| Show Boulder Dam Construction Will Employ y Men For F Five ive Years By Arnold Kruckman I In New York Times During the past twenty-odd twenty years engineering science has transformed transform transform- ed huge areas of ot the desert into agricultural ag ag- agricultural wonder lands and it Isnow is isnow isnow now apparent that further developments developments developments develop develop- ments on a vast scale are to come This potential economic competition has aroused the farmers of ot America through their great organizations to oppose the reclamation of ot millions of desert acres In the southwest These rich arid acres lie He In New Mexico Arizona California Nevada Colorado Utah and Wyoming They are located in the colossal bowl ot of square miles known as the Colorado basin The mighty Colorado river with its odd fifty-odd tributaries forms the spinal system of ot this section section section sec sec- tion which with its immediately contiguous territory embraces one- one third of ot the continental area of or the United States It is the home or of stupendous mountain ranges Immense Immense immense Im Im- im- im mense deserts world famous chasms like the Grand canyon vestiges vestiges ves ves- of all but obliterated cliff dwelling dwelling dwell dwell- ling ing civilizations relics of ot the romantic romantic romantic roman roman- tic days of Balboa and Corte Cortez strange nomadic Indian tribes weird phenomena of ot vegetation and atmosphere incalculable tr treasures of mineral ral wealth abundant forests and from to I acres of the richest agricultural soil soli of the the- continent of ot North America Two to a n Mile file There are now approximately communities In this t territory with witha a a population of not more than two persons to the square mile Basing the estimate upon the mean average of ot population in European countries of ot inferior resources it has bas been calculated calculated cal cal- that the Colorado basin may cal I easily support a population of ot 90 90 persons It would be bo inconceivable toda today that any statesman should oppose the development of this amazing land as it was once ridiculed as a I barren waste by Daniel Webster Aside from its effect upon the high I cost cost of ot living contemplate what it means menns to the eastern manufacturer to to the merchant the Jobber tl the e amusement purveyor the hotel keeper keep keep- I er to er-to to each and nd every man and andI women who has skill or time to sell I Every ounce of ot wealth created in the west inevitably must swell swen the bank bankI I I balance in the east The west is and andI I always will be primarily an agricultural I tural empire The Atlantic slope supplies faW- faW clothes shoes hats automobiles automobiles automobiles automo automo- biles typewriters ma the the infinitely varied manufactured products products products pro pro- ducts the w west st purchases And the merchant of ot the east knows that the purchasing power of ot the west per capita is greater than the ur J i r ing power of ot the east It Is therefore therefore therefore there there- fore enlightened self interest that prompts industrial communities and leaders t to encourage and support support sup sup- port any movement for the development development development develop develop- ment of enterprises like the reclamation reclamation reclamation tion of ot the arid lands of ot the Colorado Colorado Colorado Colo Colo- rado basin f Area And Climate The Colorado basin proper is greater in area than Germany and Italy combined and the arable lands lanas in this area would swallow up Rhode Island Delaware Connecticut ut and a greater part of ot New Jersey and leave room to spare The climate climate climate cli cli- mate ranges ranges' ranges from from a tropical heat inthe Inthe In Inthe the south where frost trost Is unknown Inthe inthe in inthe the level lands to the windswept windswept wind wind- wind wind-I I swept heights of ot Wyoming where the frost bites shrewdly every night I of the year Down in Arizona they I are so certain of ot th the daily dally appearance appearance appear appear- I ance of the sun that a hotel keeper on the Mexican border for thirty i years has offered to serve the meals meats I free tree to all comers on the day the sun in not seen He was 0 obliged to tomake to tomake make good his offer for the first time during last year The agricultural miracle lands orthe of or I the world are located In the lower I third of ot the basin which despite Its Us I heat has indubitably been the theatre theatre thea thea- tre of ot the rise and fall of greater civilizations 1 like like Egypt Egypt and and apparently apparently is on the of ot another act of the great human drama The I rest of ot the basin above Arizona is from to feet above sealevel sea sealevel level and exacts a more rugged stamina stamina stam stam- I ina from its conquerors First Suggestion The development of ot this this' empire was originally proposed by Arthur P P. P Davis