tion; there is only about an hour and a half left until the House. meets, and you will not be through with these other gentlemen in

that time.

The CHAIRMAN. We can not well allow our regular witnesses scheduled for a day certain to be set aside; Governor Boyle was not on the program for to-day.

Mr. West, when do you wish to leave?

Mr. WEST. I wish to get away as soon as I can, Mr. Chairman; but I am here holding myself ander the orders or request of the commit ce, and I will be glad to give way to Governor Boyle if the committee wishes me to do so.

The CHAIRMAN. I was under the impression that you had to leave to-day.

Governor Boyle, we will then hear from you now.

Mr. RICHARDS. Mr. Chairman, prior to the governor's proceeding I wish to announce, in the way of introduction, that ex-Governor Boyle also has the distinction of being our ex-State engineer, and he has the further distinction of having traveled through the seven States with the Colorado River Commission, sitting in on all the hearings, and knows the history of the Colorado River Commission from beginning to end, and he will discuss the matter of our proposed legislation on the Colorado River from the standpoint both of an engineer and also of a public-spirited citizen that knows the desires of our particular section, as well as the whole of the South

west.

TESTIMONY OF HON. EMMET D. BOYLE, RENO, NEV., FORMERLY GOVERNOR OF NEVADA

(The witness was duly sworn by the chairman.)

Mr. BOYLE. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, I appear here at the request of Governor Scrugham, who desires that I place upon record in these proceedings something of the very vital interest which we feel in the matter, in the consummation of a plan for the development of the Colorado River, particularly those developments which are contiguous to our State, at Boulder Canyon or Black Canyon.

It is not my purpose to speak here as an engineer or to go deeply into the technical aspects of the development itself; but rather to introduce into your record a rough statement of the anticipated benefits that would flow to our community as a result of extensive power and irrigation development on the border line between the States of Arizona and Nevada.

Mr. RAKER. Mr. Chairman, would the governor just qualify himself relative to his knowledge of that country, and the time he has been out there, etc., so that the record show whether the information he gives comes from first-hand observation or just casual observation.

Mr. BOYLE. Well, I was born in Nevada. I served for about 11 years as a practical mining engineer, making examinations in the territory that will be served by the Boulder Canyon Dam. For a period there I was state engineer, and interested in the development from the official standpoint.

In fact, I believe that I issued the first permit for the development of the Colorado River at a time when it was not considered as a large enterprise that would involve a number of States; and during the period in which I was in the governorship I saw the development of the program, which reached partial fruition in the Colorado River compact.

Particularly, I may say that my attention was directed to the matter of potential industrial development contiguous to the dam. Does that cover the matter of qualification?

Mr. RAKER. Well, you have been over practically all of that country?

Mr. BOYLE. Yes, sir; I have personally been over the greater part of that country, which we hope will be served by this development; and I have seen the river and have been familiar with the engineering and other data that have been made public upon it.

It may be said that Nevada's interest in this proposition is not so great, from the standpoint of irrigation, as that of other States. The State engineer has computed that some 80,000 acres of land may be put under cultivation as a result of the construction of a dam at Boulder Canyon.

Mr. HAYDEN. Where in Nevada is that land located?

Mr. BOYLE. Part of it in small jetties, in the Virgin River, the Muddy River, and on the Colorado River itself-the little inlets on the river basin; and part of it would be a pumping irrigation enterprise that would lie upon the mesa around the rim of the proposed location.

Mr. HAYDEN. How many feet of pump lift would that be?

Mr. BOYLE. Well, it would depend a good deal upon the nature of the country in which the pumping was to be done. Southern Nevada is an artesian section. All of the lands that are irrigated in the vicinity of Las Vegas are lands that are irrigated from artesian wells. Some of those wells flow from 500 to 600, and in one instance 700 inches of water. The Pahrump Valley is some distance from there; there are some 2,000 acres of land there that are irrigated; and with power there could undoubtedly be developed a considerable irrigation area there, that would be feasible if the power costs were not too high.

