Imperial press and farmer., April 26, 1902, Image 1

About Imperial press and farmer. (Imperial, San Diego County, Cal.) 1901-1903

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

Imperial Ifrreee
AND FARMER.
VOL. 11.
"2! DESERT T J GARDEN f M WORTHLESSNESS 12 WEATH
AS ILLUSTRATED IN THE IMPERIAL SETTLEMENTS
Do You Want a Good Cheap and
Prof itable Home ?
Last week we commenced the publication of an
article under the above heading from advance
proof sheets of a pamphlet being issued by the
Imperial Land Company. As material additions
were made to that article after the paper went
to press, we reproduce the first portion of it this
week as follows:
There are thousands — yes, hundreds of thou
sands—of people In the United States— many of
them on the Pacific Coast— yes, in Southern Cali
fornia—men of limited means, who would be very
glad to secure a tract of good, fertile land with a
good water right, on which they could build a
home and at the same time accumulate a property
that would make them independent, so far as this
world's goods is concerned, in a few years' time.
Reader, if this statement fits your case. It will
pay you to read carefully this little pamphlet, and"
then give the subject herein considered a good,
careful, personal investigation.
Government Land.
Fifty years ago the Great West was open to
settlement, and cheap land could be had, almost
for the asking, in the "Western States. People
flocked westward and took up those lands, maue
good homes, accumulated property, and built up
States.
Those lands are all gone now. Public lands that
are worth having are very scarce. As a rule, if
found at all, they will be found under irrigation
systems; and irrigated lands as a rule are high
priced, because of the cost of the irrigation sys
tems; but they produce better crops than lands
that depend on the rainfall.
Irrigation is cheaper than rain. Why? Because,
under a reliable irrigation system a rancher need
never lose a crop from want of moisture. Under
other conditions — where the clouds must be de
pended upon for moisture, a partial failure of
crops is the rule.
Imperial Settlements.
The only place in the United States of any
importance where the searcher for a home can get
good Government land under a reliable irrigation
system is in the eastern end of San Diego County,
Southern California, in what is known as the
Imperial Settlements.
These Settlements will eventually cover about
500,000 acres in California, and about half as
much more in Lower California.
Nearly one-third of that portion of the Irrigable
tract in California has already been taken, and
water rights secured for the same.
Several thousand acres are now being put under
cultivation, and before the close of 1902 it is
believed that fully 150,000 acres will be supplied
with water.
The Irrigation System.
Water for irrigating this large tract of land la
being taken from the Colorado River, through
what is known as the Imperial Canal. This canal
heads in California, then passes over the Inter
national Boundary line into Lower California, and
"Water is King—here is its Kingdom."
IMPLRIU, C4L. SATIRDM. APRIL 26, 1902.
then back across the line into California, and is
about sixty miles in length.
This (anal is the property Of The California
Development company. That portion of the canal
in Lower California is the property of a Mexican
corporation- La Bodedad de Trrlgacion y Terrenoa
de la Baja California (Sodedad Anonima) — the
stock of which Mexican corporation is owned by
The California Development Company, and this
Mexican corporation also owns 1 00.000 acres of
land in Lower California through which the Im
perial Canal passes.
The California Development Company was in
corporated under the laws of the State of Now
Jersey for the purpose of constructing the canal
system to irrigate the lands of the Colorado Delta,
both in California and in Lower California.
In order to place this extensive system on a
mutual basis, in conformity to the laws of the
State Of California, this Company indorsed the
plan of furnishing water only to mutual water
companies incorporated to furnish water to their
stockholder! only at cost. No water is furnished
by this Company for use in the United States
except that supplied to Imperial Water Companies
for the uniform price of fifty cents per acre foot,
which is equal to two cents per inch un«7er a four
inch pressure for a twenty-four hours flow, under
contract for perpetual delivery at that price.
The officers of tne California Development Com
pany are:
President and General Manager A. H. Heber
First Vice-President C. R. Rockwood
Second Vice-President F. C. Paulin
Becretary R. T. Perry
Treasurer W. T. Heffernan