then a member or of the Panama canal commission and now director of ot the United States reclamation service After the usual setbacks of ot the pioneer Davis managed to enlist the support of Franklin K Lanu Lane then secretary of the Interior Through the efforts of ot Lane Sir William William Wil Wil- liam the worlds world's greatest hydraulic engineer reclamation conqueror of ot Mesopotamia Egypt and the Sudan personally visited the Color Colorado do basin and threw the influence in influence in- in fluence of his professional prestige in in favor of ot the project by vouching for the feasibility of ot Davis' Davis plans The complex comple economic political and problems Involving Interstate Interstate interstate Inter Inter- state and international questions were then taken up and gradually adjusted at ata a series of ot conferences held In various parts of ot the South- South held In various parts of ot the south- south Tho The organization is a union of ot governmental governmental gov iOV- civic commercial social cultural industrial and other organizations organizations organizations or or- of ot the states of Arizona California Nevada Utah New Now Continued on Page Four r BOULDER DAM From Page One I Ico co Colorado Wyoming Texas and it Oklahoma In general terms it may maybe I be be said it bears the s same me relation to I e r the southwest that a a chamber of commerce bears to a local commaS comma comma- S Governor Thomas E. E Campbell Campbell Camp Camp- bell of Arizona Is the president The J governors of the several states are the directors None of its officers Is 18 paid and largely defray their own expenses in working for Its objects ill It has headquarters in Los Angeles I CaI Cal l 1500 OO Miles of River r The Colorado river 1800 miles mUes long rising in the Wind River mountains moun moun- mountains of Wyoming and on the continental conti conti- continental divide In Colorado flowing for 1200 miles through a series atall or of orall all but inaccessible chasms reaching a climax In the Grand canyon where the stream has bored its channel more than a mile and a half beneath the surface of the surrounding country country coun- coun try is the third longest river on the American continent Its turbulent course is so dangerous that less than twenty parties have navigated it 5 from Wyoming to the Gulf of Call Calf 5 fornia tornia The harnessing of this stream Is fe fethe the greatest engineering feat foat ever undertaken by the American people Aside from the diversion of water for t the e irrigation of f the vast acreage acreage acreage acre acre- age the dams will generate generate millions upon millions of horsepower of electrical electrical elec elec- energy urgently needed to conserve conserve conserve con con- serve the fast disappearing stores of at fuel Modern 1 inventions have made mad it possible to transmit this energy to toJ J great distances To control this source of Income in perpetuity obVIously obviously obviously is a prize that appeals to those private interests which have made power their sphere of operation The great power interests are eager to finance the building of the wOrks in order that they may sell the power pow pow- er products and the water for tion But Dut the homesteaders believe that If the control of the benefits to tobe tobe tobe be derived from from the harnessing of the tream passes into the hands of private Interests the farmer spen spends s his life Ure in making the deserts bloom will be forever virtually a tenant tenant tenant ten ten- ant on his own land at the mercy of the power over ower Interests Con Congressional Action The people of the southwest will come before this session of congress to place their difficulties before the representatives of the nation They will vill wUl ask congress to enact a law which will enable them at their own expense to build the first unit of the Colorado river works under the su supervision sul supervision su- su l of the government and to tobe tobe tobe be administered permanently by the government The cost of this unit unit unit- the key keT unit unit unit-IA IB estimated at The various communities of the section of the Colorado basin which will benefit Immediately by bythe the Lne enterprise are eager to guarantee the bonds and the southwest stands ready to absorb the entire Issue In obedience to the Kincaid act which became law last May the United States reclamation service started the preliminary work on this undertaking last July At Boulder canyon canon which Is twenty five miles east of at Las Vegas Nev at the southeastern south southeastern eastern tip tp of the state and about miles west from the Grand Canyon of the Colorado there Is to tobe tobe tobe be built a dam feet high approximately approximately approximately ap ap- ap- ap proximately as tall as the Woolworth building The highest dam In in the world was built by Director Davis of the United States reclamation service at on the Boise olse oise river in Idaho It Is feet high The