cult undertaking to obtain n the beginning all the capital necessary for construction.

Vitally important as this project is to the irrigation and all other vested interests in the Salt River Valley, the Globe copper-mining district and the mining region between Globe and the dam are little less interested. To the mines and smelters of that locality the high cost of fuel is a serious hindrance to development and profit. Wood appears to be an exhausted quantity, practically, and coal costs $12 per ton. The estimated average cost of producing a horsepower for

one year is $187.50 for fuel alone.

Cheap electrical power would wonderfully stimulate the mining industry in that locality, and the reservoir company claims that it will develop a water power which will produce 10,240 horsepower, of which 6,768 horsepower can be transmitted electrically to Globe, 35 miles distant. I have received no estimate from the company of the cost of installing their electric power and transmission plant, but that it can be done at a cost not prohibitive of profitable operation I have no doubt.

It

During the past summer exhaustive investigations were made by engineers of the Geological Survey at this dam site with a view to determining definitely the location of bed rock, diamond drills being used for the purpose. The results were more than satisfactory. was ascertained that at the deepest point bed rock is but 43 feet below the surface, and that over most of the area of the proposed dam the distance to bed rock is much less. The quality of the bed rock and of the walls of the canyon were found to be ideal for the construction of the dam required.

GRAHAM COUNTY.

Graham County, in the central eastern part of the Territory, contains an area of 6,500 square miles. Its northwestern portion is covered by the White Mountain Indian Reservation. It is of rugged topography, with elevations varying from 2,800 to 10,000 feet. The Solomonsville Valley, from 2 to 5 miles wide, is the central part of the county. Through this valley, in which is located all the agricultural area of the county, flows the Gila River, the chief source of water supply. This river rises in New Mexico, crosses the eastern boundary of the county near its southern part, and flows northwest until it unites with the San Francisco River. The soil of the valley is a rich alluvium, very fertile, and under a high state of cultivation. The climate is mild, and almost any crop known to the western continent can be produced. The agricultural towns are Duncan, Solomonsville, Safford, Thatcher, Central, Pima, Bryce, Matthews, Eden, Fort Thomas, Geronimo; also Aravaipa, Fort Grant, Bonita, Wilcox, and Clifton. At Duncan the ditches belong to individuals, and are taken from the Gila River. The supply is usually plentiful for the land under cultivation, although a slight scarcity sometimes occurs in the latter part of May and lasts until the rainy season, about July 15. This scarcity could be prevented if only one ditch on each side of the river was used, or by the construction of a reservoir in the canyon. From Solomonsville to Geronimo canals, 25 in number and with varying lengths of from 1 to 15 miles, are taken from both sides of the river at intervals of a few miles.

Irrigation is entirely in the hands of the farmers and owners of the soil, and the ditches are owned by them under the cooperative system. When the title to real estate passes, the water right goes with it.