Show I AIDS IN RECLAIMING EMPIRE I PLANS COMPLETED S 'S BIGGEST PROJECT IN COLORADO rl f ot Dam at Junction n of Colorado C a and r. r Virgin Rivers ivers Will Conserve Huge L' L i Water Supply UH r S I M MCHARLES 1 t By CH CHARLES RLES H. H BIGELOW Consulting Engineer of Colorado Reclamation on Service in Los Angeles Arek Examiner r. r d. d J f IT ITI I I HE world for many years has considered the the British government I T I reclamation in Egypt as the final word in ia the lre reclaiming of fh he the heJL JL deserts When the French rench failed in their Panama anama canal vent venture re Eur Europe pe co considered a verdict had been rendered against the project American engineers demonstrated their ability to invent was vay ani an and means means' to to overcome overcome me engineering impossibilities We Ve have toda today in the the United States a reclamation n project great greater r than that that of the British r reclamation h in th th the Nile Nite valley and considered in the ultimate a close r rival val commercially a and economically to the Panama canal For the past eight years and pa in the last five years years u the reclamation of the waste lands hands in jn the Colorado river basin has been a a. gr great t object in the minds of all Western Western- empire empire em em- pire builders s. In thIs lr tremendous mendo s re re- re the climatic conditions ares are such ch cb th that f. f all manner of produce may b be cultivated cultivated cul cut and raised for world market The The territorial scope of this district almost staggers the imagination in view of the hc fact that in total more more than acres lie waiting and and- I ready to obey the will Viii of or f American in ingenuity ingenuity in- in and development The steps leading up to th the the- realization realization ti tion of reclamation in this district have ha been many and varied First it waSa waa a cause cause of exploring practically unknown regions filled with mountains running rivers river and great canyons Th Then n camE came the establishment ment of roads such as the Arrowhead Trail with its tributary ry t f eders feeders stretching out Into this Unknown unknown unknown un un- known territory Four years ago Captain Bird vi vice e president of Earl A. A Maginnis Inc unc arid myself trekked over the confluence of r the Virgin and Colorado rivers which has now noo been selected as the site site- forthe for forthe forthe the Boulder Canyon dam darn This willbe will willbe be bea a mighty piece of engineering 1 i which when completed will produce one of the greatest artificial bodies of ot water in the United States today I Knowing that the selection of ot this thi dam am site would mean interest to tl the he I public at large and especially the automotive automotive automotive auto auto- motive public I am carrying a double commission commiss on at the present time in that I region First as a representative of or Earl ri EarlA A A. A Maginnis Inc with 1 a Jordan caras car carasa aa aaa a a- pathfinder I am rn attempting to find the way and arid the means for making motor motor mo mo- tor tot travel sate sale and interesting for tor th the touring public during g the coming sea sea- sons Again in my commission the empire builders of the West which merely me means all who want to see the West come into its own For too the empire empire em em- pire pine builders I must prove that roads can be built that those already laid id out are practical and that after alter being 8 a closed book for tor many decades the Colorado basin is now beginning to unfold unfold unfold un un- un- un fold so that it can be understood and appreciated TRAVEL L IS SEVERE Travel in this district is severe al althe 1 the present time tinie owing wing to the fact that in in inmost most cases cases the Jordan makes its Its Its' road as it goes goer But the nature of t the e country is such that trails s SQ tenn termed d dIn in the desert country readily lend themselves to fo o continuous travel an and androw grow row better through usage Upon my ret return rn to Los Angeles it I safe iafe to say th that t wherever the Jordan I Ihas has been from the Cedar Brakes r an Bryce canyon through Zion t to the north wall to th the Colorado and on in c c Boulder canyon the motor tourist mao may ma go o within the coming season ason without trouble Next year will cill be av available for travel on n the part of f any and all motorists who wh ho wish to avail themselves of or a trip in ii this tremendously interesting colm- colm J I try ry The conservation of flood waters ro r the he Colorado sp spells initially the Into nto cultivation by gravity and nd p pump mp lift Ifft Ift approximately foru torn million acres of land fland but the history of the irrigated ed d desert W West st teaches us that water basins asins and t tables bies are formed in the lower levels that add imme immeasurably sur bl to the ultimate acreage reclaimed T the ie first real ventur venture of nf the it reclamation service and Colorado w ia wa- wa the Laguna weir which has made pp sible the development of this district STUDIED FOR iO 10 0 YEARS The possibilities of at Boulder canyon reservoir site have been known and so ser r considered for the p past past- t ten years years' but not until this summer bait Jias any definite governmental aid been e extended ex extended ex- ex tended toward the actual construction of the Boulder canyon canon dam darn Sixty thousand dollars was made available by the government In July of this y yc to be expended In diamond drilling and general investigations in the fo form oj of plans for the construction ot Qt ota a dam at this point on the Colorado river f feet et high The Boulder can cant yon site is a short distance below the confluence of the Virgin and Colorado rivers A foot dam will wUl conserve acre feet of water and permit of or the development of horsepower horsepower horse power power at a cost of or approximately 10 I The selection of the Boulder cany canyon n nI I site is the first to be considered in th the Colorado basin It was made because of at the fact that it gives immediately relief to the already Irrigated tracts Inthe in inthe inthe the delta of the Colorado and because it has no effect on the irrigation of the lands in Utah Colorado Wyoming or Arizona on the upper reaches o the Colorado and tributaries trib It is estimated ed in addition that 60 per cent of ot th the waters used on all lands capable of ir lr irrigation from Yuma to the headwaters of or the Colorado and its tributaries will willbe be returned to the river at the Imperial Valley Vaney Intake DEVELOPMENT VITAL VITA I The increase in cost of fuel tuel th the df- df oil supplies the jf I ment In modern practice of ot handling pumping strata make of the hydro electric energy an absolutely necessary ar work It makes no difference whether i. we have engineering precedent oi pc whether we WP not have It iff is' hnot not what we Continued 1 ed edon on p page ge e 3 3 L i Lt i i l 1 rl ir qi tr 4 1 PLANS COMPLETED Continued from page 1 know how to do oi of or can do iti it itis is- is what we have got to do do doin in our white coal development The future futuro of ol California Arizona Utah ind nd W Wyoming oming ec economically ally and commercially is one and bound und indissolubly indissolubly indis- indis with the utilization of- of r. r normal flow and flo flood d runoffs of the Colorado I river i When Then asked the question as to the I I final and ultimate possibilities and ir irrigation irrigation ir- ir i I of this b basin hin in no engineer c can n sender render judgment Jt It is a. a matter of progression We can only la large e units and estimate the possible smaller on ons-of ons s of these main S irrigated are areas s. s Out of ot the deserts des of cactus sage sagebrush sagebrush sagebrush brush and drift sands that since the settlement settlement-of of the United States have spelled to man and danger ang r are born cultivated ate lands wonderful wonderful wonderful won won- cities cities' and crop returns Undreamed undreamed undreamed un un- dreamed of ev even n those of the wonderful wonder wonder- Mississippi ful-Mississippi ful valley The electric power that will be de developed developed de de- at Boulder can canyon on dam darn C can n pay interest and sinking fund on the tile entire This is likewise true of the increased land watered from this source ot of flood water control I |