Boulder Doulder canyon barrier on the Colorado will therefore be the loftiest loftiest loftiest lofti lofti- est est dam in the world It will span the the stream at a point where the granite walls 2000 feet high are feet apart Water Impounded The water Impounded roughly speaking will represent a volume equal to the entire flow of the river for two years The arrow shaped reservoir with an average depth of feet will embrace an area of 14 1400 00 square miles It will be the largest artificial lake in the world comparable approximately to ode one of the Great lakes The Salt Lake railroad railroad rail raU- road plans to operate a fleet of excursion excursion excursion ex ex- steamers on its bosom to carry tourists to the rim of ot the Grand canyon If the contents of the reservoir were to be spread over the southwest as a sheet of or water one foot deep it would cover from to acres The area below Boulder Doulder canyon embraces third one-third of the Col Colorado rado basin It is the most productive soil sou I in the world Alfalfa hay is cut twelve times a year with a yi yield ld of one ton per acre per cutting Acreage Acreage Acreage Acre Acre- age in garden truck raises crops crop's crops valued valued valued val val- at fr from m 1000 to 2000 per acre Vegetables berries melo melons I wheat tropical fruit practically every every every ev ev- ery agricultural product of ot th the soil Boll is grown in record record breaking ties And the crops are highly because they may be pla played placed ed on the markets In all aU parts of the American continent from six to eight weeks ahead of crops from any other section Agricultural Wealth The region is fa the only sec section on of of America which has the soil and climate cU- cU mate mato necessary to grow long staple cott cotton n solely in Egypt and the Sudan is the only cotton fiber which maybe maybe may maybe be used in manufacturing automobile tires T. T W. W McDevitt president of the Pacific cotton exchange la is re- re for the statement that five pounds of long staple cotton goes In Into into In- In to to every evory Ure tire and and- that thai the annual production lo 1 of automobiles In America Ameri AmerI- ca has reached the tho astounding total of You You have have therefore an annual need for tor O tires requiring pounds or of long staple co cotton on The annual agricultural yield of or orthe the acres under cultivation cultivation cultivation cul cul- is approximately This supports a population of less than In I tho the light of these figures it Is easy to comprehend compro- compro hend why people gathered from evory every ev ev- cry ory ery state In the Union at an auction recently held in this region by the government within less than sixty seconds purchased acres of raw desert land with prospective water facilities at prices starting not lower low low- er than per acre There Is In Inthe inthe the tho developed area land that cannot be bought for per aero acre There are acres of this desert land in Arizona Arizona southern California Cal Cal- California and the Mexican peninsula yet yet to be reclaimed Five Years Year's Work Vork Assuming the building of Boulder canyon canon dam will begin ne next t June Itis it itis itis is anticipated the work will wUl support from to persons for at least five years It is estimated that the dam would begin to Irrigate the desert land within three years and nd would make choice land available available available avail avail- able as homesteads for world war veterans whose disabilities oblige them to find permanent homes In It he mild health giving climate of or orthe the southwest A group of patriotic citizens of the southwest have organIzed organized organized organ organ- to finance a plan by which the disabled d soldier may acquire a farm upon terms involving no payment of money except that surplus which he creates by his energies and skill But the most urgently pressing need for Boulder Doulder canyon dam Is present in those communities al al- al ready existing along the river These communities are annually threatened threaten threaten- ed with sudden annihilation when the spring floods come cOple roaring down from the melting snow tops of the high mountains The uncontrolled floods yearly cost this region millions millions mill mill- ions of dollars of loss in crops ana acreage which crumbles away like sugar and is carried in solution to the Pacific ocean There are anious anxious ana ana- ious sous weeks every spring when the people of this section drop all work and play to fight the savage river If the great flood of 1906 should ever be repeated it would wipe out towns townsand townsand townsand and villages and large farm areas The people of the tho lower section of the Colorado basin are pressingly in insistent insistent In- In that the dam be built with every possible speed because the completion of the work means safety safety sare safe safe- ty for their lives and the preservation preservation preservation tion of their property |
