USVI Public Records

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Member for said District (M. M. Skeoch) 1 vote. Itam 4. Election of Members of tlie Putlic Cemeteries’ Commission. The election took place 1n this manner: 4 names were written on the ticket, the first two signitied the members for Chris- tianstod and the other two members for Frece ksted. 18 v ting tickets were handed in. Klected were: For Christiansted: D. C. Canegata and W. S. Abramson with 9 votes le- sjectively. For Frederksted: Robt. L. Merwin with 9 votes and F. Coulter with 8 votes. 4th Appointed Member (Blackwood) received 3 votes; 3rd Appointed Member (Armstrong), Ist Member for Frederik- s'ed t‘own (Jackson), 3rd Member for Christiansted Town (Alexander), 2nd Member for Christiansted Country Dis- trict (Berg) and 3rd Member for said Distriect (Robr. W. Skeoch) received 1 vote respeciively, To be continued. 1L OCAL W are puhlishing toliwy the first in- stal nent of a report by Mr. C. C. tlisher, enzineer, Bureau o Reclamauon, De- paciment of the Interior, on the irriza- tion possibilities in St. Croix. This sab- jeet will doubtless be very interesting to many readers. Maps, charts and ta- bles attached to the report may be seen by interested parties at the office of the Assistant Public Works Otficer who has been kind encugh to furnish us with a copy of the report The s. =. ‘‘Guiara’’ is expected to Jeave New York on Thursday, the 19th last. Thes. s. Romanita made her veekly call here on Saturday last arriving at 3.15 p. m. The schooner ‘‘Roma’’ arrived here on Sunday morning with a party of excur- sionists from St. Thomas. The basebail match played un Sunday moraning hetwaen the St. Thomas team and one from Christiansted r2sulted in a victory for the visitors, the score being 16 to 1. The football mateh started in the ar- ternoon was drawn in the course of the second half of the game up to which time neither side had scored. The St, Croix players stowed skill in keeping the game at the enemy’s goal all the time. The game was stopped on account of oue of the St. Thomas men being sick, The Moravian Church held a Sunday Schon! picnic at the Moravian ground =3 &15 11 45N @5 vesterday accompanied by the Native Brass Band. There was some masquerading in town vesterday afternoon, otherwise there wls no public 2musement whatever ex- cept a cricket match between a loesl and a St. Thomas team which won by 79 runs. The Grebe called at this port yester- div for passenzers for St. Thomas to attend a ball at Governmeaot House last nizht. Rev. Oehler, of the Moravian Churen at Sharon, Barbades, will speak 1n the Latheran Chureb ol this town this even- irg. All are cordially irvited. A sadaccident occurred on the street on Sunduy night when a car chauffered by a druoiken man known as Buckra Johnny ren over a child inflicting injuries to the face. The doctors were at the operat- ing table patting the unfortunate little sufferer right till late the night. From afternoon this driver bhad been seen 1 a state that indicated the danger of his be- ing at the wheel and he damaged a car of Mr. W. S. Abramson, which was well known; still he was at laage in the eve- ning and up to after the child bad been ren over he was operating a car. The publie life is in its hands with a condition of this kind; drunken people should be foereibly removed from cars if they per- sist in jeopardizing public safety. Here is an opportunity for imposing a deser- ved hard sentence that will discourage reckless driving on the whole of wkich there is a great deal ail the time. The s. s. Paria from New York is Slc"edultd to arrive at Frederiksted to- day. REPORT AND ESTIMATE ON IRRI- GATION POSSIBILITIES ON ISLAND OF BT. CROIX, VIRGIN ISLANDS, U. B A, By|C. C. FISHER, Engireer, Department of Interior, Bureaw of Re: clamation. INTRODUCTION. 1. By letter dated December 5, 1923, frem the Honor: ble Secretary of the Navy to the Honorable Sceretary of the laterior, request was made for the as- signment of an irrigation engineer Lo mzke an investigation and report on the irr.gation possibilit.es of the Island of St. Croix, Virgin Islands; and by reply of the Honorable Secretary of the Interior, dated January 16, 1924, Mr. C. C. Fisher, Engineer, was gossigned to this duty. Acecordingly the writer proceeded from Deuver, Colorado, and arrived via the transport '‘Kittery’’ on February 26th. Approximately three weeks were spent on the island in makinz ficld studies an? in collecting data. These data we: e then brought back to Washington, D. C.. where the followingz report has beer: prepare 1. _ 2. Sincere appreciation 1s expressed for the courtesies extended the writer by the pianters on the Island and bv tii- Naval officials both at Washington an on the llslands, and also for the assis: anc2 furnished iz the way of draftsnien stenographers, ete. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 3. The econciusions reached and i recommendations made as to the poss bility and the fea:ibility of irrigatio: development on the llsland of St. Crois as resulting from a three weeks vien to the Island by the writer and a sub-. quent study of the data there securca. are summ itiz>d 1o the following puava graphs 4 to 22 4. The geological formations of th Jsland are not favorable to an artesiun water supply or to a sufficient grou water supply for irrigation. 5. The topograpay and soil conditio.- are favorable to irrigation developmen 6. The ultimate possibility of irrigatinn deveiopment will not exceed 157 to 207, of the arable land of the Island. 7. The major solution of the farming problem on the Island must be diversi ficotion of crops; the rasing of crops that require less water than does sugar cane; and the adopiion of better dry farm methods. 8. The value of irrigation based onr the net value of the incroased cane pro- duection is estimated at $£2).00 por aero. 9. The mean annuai trainfall of the Island is 46 inches. The lowest of 72 vears record was 1922 with 264 in ches. There are periodical dry cyele: of several years duraton, tle low t average of record being the last ilew vears, but the average annual is not d° creasing. 10. There are practically no records of runcff on the Island. ‘The estimated ai.- nual runcfl is very low —about 25% of the rainfall. The most vita! need on the Island n conn-ction w.th irrigation stu dies is the cecuringof runoff data, and it is recommended that steps be taken to this end, and that no wrrigation construc- tion be undertaiken until at le: st a few years runoff records are obtained. 11, The normal annual rainfali, if pro- perly distributed, is sufficient for the production of a fair yield ot sugar cane A high duty (low use) of water is essen- tial on account of the scant supply Th. duty adopted is 60 inches in depth per annum on the land, including bencfi:jal rainfall, or a rainfall of 5 inches per month or less. : 12. Distribution losses are estimated at 256% of the diversion from the reser- Voir- ; (To be continued,)