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Show 18 (IOMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. the recovery of waterin the Gila River for the use of thepima Indians, wonld involve the expenditure of a large amount of money to no pur-pose, as a favorable result of the suit conld not secure any water to the Indians, and suggesting that the district attorney be informed that under the circumstance legal proceedings were not desired. The Department concurred, and July 8 Sup.erintendent Alexander was notified aocordingly, and July 18 the report of the district attorney on the action taken by him was forwarded to the Department. The superintendent also reported, June 10, that he had visited the head of the Florence Canal and found the Gila River to be as dry there as it was below, there being no water and nothing but sand. At Flor-ence he was informed that the Florence Canal, Casa Grande Reservoir, and several thousand acres of land could be purchased for $15,000; that the canal conld be put in good repair for $30,000, and that flood water, when stored in the Casa Grande Reservoir, could be applied to the Indian landa on the reservation; but he would not say whether this proposition had any merit or not. Still if it were practicable to sup-ply water for any part of the reservation by use of this canal it would be far cheaper than by pumping. The suggestion in regard to the purchase of the Florence Canal and Casa Grande Reservoir was referred to Inspector Code for investigation. The Pima Indians are also interested in Salt River as a source of water supply, and May 12,1903, the Director of the Geological Survey reported to the Department that while on a recent trip to Arizona he inspected the Salt River reservoir site below the mouth of the Tonto Creek on Salt River, and it appeared that in the constroction of this dam a large amount of electric power would be developed which could be conducted to the vicinity of the Pima Agency and used for pumping water in the Gila River Valley to supplement the gravity supply, thus reducing the cost of pumping. In reporting on this communication May 22,1903, the Office referred to the experimental wells under construction at the Pima Agency, and stated that while it had no information regarding the plans of the Geological Survey as to the reservoir of Salt River, it was of the opinion that it wonld be advisable to make plans for utilizing a por-tion of the electric power which might be generated at the Salt River Dam for use in pumping water on the Gila River Reservation as suggested. In his report of April 19,1904, quoted from above, Inspector Code also said: While in the Salt River Valley 1 went over the matter of hydra-electric transmis-sion of power from the Salt River with Mesera. Davis, Stom, and Hill, of the recla-mation survey. According to these engineers there are several power sites along the Salt River, one of which appealed to Mr. Hill as being especially desirable; this will consist of a dam 8 feet in height acroas the Salt River, with tunnel some 3,800 feet in |
