining to all of the employes 

 of the Denver and Rio Grande Railway System. The copy 

 before us is the April, 1912 issue and is No. 4 of Volume II ; 

 it is brimful of useful information not only for the employes 

 of the railway but also for all others living within the sphere 

 of influences of that progressive road, which applies to the 

 states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada and Cali- 

 fornia. 



The "Rio Grande Service Gazette" is a move in the right 

 direction, worthy to be emulated by other railway companies. 



Mr. J. B. Adatte, who has represented the IRRIGA- 

 TION AGE in Colorado and New Mexico, is no longer 

 connected with this publication. Any business that is to 

 be transacted with the IRRIGATION AGE in that terri- 

 tory should be addressed directly to this office. 



YOU WILL NEED THIS BOOK. 



The "Primer of Hydraulics" is the only book teach- 

 ing Hydraulics in a practical way. Price $2.50, cloth 

 bound. THE IRRIGATION AGE, Chicago. 



RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION PROMPTLY. 



Do 'not delay to remit One Dollar for renewal 

 of your subscription to THE IRRIGATION AGE. You cannot 

 get along without it. 



