OCR Text |
Show SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT. Last week, J.H. Martineau, Esq., civil engineer, surveyed another large canal for citizens of Wellsville and other settlers. Starting from the Little Bear river at old Paradise, in the south end of Cache Valley, the line circles the south end of the valley, taking in the high bench land lying south of Hyrum and Wellsville, at an elevation sufficient to carry it to the Bear River gap, thus bringing into cultivation many thousand acres of choice lands. The canal will be only six feet wide on the bottom at present, but having a good fall, will furnish a large supply of water to those needing it. The line is located upon very advantageous ground for work, most of it being just right for plowing and scraping. Added to this, there are several excellent locations for large natural reservoirs, capable of storing an immense amount of water. The length surveyed at present is only fourteen and a half miles, but when carried past Mendon, Three Mile Creek and Wales, to the gap, will be nearly thirty miles in length. At present there is not enough water available for so long a canal, but should there be a re-distribution or the waters of this county, there would be plenty and to spare. There is much more water running through Cache county than is necessary to irrigate every foot of land suitable for farming, but at present it is very unequally divided. If Little Bear river be applied on its south and west banks, the Blacksmith Fork on the central part of the valley, together with a sufficient portion of the Logan, the rest of Logan river being turned northward as far as Richmond, there would be sufficient, with the smaller streams to water all the eastern part of the valley. Bear river could be taken out on the north side and irrigate all the land lying north and west of it, to Newton. This arrangement would bring into use about 100,000 acres of land capable of sustaining a population equal to that of the whole territory at the present time. Mr. Martineau has also made a preliminary survey for a large canal, 12 feet in which at the bottom, to be taken from the Logan river, encircling the highest bench land, to the very foot of the mountains, and bringing into use about 1,000 acres of good land. The line will be somewhat costly. Some estimate the first mile and a half, in Logan canyon will cost $10,000, but it is thought this is much too high. But it will be no light job. The line passes along the side of perpendicular cliffs nearly a hundred feet high, and here will be much heavy blasting and rock work; but the people of this county do not usually hesitate to undertake enterprises of this kind, when they see in common parlance, that it will pay. The proposed line will pass high along the bench above Hyde Park to upper part of Smithfield, and may, if necessary, be carried to and beyond Richmond. Colfax "the smiler?," said the people of Utah were not entitled to much credit for making our beautiful Territory what she is -- "it was water", nothing but water. Those who make the canals, however, know there is an immense amount of labor, perseverance, and energy to be used with the water. |