It may be said in that connection that in our State pumping has been studied intensively, and there is a remarkable fact in connection with the feasibility of pumping that has probably not been fully brought to your attention, and that is that the value of a foot of water in the State of Nevada would appear to vary inversely with the square of elevation above sea level rather than otherwise. In other words, in northern Nevada, where they grow rough forage crops, hay, etc., pumping over a depth of 30 feet is infeasible entirely, even with cheap power.

But when you get into Clark County, the section which will be served by the Boulder Canyon Dam, they grow everything that can be grown in southern California, not excepting citrous fruits; they are already shipping citrous fruits from the Muddy Valley.

Mr. HAYDEN. Are we to understand that this 80.000 acres in Nevada that might be irrigated from the Boulder Canyon Dam is not

to obtain water from artesian wells, but will be pumped by power from water stored in the dam?

Mr. BOYLE. A part of it would be applied in that fashion: yes. Mr. HAYDEN. What part?

Mr. BOYLE. The figures are somewhat conjectural, but it is safe to say that 20,000 acres, at least, of that would be auxiliary irrigation to the gravity irrigation that would come from the dam itself. A few thousand acres could be irrigated by gravity from the Boulder Canyon. In other words, the irrigation requirements of Nevada are relatively insignificant in comparison with the whole amount of water that is to be stored in that reservoir.

Mr. RAKER. Now, in connection with that, will you give us the prospects for mineral development and mining?

Mr. BOYLE. Southern Nevada is a rich section: rich not only in the matter of metaliferous production, but also particularly rich in its possibilities as to rock products development. At the present time, the major operation of the Pacific Borax Co., the largest producer in America of borax and borax products, is in Clark County, within a few miles of the proposed dam site; that is being operated at the present time, and power is developed from diesels, and there is a prospective opportunity there for the enlargement of that industry in that section.

Clark County is also supplying a considerable part, if not the major part, of the plaster that is used in southern California; there are two operating plaster mills. One of them is a large plant of the United States Gypsum Co., and another is a plant near Crystal, which are turning out plaster for the California market; and all of the power supplied for that purpose is power developed from oil.

It may be said, I think, without any fear of contradiction that outside of the big deposits of gypsum underlying Iowa and Kansas, there is more gypsum found in Clark County than in any equal area in the United States, and with the tremendous development of the utilization of gypsum, which last year called for a consumption of more than 3,000,000 tons in the United States, we look forward to a continuous development of the gypsum industry in southern Nevada, even without power. With power it would make that section a center in that respect.

Mr. HAYDEN. What is your estimate of the immediate market for power in Nevada?

Mr. BOYLE. Well, the immediate market is not very great. There will be power used at once for the operation of the Las Vegas shops: for the operation of mines and forges, and things of that sort, to the extent, possibly, of 8,000 horsepower-with existing operations supplied only. There is a possibility, of course, that has been discussed-and I am not at all qualified to talk authoritatively on itthere is a possibility of the electrification of the Union Pacific line through that section.

Mr. RAKER. What is the possibility as to mining 100, 200, and 300 miles from Las Vegas, north and west?

Mr. BOYLE. Well, that is all a mineral country there, that has produced mineral metals, not in small quantities but in terms of hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of metal.

Mr. RAKER. So that the record may show, is it not now almost impracticable, even if you had valuable minerals there, to work them because of the want of fuel?

Mr. BOYLE. In many cases that is true. It is a great desert country, where they are confronted with transportation problems, fuel problems, and all of the things that make it impossible to mine and treat such ores. But the addition of a source of low-cost power there would tremendously stimulate these operations.

Mr. RAKER. From Las Vegas to Boulder Canyon or Black Canyon across, as the crow flies, to the Tonopah gold fields, what is the distance?

Mr. BOYLE. It is about 225 miles.

Mr. RAKER. Straight across to the Tonopah gold fields?

Mr. BOYLE. To the Tonopah gold fields: something like that. Mr. RAKER. Would furnishing power for those mining camps from Boulder Canyon be feasible?

Mr. BOYLE. It would be feasible, although those mines are now served by the Southern Sierras Power Co.; and whether or not that field could be covered would be a question.

Mr. LEATHERWOOD. Are not most of those mines what are called "dry" mines?

Mr. BOYLE. No, sir.

