THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



Ill 



well, and as we are now in court and in a position 

 to secure a just interpretation of the law relating 

 to these matters it occurs to us that we should not 

 execute an unconditional surrender at this time.'' 



In an earlier letter to THE AGE Mr. Farnham 

 says : 



"It is needless for me to assure you that I am 

 completely overwhelmed by the compliments paid 

 me by THE AGE. \Yhile it is true that much has 

 been accomplished and that the water users will 

 find from now on a different Department to deal 

 with, yet little could have been accomplished by our 

 Association had not its board of directors almost to 

 a man stood valiantly by the course it adopted two 

 years ago ; and it must be understood also that be- 

 hind these self-sacrificing water users was a large 

 majority of the 600 water users and shareholders 

 of the Association. At every opportunity in open 

 mass meetings practically a unanimous sentiment 

 of the water users was expressed in favor of the 

 board's actions. 



"There will always be found that minority fac- 

 tion, however, in any important movement regard- 

 less of the principles involved and the prize at stake, 

 who are willing to sacrifice the greater and broader 

 good for a temporary personal advantage. So let 

 me suggest that the water users Roll of Honor will 

 not be complete without the names of members of 

 the Board of Directors of the Belle Fourche Valley 



Water Users' Association and a large majority of 

 its 600 water users. 



"The Board is constituted of the following water- 

 users : 



"Samuel 11. Martin, chairman, also a member of 

 the 1913 and 1915 sessions of the S. D. Legislature, 

 and Democratic choice for Speaker of the House. 



"Hans Sorenson, of Nisland, S. D. 



"M. L. Perry, President of the Farmers' Protec- 

 tive League, and Secretary of Grange, at Vale, S. D. ; 

 also President of the Butte County Development As- 

 sociation. 



"A. L. Gurwell of Arpan, S. D. 



"Axel Erickson, of Newell, S. D., formerly Pres- 

 ident for a number of years of the Miners' Union at 

 Central City, S. D. 



"Dr. W. F. Berner, of Arpan, S. D., formerly a 

 practicing physician in Chicago and in Iowa for a 

 great many years. 



"W. C. Staiger ,of Newell, S. D., also Secretary- 

 Treasurer of the Reclamation Dairymen's Co-Opera- 

 tive Association. 



"\Y. Harry Phillips, of Newell, S. D., formerly 

 cashier of Northwestern State Bank at Newell. 



"Geo. A. McCall, of Newell, S. D. 



"I can credit to the above named men no higher 

 tribute than you have paid me, but they are entitled to 

 as much." 



IRON CANYON PROJECT REPORT ISSUED 



AFTER years of talk, inspections and surveys, 

 the United States Reclamation Service finally 

 has issued its report on the Iron Canyon Project in 

 the upper Sacramento Valley of California. It pro- 

 poses an irrigation system to cover all the West 

 side of the valley from Red Bluff to the Colusa line 

 and also takes in 10,000 acres across the river from 

 Red Bluff. The total acreage in the proposed proj- 

 ect is approximately a half million acres. It sur- 

 passes in magnitude any project ever attempted on 

 this continent. 



The striking feature of the project as outlined 

 is the great dam to be erected across the main Sac- 

 ramento River at Iron Canyon, seven miles above 

 Red Bluff, designed not only for storage of water 

 for irrigation but as the main factor in the solution 

 of the flood control problem. This dam is said to 

 be feasible for both the rock fill and the masonry 

 types, the former being the choice. But three 

 heights are discussed with available storage above 

 the level of the canal intake of 231,000, 420,000 and 

 603,000 acre-feet respectively. The estimated cost 

 of the dam at these three heights is $4,325,000, 

 $5,000,000 and $7,575,000, respectively. Against all 

 these estimates is figured the value of the flood con- 

 trol, the water power and aid to navigation, which, 

 in the case of the largest dam, approximate the en- 

 tire cost of the structure. 



Ten separate plans for building the project are 

 proposed, divided into two general classes: those 

 providing protection of navigation interests and 

 those which do not. Eight of the plans include the 



dam, the other two contemplating simple diversions 

 farther up stream. 



The most comprehensive plan proposes a dam 

 134.5 feet in height with a capacity of 709,000 acre 

 feet. It is believed that this dam will reduce the 

 maximum flow of the Sacramento at that point from 

 275,000 to 100,000 cubic feet per second, a reduction 

 in "Peak" of nearly two-thirds. 



It is estimated that 70,000 horsepower may 

 be generated at this dam. All the plans which pro- 

 vide for protection to navigation, contemplate a 

 constant flow in the river below of not less than 

 4,750 second-feet. The value to each are estimated 

 as follows: Flood control, $5,000,000; navigation, 

 $1,400,000; power, $4,067,000. 



VOTE ON 0. AND M. WORK 



Because their present organization was not 

 equipped legally to handle it, Water Users on the 

 Shoshone Federal irrigation project in Wyoming, 

 voted recently against taking over the operation 

 and maintenance work. As soon as the Water 

 Users' Association can be incorporated properly the 

 farmers are expected to reverse their action, as in- 

 vestigation has shown that they can do this work 

 themselves at a reduction in cost of about $8,000 

 a year. 



F. E. Myers & Bro., of Ashland, Ohio, have 

 issued another of their Poster Calendars for 1915. 

 The poster carries illustrations of the complete line 

 of pumps and other machinery. 



