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LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, February 24, 1914.

TO THE SPEAKER, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

Washington, D. C.

SIR: Section 2 of the act approved August 24, 1912, making appropriations for the current and contingent expenses of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, provides as follows:

That the Secretary of War be, and he hereby is, directed to convene a board of not less than three engineers of the Army of wide reputation and large experience to make the necessary examinations, borings, and surveys for the purpose of determining the reasonability and practicability of constructing a dam and reservoir at or in the vicinity of the Box Canyon, on the San Carlos Indian Reservation, known as the site of the proposed San Carlos Reservoir on the Gila River, Arizona, and the necessary irrigation works in connection therewith to provide for the irrigation of Indian, private, and public lands in the Gila River Valley. Such board of engineers to submit to Congress the results of their examinations and surveys, together with an estimate of cost, with their recommendations thereon, at the earliest practicable date.

In accordance with that provision of law a board of engineer officers, including Lieut. Cols. W. C. Langfitt and C. H. McKinstry and Maj. Harry Burgess, was appointed September 19, 1912. The report of the board dated February 14, 1914, accompanied by photographs and drawings pertaining thereto and furnishing the information required by the act is submitted to Congress herewith.

Very respectfully,

LINDLEY M. GARRISON,
Secretary of War.

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SAN CARLOS IRRIGATION PROJECT, ARIZONA.

BOARD OF ENGINEER OFFICERS,

Los Angeles, Cal., February 14, 1914.

From: Board of engineer officers.

To: The honorable the Secretary of War (through the Chief of Engineers, United States Army.

Subject: Report on "San Carlos irrigation project," under Indian appropriation act of August 24, 1912.

APPROPRIATION ACT, ORDERS, ETC.

1. This is the report of the board appointed by Special Orders, No. 23, Office of the Chief of Engineers, September 19, 1912, as follows: By authority of the Secretary of War, and in pursuance of the directions of Congress in the act of August 24, 1912, making appropriations for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a board of officers of the Corps of Engineers, to consist of Lieut. Col. William C. Langfitt, Lieut. Col. Charles H. McKinstry, Maj. Harry Burgess, is hereby appointed to make the necessary examinations, borings, and surveys for the purpose of determining the reasonability and practicability of constructing a dam and reservoir at or in the vicinity of the Box Canyon, on the San Carlos Indian Reservation, known as the site of the proposed San Carlos Reservoir, on the Gila River, Ariz., and the necessary irrigation works in connection therewith to provide for the irrigation of Indian, private, and public lands in the Gila River Valley, and to report thereon, as required by sextion 2 of the aforesaid act.

The board will assemble at Phoenix, Ariz., at a time to be designated by the senior member, and is authorized to visit such other points as it deems necessary for the proper performance of its duties.

Upon the completion of the duty assigned them the members of the board will return to their proper stations.

Lieut. Col. Charles H. McKinstry, Corps of Engineers, will act as executive and disbursing officer of the board.

2. The item in the Indian appropriation act of August 24, 1912, reads as follows:

** That the Secretary of War be, and he hereby is, directed to convene a board of not less than three engineers of the Army of wide reputation and large experience to make the necessary examinations, borings, and surveys for the purpose of determining the reasonability and practicability of constructing a dam and reservoir at or in the vicinity of the Box Canyon, on the San Carlos Indian Reservation, known as the site of the proposed San Carlos Reservoir on the Gila River, Arizona, and the necessary irrigation works in connection therewith to provide for the irrigation of Indian, private, and public lands in the Gila River Valley. Said board of engineers to submit to Congress the results of their examinations and surveys, together with an estimate of cost, with their recommendations thereon, at the earliest practicable date. The sum of $15,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appro priated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the pur pose of conducting said investigations.

3. Ten thousand dollars additional was appropriated by the Indian appropriation act of June 28, 1913.

4. The board met at Phoenix, Ariz., 10 a. m., November 12, 1912; and on the 13th proceeded to the Chandler Ranch, the new Santan

Ditch, and the Sacaton (Pima Indian) Agency. On the 13th, 14th, and 15th the board inspected Indian and private lands irrigible under the San Carlos project. On the evening of the 14th the board attended a meeting of the principal men of the Pima Nation, who had been called together..by the school superintendent, Mr. Thackery, at which. meeting several of the Indians and Dr. Cooklong time a missionary among the Pimas-made addresses in favor of having the United States build the San Carlos Dam. On the 15th the board held a public hearing at Florence, at which a large number of owners of land irrigable under the San Carlos project were present and expressed themselves with one or two exceptions as in favor of the United States building the dam. On the 15th and 16th the board proceeded to San Carlos via the Roosevelt Dam and Globe. At Globe the board held a public hearing, at which several persons addressed the board in opposition to the San Carlos project and in favor of allowing the railroad to build at a low elevation through the box canyon of the Gila and the proposed dam site. On the 17th the board inspected the box canyon as far down as the 1899 dam site. and selected a locality about 1,000 feet upstream therefrom as a site to be investigated. On the 17th and 18th the board returned to Phoenix, and on the 18th and 19th studied such data from the files of the United States Reclamation Office as were immediately available and drew up a program of work to be carried out by the executive officer.