Supt. and Chief Engineer C. R. Rockwood
Directors: a. h. Heber, .r. W. Swanwick, F. c.
Panlin, E. A. Meserve. W. T. Heffer
nan, C. R. Rockwood and Wm. L.
Macalister.
La Sodedad de Yrrigacion y Terrenos de la
Baja California (Sociedad Anonima) was incor
porated under the laws of the Republic of Mex
ico for the purpose of owning the extensive tract
of land (100,000 acres) in Lower California, and
also that portion of the canal system running
through that tract of land. This Company con
tracts with mutual water companies, incorporated
under the laws of the State of California, to supply
them with water perpetually at a uniform price
of fifty cents per acre foot, to be delivered at the
International Boundary Line, as it owns no prop
erty whatever outside of the territorial limits of
the Republic of Mexico. The stock of this Com
pany is owned by The California Development
Company.
The officers of this corporation are:
President H. W. Blaisdell
Vice-President G. Andrade
Secretary and Treasurer... W. T. Eieffernan.
Directors: H. W. Blaisdell, W. T. Heffernan.
G. Andrade.
The Imperial Land Company was incorporated
to act as the financial agent of the California
Development Company and the Mexican corpor
ation in the sale of lands and water rights. It Is
a colonizing company formed to relieve the canal
companies of all work In that line, so that the
entire energies of those companies could be de
voted to constructing the irrigation system and
maintaining the same.
Th»> offlcera <>t' the Imperial Land Company are:
Presldeni a. H. Heber
Vice-president ami Oen'l Manager.. F. c. Panlin
Secretary R. T. Perry
Treasurer J. W. Oakley
hire* tors: A. H. Heber, F. C. Paulin, J. \V.
Oakley, v. C, Oakley and \v. T.
Heffernan.
Mutual Water Companies.
It was desirable that the owners of tho '.and
to Im> Irrigated Should own and control the Irri
gation system and water rights, so far as practi
cable, but it was a legal impossibility for them
to own (he main Imperial Canal extending for
sixty miles through Lower California, and it was
a physical and financial impossibility to construct
that canal from the Colorado River to the Im
perial Settlements through IJnited States terri
tory. However, a system of Mutual Water Com
panies was incorporated in California, the stock
of Which companies should be owned by tho
owners of the land to be Irrigated on a basis of
one Share tO each acre of land, and these com
panies were to obtain their supply of water from
the Imperial Canal under a contract providing for
a perpetual delivery of water at a tlxed price,
which price enabled the hrigators to get tho
cheapest water in Arid America, considering tho
fact that an abundance of water could be had
any day in the year. These Mutual Water Com
panies were incorporated to furnish water to
their stockholders only so that a land owner who
owned no stock could not get any water at any
price.
Those Mutual Water Companies wore also put
ou an equal footing as regards cost of stock and
cost of water, and there could be no prior right
to the same, as there was more than enough waiter
for all.
F. C. V;
Imperial Water Company No. 1 was incor
porated with 100,000 shares of stock to irrigate
100.000 acres of land. The land to be irrigated
by tliis Company is located between New River
on the west and Carter River on the east, and ex
tends from the International Boundary Line to a
point a few miles north of the town of Im
perial.
Imperial Water Company No. 2 was incor
porated to irrigate 100,000 acres of land on the
west side of New River to the northwest of Im
perial.
Imperial Water Company No. 4 was Incor
porated to irrigate 12,500 acres of land between
the two rivers north of No. 1.
Imperial Water Company No. 5 was incorporated
to irrigate 100,000 acres of land known as Bast
side, located east of Carter River.
Imperial Water Company No. fi was incorpo
rated to irrigate 25,000 acres of land on the west
side of New River next to the Boundary Line.
Each of these companies has a contract with
the companies owning the Imperial Canal whereby
it is to receive perpetually from such main Impe
rial Canal water for as many acres of land each
season as it has outstanding shares of stock at the
uniform price of fifty cents per acre foot, which Is
equal to about two cents per inch for twenty-fours'
flow. The owner of the land is entitled to receive
four acre feet for each acre of land for which he
owns water stock, if he needs that much water,
but is required to take one acre foot of water for
each acre each year.
Each mutual water company owns its own dis
tributing system of canals and manages that sys
tem and distributes the water under its control
among its stockholders.
(Continued next wet k )
No. 2