Show FALLS CANAL AND i POWER COMPANY wk something about a mammoth idaho enterprise ter prise in which citizens of weber county are investing labor and capital while irrigation and the approach ol 01 the irrigation congress anro attracting tho attention of all residents 0 the it sought be interesting to note of the late irrigation schemes which are being pushed to fruit lou in this ejection aurb there is enterprise in many ogden and weber county people are interested it is tho american falls power company tho american falls canal rower company has closed negotiations R J evans L IL curtis and frederick facet of alt lake city and lemaa of ogden for the completion of its largo canal at blackfoot idaho evans curtis sweet have charge of the colonization and ly man akcen of the construction work factual construction is in progress the force consists of the grading outfits of lyman L B II ammon caleb parry R N watts acif taylor and other J smaller contractors david S tracy and a force of men left yesterday for j the purpose ot constructing bridges blumes flumes fl umes culverts cu lverts etc mr J A green of denver is in charge of tho engineering work the canal system haa been in course of r construction for a number of years but B owing to the magnitude of the project i 30 land has been advertised for sale the company expects mohave tho canal so tar completed by the coming fall as to open up several thousand acres for settlement 1 the directory consists of L W ashurt lial lyman skeen L B hannnon Ha nunon D fi I 1 traca caleb parry P A matton and J D skeen with L W drw dant lyman ace president and general manager darid 6 tracy freaa aurer and J I 1 safen secretary the american canal and power companas comp anys canal heads about ten malca nuovo blackfoot on the eide of the snake river and haa a southa westerly direction A portion of tho upper 20 miles of this canal has been j constructed tho wain canal will have a total length jtb miles when completed besides a main lateral system of nearly rt miles the canal being on a some 1 what light grade crosses other canala and reaches an elevation from which it commands the irrigation of the high bench lands which extend from a point nearly opposite blackfoot to american falls comprising an area of about acres the canal when completed will have a bottom width for the first 20 miles of 60 feet gradually narrowing to 12 at the lower end it will carry fee fc of water the grade will be 1 toot in and the capacity of the upper 20 mile section will be 1200 second feet the cost of the construction of this canal is estimated nt milr tho carey act for the construction af pf a aanal and application for the segregation of about acre of land were submitted by this company to the state land board ot idaho on december 14 action waa taken on this proTo aal by the board and application was duly made by tho for the segregation of the land un j der the provisions ot the Carpy Act A 1 misunderstanding arose shortly tefter wards between abo company and the peoples canal company a misunderstanding which resulted in furious del lay in disposing of tho states application in the general fluid kofl cheso finally adjusted but not y ticul 1898 it was then thought that f nothing further would interfere the consummation of tho undertaking u aich hd already ficen so long delayed but other troubles were in store A pro E lest was filed in the finales land j by the american rhalls bonanza i power Compi iny against the betting ot lands which it waa tl almod could not be reached by the proposed canal A ot the land was in evolved about acres at the lower end of the proposed canal the list was divided and then portion about acres was permanently withdrawn I 1 while the lower portion was only tem f pora rily withdrawn pending a further t 1 consideration of the protest the auw tion by abu canal was refer ed to the idaho state engin t aers office and line was surveyed eyed by the american falla canal and power company in order to 4 verify their former work the state en 1 gincer was fully satisfied from the re suits of this curvey that the protest was without foundation the controversy w as shortly afterward set for hearing before the united etalea land office at i blackfoot KlAck foot when upon the failure of the protesting to appear the mat ter waa and the states aepli cation for the segregation according to tha original list allowed to stand the segregation having been made by the department of interior of acres the company expressed a dwyre of concluding the negotiations by entering into a con tract with the state through tho state land board for the construction of the canal an dother irrigation w arks but acting upon the advice of the state engineer the board refused to execute a contract until more definite information had been furnished regarding the final route of the canal and the plans for ats construction there was also some doubt as to the cost of construction more detailed surveys were thereupon made by the company and a very careful estimate of cost based upon this survey showed an increase over the original estimate of with the better acquaintance thus afforded with ane details of this project the work of preparing a contract was begun the practical details of which were left almost entirely to the state engineers office A great deal of time and careful consideration was devoted to this matter and it is believed the result which so far has met the approval of those who have examined into it from the standpoint of the investor as well as the intending settler promises to be a afe basis for the practical operations under this act the construction of the works will be under the supervision of the state engineer and will be built in the most substantial manner the specification provide that all structures over aix feet in width placed in the canal shall be of masonry and plans of structures of every kind must first be submitted to the state engineer for his approval special attention is paid to the provisions of the contract upon which the water rights of the settlers will bo based while the property will ultimately be administered by the community whose rules of for ita management cannot be fixed by tho terms of this contract it was deemed desirable to lay the foundation for good practices in the hope that they might be continued utter the control of the works passes from the hands of the construction st company the water right which will be dedicated to the land provides that each acre shall have the right to at least two and one half acre feet of water or a depoli of two and one half feet during each irrigating season to be deliver edat such times and in such quantities as the condition of the soil and chopa demand but according to such rules and regulations based upon a system of distribution of water to the ir ri gators in turn or by rotation as will best protect and servo the interests of all the users of water from the system while the capacity of the canals of this system will be generous 1 second foot for each 70 acres 0 f the main canal and for each 50 acres for the main lateral it will be practically impossible to handle and distribute the water to the thousand who will some day be served without an orderly system which will inaura a sufficient head at the proper time to the little farm with same regularity that it is supplied to the big one all other details received careful consideration and it is believed the interests of the future settlers as well as choso of the investor have been fully guarded by this attention on the part of the slate the original proposal of the company provided that tho shares in the works should behold at a price not to exceed 10 per hare one share to each acre of land the idaho state engineer is inclined to tho belief hat when this proposal was made a clear idea of ahn lation of the state to projects of this kind was not had and when it was clearly understood that the state would insist upon the construction of none but the best works supervising the same in tho interest of both the settler and the investor it was seen that a modification of tho proposal would be necessary in order to insure the financial suc cess of the enterprise tho lands under this system are not of course all first class but when graded it was found that the average selling price of the shadrea would not leave a safe margin behind an investment of thia magnitude and the financial bucce eg of the undertaking being as important to the at the period of development as to the projectors the request to amend the proposals which was made by the company wag granted by the land board and the maximum price increased under this system while the land will be thrown open to public entry by the state the real work of colonization will leave tn be done by the the construction company the shares will command their market value and no more but it ia thought the financial success of the project will be insured with the better opportunities for profit which will thus be afforded thia feature with many has not received attention at the inception of the undertaking tho delaya which as a result of the referred to were very discouraging in their effect on this un der taking the canal is partly con the first twenty miles and it is estimated that about have been expended by the company in this work and in legal expenses but now that all difficulties have been removed the company has resumed the work of land will be finally watered from this canal about of which belong to the state A description of the pro posed works will be found in connection with the canal system of the upper snake river valley |