OCR Text |
Show -28- in lieu of subsistence, for each member of the board so employed for the time employed and actually engaged upon such work; and provided, further, that the work of construction shall not be commenced until plans therefor are approved by said special board of engineers. No authority hereby conferred by the Secretary of the Interior shall be exercised without the President's sanction and approval. The expenses herein authorized shall be paid out of the Reclamation fund established by the Act of June 17, 1902." Pursuant to this resolution the Secretary of the Interior appointed Major-General William L. Sibert, United States Army, retired; D. W. Mead, engineer, of Madison, Wis.; Robert Ridgeway, engineer, of New York; Charles P. Berkey, geologist, of New York, and W. J. Mead, geologist, of Madison, Wis., as members of the Board. The two Meads, unrelated, were both members of the faculty of the University of Wisconsin. It was generally considered that the personnel of the Colorado River Board was high grade, as to ability and integrity. It was feared, however, that the limitations imposed by the wording of the resolution would so circumscribe the activities of the Board as to preclude a thorough investigation. This proved to be the case. The Board decided that its duties were limited strictly to an ascertainment of the engineering and economic feasibility of the project as proposed, and that it had no authority to consider any alternative plan. Recognizing the major importance which would attach to the report this Board would make, the Colorado River Commission of Arizona engaged the sefvices of John F. Stevens, of New York, an engineer of international fame, at one time chief engineer of the Panama Canal, to repre- |
Source |
Original book: [State of Arizona, complainant v. State of California, Palo Verde Irrigation District, Coachella Valley County Water District, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, City of Los Angeles, California, City of San Diego, California, and County of San Diego, California, defendants, United States of America, State of Nevada, State of New Mexico, State of Utah, interveners] : California exhibits. |