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Show 64 REPORT OF THE CO~ISSIONER OF INDIAN ABFAIRS. the part of thecompany, together witha bond for $50,000, conditionedfor the faithful performance of the contract, the latter to be then forwarded for execution by the Department. The contract was executed by the company (L. E. Hall, president), July 30, 1895, and filed in this o5ce August 7, 1895, hy Frank W. Smith. By the informal direction of the Secretary the contract was not submitted to him, but retained in this office. October 7, 1895, he [the secretary] advised me that after full consideration as to the interests involved in their relation to the future of the Indians, and in view of counter propositions offered by other parties prior and subsequent to July 10, 1896, which seemed to be more favorable to the Government and the Indians, and also in view of representations that had been made to him by alleged friends of theIdaho Canal Company, which were prejudicial to the character and ability of the persons who had also submitted propositions, which he afterwards found to he misleading, he had decided to reject all bids, and directed me to make the nec-ry inquiries as to the feasibility of obtaining a sufficient water supply, together with its probable cost, with the view to constructing the proper and necessary ditch, etc., by the ao~-mmt. October 7, 1895, Agent Teter, of the Fort Hall Agency, waa adviaed of the fore-going action, and directed to obtain from the State engineer, or other officer having charge of such matters, a written statement over his official signature showing the minimum quantity of water in the Snake River available for irrigation, the quantity already appropriated, and the remaining quantity that could be acquired by the Government for irrigation purposes on the Fort Hall Reservation. November 1, 1895, Agent Teter transmitted a statement furnished by F. 3. Mills, State engineer, giving an approximate estimate of the flow of the waters of the Snake River, the records of the amount appropriated up to October 22,1895, and the hw governing the a-~-u ro-u riationo f the same for irrigation o.u rn.a ses. From this ~tate. ~ i e n t it appeared that water considerably in exclss of the average fiow of the river during the latter past of the irria-a tin-a season had been a.~.u ro.u riated. It was there- ~ ~~ fore impracticable for the Government to obtain a sufficient water supply for the Indians independently of the parties who had secured control of the same. Agent Teter reported that the only feasible place to get water for the purpose of irrigating the lands between the Blackfoot River and Ross Fork and between the latter stream and the Port Neuf was from Snake River. He estimated the area. of these lands at 120,000 acres, and stated that the water should he taken out of Snake River at an elevation sufficient to cross the Blackfoot River by a flume and delivered on the reservation, the construction of this part of the canal and flume to he by con-tract to the lowest reaponsihle bidder. From this point, he stated, the main -1, as well as other ditches and laterals, should he boilt by the Indians under Govern-ment supervision. November 11, 1895, I transmitted this report and statement to the Secretary for his information. November 15, 1895, the Secretary authorized advertisement to he made for pro-posals for furnishing s water supply for this reservation. * * " The papers selected were the Salt Lake Herald, semiweekly edition, and the Pow tello Herald, weekly. The advertisement was to run for three weeks, covering a period of twenty-one days, sealed bids to be received until 1 p. ID. December 26, 1895, at which time they were opened and read in thepresenceof bidders and othen, attending. It appeared six times in the Salt Lake Herald, the first insertion being on November 27, 1895. Smifications for the -g uidance of bidders and form of ~ro.o~osed~c o ntmt were ~~ ~~ --- printed and copies forwarded to all persons who had previously indimted a desire for information in regard to this undertaking, or had manifested a wish to engage in it, and also to Agent Teter to be supplied to all persons asking for the same. Copies were also seut to all who, during the publication of the advertisement, applied to |
