THE IKRIGATION AGE. 



51 



Failing to reach a compromise in the Govern- 

 ment suit against the water users of the Umatilla 

 river and its tributaries, testimony will be taken in 

 300 cases. The government has held out for a half- 

 inch per acre while the water users have asked for 

 at least an inch. Neither side would yield, so it 

 has been left to the court to settle the dispute. The 

 litigation was started a year ago last May and has 

 been postponed from time to time in order to test 

 out the amount of water needed. The water users 

 have conducted careful examinations during the past 

 season to determine the amount of water needed, 

 and claim that the nature of the soil requires more 

 than a half inch, as claimed by the reclamation at- 

 torneys. 



TEXAS. 



Rather an important opinion was handed down 

 recently in the Third Court of Civil Appeals at Aus- 

 tin, Texas, holding telegraph companies responsible 

 for damages growing out of mistakes made in send- 

 ing a telegram ordering irrigation machinery. II. 

 C. Goldwire was irrigating 100 acres of land fifteen 

 miles from San Angelo, using a gasoline engine ior 

 pumping the water. The engine exploded and he 

 sent a telegram from San Angelo, ordering certain 

 parts "rushed" in order to resume pumping. Among 

 the parts ordered were "both sections of base." The 

 telegraph company delivered the message as reading 

 ''both sections of hose." This resulted in delay and 

 damage to his crops of corn, cane, alfalfa, potatoes, 

 onions and melons. 



The Altascosca Valley Irrigation Company, 

 formed several months ago for the purpose of under- 

 taking big development work in the neighborhood 

 of Coughran, three miles east of Pleasanton, has 

 begun active development. The project embraces 

 4.000 acres. 



The dam of the Carrollton irrigation project 

 was completed early last month. This project has 

 been under construction for some time and cost 

 over $30,000. The basin is now ready for service 

 and is built to impound 400,000,000 gallons of water. 

 The main wall is 150 feet long and 20 feet high. 

 The Elm Fork of Trinity river will afford water for 

 the reservoir. The great dam for the Medina irri- 

 gation project, thirty miles west of San Antonio, 

 has been completed after work of a year and a 

 half. It is built of iron and concrete and cost $7,- 

 000,000. Another million is being expended on 

 lateral canals and siphons. The dam stands 165 

 feet high, is 1,500 feet across and contains nearly 

 300.000 cubic yards of concrete. 



Z. E. Black, formerly secretary of the commercial 

 club at Plainview. has been appointed publicity agent 

 for the Pearson interests, which is developing 60,000 

 acres of land in the vicinity of Plainview. The tract 

 will be fully developed and cut up into small farms 

 before it is thrown open for settlement. A competent 

 irrigation expert has been appointed to supervise the 

 demonstration farm, comprising 400 acres, which has 

 been installed by the company for the education and 

 convenience of the settlers. 



The sale of the assets of the Brownsville Irriga-. 

 tion Company to Frank T. Williford, Jr., of Houston, 

 made on October 1st, has been confirmed by Judge 

 Norman J. Kittrell of the Sixty-first District Court. 



The sale was made for $57,000, of which $25,341.51 

 will be paid in cash, while the balance, $31,658.49, is 

 represented in two judgments that will be receipted 

 and turned over to the receiver of the concern. The 

 property of the Brownsville Irrigation Company con- 

 sisted of 640 acres of land in right of way, forty-five 

 miles of canal, pumping stations, machinery and other 

 improvements. The land in question is located in 

 Cameron county. 



Cameron Farm Company of Orange, capital stock 

 $75,000, has been chartered by the Secretary of State. 

 The purpose of the company is to grow and prepare 

 rice for market, with power to maintain and operate 

 irrigating- systems. A. J. Bancroft, Geo. W. Bancroft 

 and G. M. Sells, all of Orange, are the incorporators. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



The Dempster Mill Mfg. Co., of Beatrice, Ne- 

 braska, has been awarded the contract for the in- 

 stallation of twelve large pumping plants, each hav- 

 ing a capacity of over 1,500,000 gallons per day, by 

 the Coldren Land Company of Kansas City, Mo. 

 These plants are to be located each one on a quar- 

 ter-section of land scattered about over a tract of 

 70,000 acres of shallow water land located in what is 

 known as the Black Water valley of the Panhandle, 

 Texas. 



The Reclamation Service has awarded contract 

 for the construction of 34 miles of Dodson South 

 Canal near Malta, Montana, a part of the great Milk 

 River irrigation project, to two builders as follows : 

 Schedules 1, 2 and 3, involving a total of 897,000 

 cubic yards, awarded to Chas. Wilhite & Company 

 of Boise, Idaho, for $163,330. Schedule 4, for ex- 

 cavating 400,000 cubic yards to Winston Brothers 

 & Co., of Minneapolis. Minnesota, for $77,600, mak- 

 ing a total of~?240,930 for the whole contract. 



Frank Wildes of Carson City, Nevada, who 

 owns several hundred acres of land near that city, 

 is planning to irrigate same by means of a tunnel 

 through the hill west of the Holbrook ranch. 



The Department of Agriculture is taking steps 

 to establish an experimental farm in the Hart river 

 bottoms near the town ~of Mandan, North Dakota. 

 The main farm and buildings will be located on 40 

 acres and though irrigation will be carried on on a 

 small scale the equipment will be complete and 

 modern in every respect. It is proposed to build a 

 small pumping station on the land. 



The Bitter Root Valley Irrigation Company of 

 Hamilton, Montana, are asking for bids on 5.9 miles 

 of canal, average bottom width eight feet, approxi- 

 mately 73,000 cubic yards, with possible extension 

 of 2.4 miles, approximately 27,600 cubic yards, to be 

 let as unclassified material. Test pits are dug. Work 

 must be completed before next irrigation season. 

 Contractors may secure particulars from the engi- 

 neer's office, Hamilton, Montana. 



The Egyptian government has begun one of the 

 most costly and comprehensive drainage projects 

 for the reclamation of lands ever attempted by any 

 government in the world. Its object is to bring 

 1.000,000 acres of fertile land in the delta of lower 

 Egypt under cultivation. It is estimated that the 

 work will require four years and $15,000,000 will be 

 required for drainage and a like amount for irriga- 

 (Continued on Page 53.) 



