| Show Reclaiming Arid lands To the Editor of THE HERALD Some few days ago the Western Commercial Com-mercial congress met at Kansas city to discuss the great problem of the reclamation recla-mation of the arid lands While it is a momentous question I must say it is not as great as many would lead the majority to believe I think M H DeYoungs letter to the assembled congress is one of the most valuable and pointed statements ever made regarding such lands He says let the government reclaim Its Jands and charge the settlerfor the redemption And by his statements there are 50000000 acres that are susceptible of irrigation and reclamation and ic means homes for two million and onehalf people Let the government put down some one or two hundred wells they will be fully recompensed Let congress assess the value of the improvements and the settlers pay for the same There are many other things Which it is necessary to take time to work out and this is one The irrigation problem for instance in Utah The flows of canals should be about ono cubic footof water per acre hence it is easy to estimate the amount required for a given acre to properly reclaim tho same I think instead of wasting valuable time in surveys and estimates for reservoir sites it would be more practical for the people and Government Gov-ernment to join hands and put down some ten twelve and fourteen inch wells to the foundation rock and if they dont get a goodflow of wator go on until they strike purely artesian water All wells in and about this vicinity are only surface water brought down from the mountains through some old canal Any one coversant with aportion of California have seen Kern Fulton and many other counties reclaimed from their arid state by such wells While I might mention the leading wells of the world the one at Conventry England by a G inch boring produces 750000 gallons per day and is only 800 feet deep One at Liverpool England produces 3000000 gal Ions per day through a 0 inch hole 161 feet deep At Kentish England one well 1302 feet deep produces 2750000 per day At Pasy France a well 1903 feetdeep produces the enormous amount of 5582000 gallons per day while in the United States you might refer to 1000 wells with phenomenal pheno-menal flows and I do not think the problem of water supply is as great a question as some inexperienced men would lead the masses to believe lam a fiim believer in pure artesian I water instead of canals and the filth of cesspools cess-pools especially for household consumption and then what is left for purposes of irrigation irri-gation that is another matter for the practical prac-tical husbandman to control First get the artesian flows and then we can reclaim all lands oven to the Great Salt Lake Desert and no one will question the outlook here for exceptional flows And it is more economical than the canal system but costs little more in tho beginning saves much trouble and many doctors bills gives health to the live stock etc etc and to go into exact data Ithink it will cost less for irrigation irri-gation by the well system than by canals I hope to be able to give the public the exact data regarding all the flows to at least 3000 feet and this will give much valuable information infor-mation to the whole intermountain population popu-lation and will enhance the value of much land now having no water rights Respect fully yours JOHN B TAYLOR SALT LAKE CITY April 18 1891 |
