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SECOND ANNUAL REPORT OF RECLAMATION SERVICE.

many large pools. The bottoms are sand, covered with straggling agebrush and a little grass, with here and there a small body of gras land from which hay is cut. The upland is at a distance of a mil from the river. This is a fine stretch of country, extending for miles to the north and west. almost abandoned, there being about 30 people in the entire county, It was once settled and cultivated, but it is now which contains about 700 square miles.

It was reported that there was a reservoir site at Point of Rocks, about 18 miles from Richfield, and Cimarron River was again visitedat a point about 12 miles southwest of Richfield. Here on the north side of the river there is a high hill, at the foot of which is a sandy bottom more than half a mile wide, a part of this being occupied by the river. The flow here would not exceed 5 second-feet. The sand extends south 2 to 4 miles. On the north of the river the sand does not reach up the bluffs and the soil is good. From drift seen along the banks it is evident that the river sometimes overflows the bottoms and gets high; how often this occurs could not be learned; some persons said it occurred every year, while others said once in 2 to 5 years.

At the upper camp of the Boice Cattle Company in Colorado there is an artesian well, but the flow is small and the pressure light. There is less sand here than below; there is also some hay land, and the pasture is better.

About 10 miles above this camp the river was found to be clear and in a well-defined channel. The flow was 4 second-feet. Here, instead of sand, are foothills of gravel and soil.

Along this side are several small tracts of land well suited for irrigation, and small ditches and individual dams have been constructed, each of which irrigates 12 to 60 acres.

Near and above Garrett the hills converge until they are but a half mile apart, but in no case is there a gorge. gravel and bowlders, and carries 3 second-feet of water. It is said that the river does not go dry. Drift shows that the floods have covered The bed of the stream is of the lowlands to a depth of several feet, but no definite information could be obtained as to the frequency of these floods. The amount of irrigable land is small, the stream running from side to side so often that it is badly cut up. The bluffs here are about 200 feet high.

Five or six miles from Garrett the bottom land becomes better and more level, but not much wider, and a few ditches have been constructed, leading out of small dams only a few feet in height and holding but a small quantity of water. Alfalfa does well and so

sorghum and kaflir corn are raised here.

In sec. 4, T. 5, R. 3, there is a site where a da long would be 45 feet high, but the area of the r

large, and below the dam the irrigable land would compri akva za acres to each mile of distance.

Toward Kenton, the last place visited in Okiatoum Mus widen out and the hills get higher. The flow here was fount Te about 2 second-feet. From the drift along the stream and it te to it is certain that at times floods have covered the bottone, our the fact that the bottom land is all fenced in in small tracts, and tilt the frantse cross the river at short intervals, leads to the belief tart time fonde are not of frequent occurrence. All the good and grala de auto may to have been taken up by private parties, and an owlet is mine. Tarde The boundary line of New Mexico is 1 miles west of Kopin and from Kenton up the bottoms spread out to a win, se

miles, making a beautiful valley with consists in this me wong the watercourses.

In the vicinity of Kenton and for sever

prospect holes were seen, but it could not se marred but ne puin very valuable had been taken out.

About 16 miles west of Kenton furryer nga trouf, a pod mod stone, making a solid bottom, the wale seing vot 2 feet rugh mul 20 feet apart. A permanent dam, about 25 feet of xd Voluk bung at the top, could be built at reasonate ezzem zel, mirih ngerund enough water for a small irrigation ejmani

3 second-feet. At this point a can we deal frogs, the durati bed, but, owing to the amount of one % sa nuket ka paupikkune been abandoned for the present.

About 25 miles west of Keown, rî MA war, a 16887, rows down to a width of it be quale la fin places a dam one-fourth of a la ang wing *** The hills here are very high; te verdader the one just north of the rani, sonet sabun a ditch of about 2 second-fot raising alfalfa and other crop. and it is stated that the river

year, and sometimes more tras

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once constructed here to make a lake for a pleasure resort, there being a large hotel just above, but it was soon destroyed, probably by the water overtopping it.

While there are several springs below this dam site, there is no water above, either running or in pools. The town of Folsom lies low, and any considerable overflow would reach into houses; yet it is said that nothing of the kind has ever occurred, and it is concluded that no great amount of water comes down this stream from the mountains.