Mr. LEATHERWOOD. Do they do much pumping in them?

Mr. BOYLE. Well, the Comstock mine, when they were operating it at 300 feet they were employing 23,000 horsepower in their pumping operations.

Mr. LEATHERWOOD. Well, is that still being operated?

Mr. BOYLE. Yes, sir; but not at that depth: but it is still being operated.

Mr. LEATHERWOOD. Well, aside from the Comstock mine and the immediate vicinity of that, are not most of your mines dry mines? Mr. BOYLE. No, sir; the most of them are wet mines: I believe they find water in almost every mining section in Nevada at a depth of 1.000 feet; I do not know of any dry mines below that depth.

Mr. LEATHERWOOD. What would be the principal demand for power in mines in Nevada-for pumping or for running compressors?

Mr. BOYLE. No:; for all of those purposes; for milling operations: you can figure that in the modern mill they will use a considerable amount of power, and the tendency is toward larger units in these mining camps. You take the Comstock: As that was originally in operation it called for a considerable number of individual mining plants: the lower south end of that load was taken over and equipped, at a cost of about $6,000,000, to handle ores that were left in place by the earlier miners because they were too low grade to work. Those residual ores were worth about $4 per ton. The plant to take care of them would handle a good many tons per day. And that made a considerable demand for power in northern California that caused a practical development and entailed the putting on of a tied line between the Comstock company's operations and those of the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. that was 47 miles in length and that went over the crest of the Sierras. That line has just been put in operation.

92265-24-PT 4- 4

The demand for power for milling purposes alone, considering the contemplated operations of the gold fields of southern Nevada, will be 5,000 horsepower.

Mr. HAYDEN. It is estimated that the immediate demand for power in Arizona is about 75,000 horsepower.

Mr. BOYLE. Yes, sir.

Mr. HAYDEN. That amount could be used to-morrow if the various industries of Arizona were connected with a power plant on the Colorado River. Do you consider that the demand is as great in the State of Nevada?

Mr. BOYLE. No, sir; not at the present time. But I was going to proceed a little further with potential demand. Now, these matters are not mere speculation on my part; they are the result of inquiry and investigation in which all of the technical agencies of the State were involved.

The deposits of aluminite, which is a mineral analogous to bauxite, in southern Nevada and in Arizona, would have a tendency to shift the development of that industry from the vicinity of Niagara to that section around Boulder Canyon. There are larger possibilities for commercial operation of aluminite in that section of the country than there are in the vicinity of Niagara Falls, granting that the power rates would be equal.

Moreover, this is not speculation; it comes from a consultation with the directorate of the properties themselves. The tendency now is to attempt the electrolytical refining of copper on the Pacific coast. There is one plant at the present time at Tacoma; but two of the largest copper producers in the West, the Utah Copper Co. and the Nevada Consolidated Copper Co., are tributary to the Boulder Canyon site, in the sense that their products, if they are to be shipped to the Pacific coast and transshipped, either by rail or by canal, would pass within 30 or 40 miles of it, and I may say that their engineers have given serious consideration to the proposition of establishing their electrolytic refineries near the Boulder Canyon Dam if it is built.

Mr. LEATHERWOOD. Have they made any report on that line?

Mr. BOYLE. No; I think as an industrial concern they probably would not. But the tendency would be to refine there rather than to ship across the country to Perth Amboy, N. J., in the face of a continually increasing demand for copper in the Orient. In other words, that that copper which is destined to the Far East by a westward route would not be subjected to the economic waste of contineutral transshipment for refining at Atlantic seaboard points.

Mr. LEATHERWOOD. Do these two companies to which you have just referred do their own refining?

Mr. BOYLE. No; the manufacture of copper, if I may go into those details, is along these lines: The western plants make in the main what is known as a "placed" copper; they make the matte first, which is a copper containing a large percentage of sulphur, and then that sulphur is burned out in the converters, almost exactly as copper is burned out of pig iron in the manufacture of steel. And they make a product which runs about 99 plus copper, but which still contains a sufficient amount of sulphur to shorten the copper, as they call it, and to lower its ductility and make it unsuited for