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DENVER & RIO GRANDE WESTERN ROUTE. 187 
wizard that has transformed the scene here is water. This water 
may first fall in the form of snow on the high peaks of the Rocky 
Mountains, but early in June the warm rays of the sun reach the 
snowbanks and convert the snow into water, a part of which plunges 
roaring down the steep sides of the mountain to swell the torrents 
in the streams below, and another part finds lodgment in the crevices 
and open pores of the rocks and is kept stored there until the surface 
water has almost disappeared. Then the rocks gradually give up 
their stores, and this midsummer supply appears just when it is 
most urgently needed by the growing crops. But how can this 
water be gathered and spread out on the thirsty land; and if so 
spread out, will it be sufficient, or if sufficient in midsummer, will 
it be pe taesh 3 in September, when the driest part of the season is 
reached? In the semiarid regions of the West these questions are 
of the utmost importance, and several bureaus of the Government 
have been for years making exhaustive studies of all the streams to 
determine how much water they carry and in constructing engi- 
neering works by which the water in them may be distributed over 
the land. The work of measuring the quantity of water in the 
streams has been taken up by the United States Geological Survey, 
because water may truly be considered a mineral, and it is the duty 
of the Geological Survey to take account of all the mineral resources 
of the country. Most people of the West are familiar with this 
work, but those who come from the East are perhaps unaware that 
reports concerning the water supply of many regions or streams 
may be obtained free on application to the Director of the United 
States Geological Survey, Washington, D. C. The method by which 
the quantity of water flowing, in a stream is determined is described 
below by Robert Follansbee.*® 
As the traveler goes westward he sees that the Book Cliffs recede 
farther and farther from the river, and about 10 miles west of Grand 
“Without a thorough knowledge of | flow of streams. From this small be- 
the available water supply irriga- | ginning the work was expanded until 
now there are in the United States 
u ork of the United | more than 1,500 gaging stations at 
States Geologie Sirs ey in measuring | which the flow of streams is measu 
‘ ow of the larger — is espe- Records of stream flow are not only 
cially “te to insure the p necessary in planning successful irri- 
of the West and has been ant to | gation and water-power projects but 
Meet the need. It was begun in 1888, | are being u Reclamation 
When a camp of ‘etalon was estab- | Service in determining the inflow of 
__ on the Rio Grande in charge of | the big reservoirs it is building, by the 
- H. Newell, who later became the 
nro of the United States Recla- | flow in the lower Colorado River at . 
mation Service. Here were devel oped 
an Ae pee she See ee 
the methods which laid the foundation 
for the present work of recording the 
mining the available horsepower at un- 
developed power sites in the national 