CURRAMPAW RIVER.

On Currampaw River the first running water was found about 16 miles from Folsom. The drainage area as well as the flow of the stream is small, and the bottom lands are narrow, but the uplands were found to be extensive and accessible. Farther down the stream gets very sandy, and finally all of the water disappears.

At a point about 8 miles west of the Oklahoma line are the falls of the Currampaw. Here the stream has cut a pass through the solid sand bluff, and falls 35 feet in about 500 feet. The stream bed is a triangular notch, and a dam 75 feet high would be 400 feet long on top and 10 feet at the bottom.

This stream once meandered around this hill to the south and came in below the falls. There is no running water here; the sand is very light and drifts badly, and the valley below is narrow for 6 miles; then, for about 7 miles, the width is from 1 to 14 miles, and it then narrows to 500 feet or a little more, with a very soft, sandy bottom. A few miles farther down the bed becomes very much wider and is devoid of water, except at a depth of 15 to 18 feet below the surface.

REGION BETWEEN CURRAMPAW RIVER AND STRATFORD, TEX.

For 8 miles the land was found to be sandy and poor; it then gradually became better for the entire distance to Stratford, Tex., 45 miles. This is a good upland soil, covered with buffalo grass, and adapted to the raising of sorghum, kaffir corn, etc.

There is no water in this section except that obtained from wells at depths of 175 to 250 feet. Since the Rock Island Railway has extended its line through from Liberal, Kans., the country is being settled very rapidly. The water supply will no doubt be scant for any crops, and there is no way of irrigating, but it will make a good range for stock raising on a small scale.

SUMMARY.

On Cimarron River it is possible that a reservoir site may be found in the vicinity of Kenton, Okla., or farther upstream, but the water supply is uncertain. This stream does not head in mountain areas

which contain any considerable amount of snow, and there are fewer indications of flood waters in the upper portion of the course than in the lower.

North Canadian River is similar to the Cimarron, and its headwaters are also located in a country not well adapted to furnishing large and continuous supplies of water.

In southwestern Kansas and adjacent portions of southeastern Colorado suitable reservoir sites have not been found, and it is doubtful whether a more detailed examination is desirable. The Cimarron in Kansas flows over a sandy bed, and has low banks with broad bottom lands on one or both sides; thus the opportunities for the construction of an economical dam are not offered.

Beaver Creek, in the portion of its course before it reaches Oklahoma, also flows over a sandy bed, and all the water except in time of flood disappears. No available reservoir sites were found.

INVESTIGATIONS IN MONTANA.

By CYRUS C. BABB.

MILK RIVER PROJECT.

The location and extent of this project have been described in the First Annual Report of the Reclamation Service, pages 203 to 214. Field work was continued during 1903, this being the fourth year of surveys since the first examination and reconnaissance in 1900. The general scheme is divided into two parts: First, storage of the flood waters of St. Mary River and their diversion into the headwaters of Milk River; and second, the utilization of this water on the irrigable lands of the lower Milk River Valley in Montana.

The investigation has brought out three methods of utilizing the water of the St. Mary Basin. (1) Divert St. Mary River to the North or South forks of Milk River, and allow it to run through Canada to the lower Milk River Valley in Montana. (2) Utilize the waters on the eastern section of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, and lands immediately adjacent to the east. (3) Carry water from the head of St. Mary River across both the North and South forks of Milk River to Cutbank Creek, down which it will flow to Marias River, 100 miles or more, and take it out of the Marias by a canal to Big Sandy Creek, a tributary of Milk River.

The most feasible project is the one first mentioned, but there are a number of international questions connected with it which are likely to cause complications.

The first difficulty arises from the fact there is already a canal in Canadian territory diverting water from St. Mary River. This canal is located about 7 miles north of the international line, and is owned by the Canadian Northwestern Irrigation Company. The total length of the canal system is 200 miles, including laterals. The length of the main canal is 864 miles, including 27 miles of natural channel. The main canal at the head is 20 feet wide on the bottom, and is designed to carry 5 feet of water; the side slopes are 14 to 1, and the grade is about 2 feet to the mile. With these dimensions the capacity of the canal would be about 400 second-feet. It is doubtful, however, if the

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