440 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



other and 600 in another, all of which can be reached by 

 pumping less than 50 feet. The rate to be charged for 

 the water has not been fixed, as that matter will have to 

 be decided by the Secretary of the Interior, under tne 

 law which provides for the disposal of surplus water. 

 This law was passed in February, 1911, and says that the 

 Secretary of the Interior shall take into consideration 

 the cost of the reservoirs and canals used for storing and 

 carrying the water, and that he must protect the water 

 users on the government project who pay the cost of 

 these works, in fixing the rate. 



The Secretary of the Interior has approved the recom- 

 mendation of the director of the reclamation service to in- 

 clude additional areas within the west extension of the 

 Umatilla irrigation project, which contemplates the irriga- 

 tion of about 30,500 acres. There will now be included in 

 this extension about 240 acres surrounding the town of 

 Umatilla and about 850 acres of irrigable land below the 

 Brownell ditch, and lying east of Umatilla. The latter area 

 has a conceded water right and it is proposed to take 

 over the ditch and water right and to charge the owners 

 $10 per acre for certain betterments of the canal which 

 are needed. 



The contract entered into between the Desert Land 

 Board and the Northwest Townsite company of Philadel- 

 phia, the company behind the Paisley irrigation project, is 

 said to be a model one. The contract provides that the 

 irrigation company shall pay an extra $250 a month to the 

 board out of which there will be taken a sufficient amount 

 to engage an experienced engineer who will act as in- 

 spector of the project. 



Work on the second unit of the Klamath irrigation 

 project has been started. A large flume will be built 

 across Lost river at Olene. This second unit covers land 

 in the Poe valley on both sides of Lost river, between 

 Olene and Merrill. The Klamath project, on which work 

 was begun in 1906, was originally planned to reclaim 200,- 

 000 acres of land. Of this, the first unit, covering approxi- 

 mately 30,000 acres, is completed and has been under irri- 

 gation since 1907. 



The Fall River irrigation company has made applica- 

 tion to the office of the state engineer for water from the 

 Fall river for a Carey Act project of 2,500 acres of public 

 and private land. 



The Mackenzie Irrigation and Power company of 

 Eugene, which recently filed on waters of Clear Lake, has 

 announced that actual construction work on the irrigation 

 canal and laterals will be commenced immediately. The 

 proposed main canal will extend from a point 15 miles 

 above Eugene on the Mackenzie to a point 5 miles north- 

 east of that city. It will serve several thousand acres of 

 rich valley land. 



TEXAS. 



The canal system of the Brownsville Irrigation com- 

 pany has been sold for $57,000 to Frank J. Willifprd, Jr., 

 of Houston, Texas. The property includes thirty-two 

 miles of canals and about 2,700 acres of land, although 

 the personal property of the company is not included in 

 the sale. 



J. D. Wagoner of West Stiles has bought 60 acres 

 of land east of the city and will put same under irriga- 



tion. 



The Business League of Ballinger has raised a special 

 fund of $1,000 to have a preliminary survey made for 

 the $1,000,000 irrigation project that is contemplated near 

 that city. It is the purpose of the promoters to build a 

 dam across the Colorado river at a point 20 miles above 

 Ballinger and put water on 50,000 acres of fine agricultural 

 land. The proposition will be financed by incorporating 

 an independent irrigation district and issuing at least 

 $750,000 in bonds. 



The Midland Engineering and Construction Company 

 of Fort Scott, Kansas, has been awarded the contract for 



the installation of a pumping plant to furnish the water 

 supply of the town of New Braunfels. The company's 

 bid was $52,447.80. The contract covers the installation 

 of a new pump, pipe line to the city reservoir, 280-horse- 

 power engine and an electric light plant. 



WASHINGTON. 



Work was begun early this month on an irrigation 

 project including the southwest quarter of the city of 

 North Yakima, which will draw water from the Naches 

 and Cowyche ditch and furnish it under pressure sufficient 

 for all domestic purposes to more than 1,000 lots. It will 

 be used for watering lawns and gardens, but not for drink- 

 ing, and is designed to furnish at a minimum cost water 

 for which the householders have to pay now at meter 

 rates. 



A. E. Gallagher of Spokane has purchased 53 acres 

 of orchard land from the Modern Irrigation and Land 

 Company in the Spokane valley. The tract will be put 

 under irrigation, according to the terms of the sale, and 

 the company agrees to furnish electricity for each ten 

 acres. The entire tract will be planted to trees. 



Yakima land owners on the Columbia river near 

 the Hanford country have a movement on foot for the 

 formation of an irrigation district to take over the Han- 

 ford project. 



An irrigation project which will reclaim the land lying 

 between Keystone and Ritzville is being planned by 

 Messrs. Stone and Funk of Keystone. The plan is to take 

 water from Sprague Jake near the town of Keystone. 



The Burbank irrigation system near Walla Walla has 

 been taken over by the firm of Sanderson and Porter, en- 

 gineers of New York City, for $60,000, who will expend 

 $200,000 for improvements within a short time. The Bur- 

 bank project was launched into 1905 through the efforts 

 of A. B. Frame, who organized the Snake river irrigation 

 company for the purpose of using Snake river power to 

 raise water from the same stream to the high bench land 

 that bordered it, but which was covered with shifting sand 

 and sage brush. After a year of failure the project was 

 taken over by the Pasco Power Company but in 1907 that 

 company went into bankruptcy, and after eighteen months 

 the company passed into the hands of the Burbank Power 

 and Water Company. This company issued $500,000 in 

 bonds, all but $100,000 of which was required to cover 

 liabilities. The work of perfecting the irrigation system 

 was continued until December, 1911, when a receivership 

 was asked. The recent transfer to the New York firm 

 was brought about by the foreclosure of a mortgage for 

 $500,000 held by the Farmers' Loan and Trust Company 

 of New York. 



It is reported that the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. 

 Paul R. R. Company is planning to take over the $5,000,- 

 000 Kititas high line canal bonds and will conduct a cam- 

 paign to populate the lands along its line that will conic 

 under the big ditch. 



The residents of Benton county have formed an irri- 

 gation district which means that an acreage approximat- 

 ing 5,000 acres will be brought under cultivation by the 

 extension of the Sunnyside canal. This will require the 

 construction of sixteen miles of main canal and some 

 sub-canals. The tract to be put under irrigation fronts 

 on the Yakima river and runs back to the hills and sur- 

 rounds on three sides the town of Benton City. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Ten thousand acres of land in Gray and Ford coun- 

 ties, Kansas, are to be irrigated from the Eureka dtich. 

 John Gilbert of Dodge City, a representative of the com- 

 pany back of the project, states that a water supply for 

 10,000 acres of land has been developed. The pump in- 

 stalled by the company will deliver this supply of water 

 every day of the year, but that continual pumping may 

 not be necessary the company has arranged to care for 

 the river supply. A dam is now in course of construction 

 that will turn the water from the river into the canal and 

 thus supply water throughout the year. 