5. While at Phoenix the board was in frequent consultation with Mr. L. C. Hill, supervising engineer, United States Reclamation Service, and Mr. Howard S. Reed, engineer in charge of operation and maintenance, Salt River project, both of whom are familiar with the San Carlos project and with the general subject of irrigation in Arizona and elsewhere.

6. On March 27, 1913, the executive officer held a public hearing at Florence, at which the work done by the board up to that time was explained and the owners of lands irrigable under the San Carlos project were invited to inform the board whether or not they would care to enter their lands under the project in case the United States should undertake it, how much per acre their lands could afford to pay, and how much they would be willing to pay for water under the project.

7. On June 4, 5, and 6 the board held meetings in Washington, at which the board's engineer, Mr. D. E. Hughes, was also present. At these meetings the board considered the data that had been collected up to that time by the executive officer and the engineer and drew up a final program of work.

8. The executive officer visited the dam site on September 30 and October 1, 1913.

9. The third and last meeting of the board was held November 10-15, 1913. On the 10th the board met at San Carlos, and on the 11th made a detailed inspection of the upper and lower dam sites and of the results of the diamond-drill borings. On the 12th and 13th the board proceeded to Los Angeles, Cal., and at its sessions of the 13th, 14th, and 15th completed its findings and agreed upon the substance of its report.

its

10. In all of its work the board has been greatly assisted engineer, Mr. D. E. Hughes, member American Society of Civil

Engineers. Attention is invited to Mr. Hughes's memoranda on various elements of the project, found in the appendixes, especially to those on the "Design of the dam" and "Silt."

11. The diamond-drill borings at the dam site were under the immediate charge of Mr. W. E. Jones, to whose experience and energy the board is indebted for the thoroughness and success with which that work was done.

12. Early in the investigation Mr. F. H. Newell, Director of the United States Reclamation Service, offered to furnish the board all data relating to the San Carlos project on file in the Washington, Phoenix, and Los Angeles offices of the Reclamation Service, and a considerable amount of unpublished records have been turned over to it. Presumably the board has had before it everything of importance, published or unpublished, relating to the project.

13. This opportunity is taken to acknowledge the courtesy of the reclamation officials with whom the duty of the board has brought it in contact, and the valuable assistance received from Mr. Hill.

THE SAN CARLOS PROJECT.

14. The Gila River is the most southerly of the large tributaries of the Colorado River. It rises in western and southwestern New Mexico, receiving its waters from mountains having an elevation of from 7,000 to 8,000 feet. Flowing in a general southwesterly direction, it enters Arizona in about latitude 32° 40′ north, at an elevation of about 6,000 feet, and flows across the State in a general westerly direction, emptying into the Colorado River near Yuma. In New Mexico its watershed is generally a high rolling plateau, through which the river flows in a deep canyon. About 10 miles before reaching the Arizona line the canyon broadens into a valley of considerable width, known as Duncan Valley. In this valley some 7,000 acres of land are being irrigated from the river. About 13 miles below Duncan the river is crossed by a lava ridge, through which the river has cut a gorge known locally as York Canyon. Below York Canyon the valley broadens again, and then gradually narrows by the closing in of the long stony ridges, which extend from the higher mesas. At Guthrie, at the crossing of the road from Solomonville to Clifton, the valley is perhaps 300 or 400 yards wide. Five miles below Guthrie the Gila receives the waters of the San Francisco. From about 2 miles below Guthrie the river flows in a canyon for a distance of about 20 miles, or to within 10 miles of Solomonville.

15. The Solomonville Valley extends from a point 10 miles above Solomonville to the Box Canyon, 7 miles below San Carlos, a distance of 70 miles. Between Solomonville and Geronimo about 25,000 acres are under irrigation. Below Geronimo is the San Carlos Indian Reservation. About 1,200 acres in the main valley and in the valley of the San Carlos River, which flows into the Gila at San Carlos, are irrigated by the Apache Indians.

16. The Arizona Eastern Railroad (Bowie to Globe) crosses the Gila Valley at San Carlos.

17. The Box Canyon of the Gila extends from a point about 7 miles below San Carlos to the mouth of the San Pedro River, a distance f about 31 miles. The dam site is close to the upper end of the canyon. The country to the north and south of the canyon is

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