New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-02-04

stOse re - leys. lmmeoleVl u S'-N0e' ~'A NC
granite il mountain or oarbOtikrcas hnesto1e'
afier " kich follow nuDerVas strata Of sandstone.
OF the r.iIs sid SHOWS Of this region 4. least
eight teutbs all on the mountain tops. AbGniant
forests Of magnificent pines are found ,long tue
ttrte rarges Of mounis'n.. There are extensive
forests Of this sort frin. the sum Iis' along the
esst face Of the Guadalupe mountain Tor st Last
ih;ItJ niles north Of the pass through Which TIE
survey for the railroad h.s beea carried. TIE
timber can be delivered st ssy point Of the pass,
which is also well supplied with water BY simply
cutting il on the side. OF the mountains and allow
ing i 10 roll down. Tie Sacramento mountin',
tie mex. western group, and the plain, or valley,
between that range and tie Guadalupe, are
well watered By numerous streams between the
parallels Of % 30 end 81 and are also well pro-
yided with bard wood bat With those Limit 10 Inc
car be found froa esst 20 west practicable for
railroad. A. general thing, the valleys or plains
are De ,iiufe Of wood and wa'er. The streams
how;rg 1oWr from the mountain tops, before they
can reach TIE plains, must frat How across the
up.urIed edges Of tie sedimettary rocks which
form tie lower slopes OF the mountains, snd unless
after oDg-co1tnued rains, the water is all sb.
so bed by the porous beds Of sandstone before
resch-g The upper strata which form the beds Of
the valleys.
Hence ibe lires Of tra5tlin this regout While fol-
lowre Re general direction ofihe valleys have been
forced from tie Lowest aid smOothe't tracts to tie
Immediate lanks Of the mountains, where they are
CARED along a. attitudes Of frOm one r. two tbeu-
sal fee, abOSe The valleys. The streams, as they
tesCerd, have formed deep cahons il the sediment
aiy rocks, ard IN following ~ these cah0ns the
water Increases in quantity. The country east Of
the PecOs, commonly known as the Laao E'ti-
cSdo, or staked plain, or sometimes as the Great
American Desert, though destitute Of mountains, IS
Of tie same general elevation with the valleys
already 6escrbed. 1t rests on the carbonlfer-
Gus strata, but is covered for a depth Of zoo feet
with formation Of sandstones, mars and iudurated
clays Of every variety of color, red predomna ing;
but as no fossils are found IN it, its geological age
aid position cannot be readily determined.
Tlis plain though desttu'e Of water, ia, like the
valleys on the other side Of the Pecos, covered the
Jen round With the nutritious grs nma grass, and
by meas of the roots Of the musquite-s thorny
bush abouLdirg on these plans-is well supplied
with feel. Ttese rO0ts, HARD, compact, AMI from
three to siI inches diameter, ramify for q. least
forty get below the surface, go that the same area
according 10 Captain Pope, will furnish as mach,
ard as accessible and as good fuel So .uy equal
area Of tinbered lands in the United States.
The yareJs west Of the Peco. are represented 10
have a tcii Of the sane general character a. the
VsLey Of the Mississippi, retding only water to
II ale them equally fertile As TO the Llano E,sa-
cadc, Capt Pore admits that, from the description,
il would seem 10 be sterile. b! from the eller-
vescence with sn acid Of the material brought up
by the boring, be copjectures the existence below
the surface Of an inexhaustble supply Of mari; and
by pesrs Of srtesian wells in the feasibility of
which, partly from experiment, but still more from
theoretical considerations, be is firm believer he
even goes so far as to anticipate the opening OF
tbesc 6csert regions 10 cultivation and settlement.
Could they even be OSened to ca,te-ras.ng-,Ae
most tina. We should venture IL anticipate from
thtm-,hc charge would convert this now worse
than worthless region into valuable possession.
The actual experiments hitherto made in boring
for wster have been three; two in the sJu.h east
corner Of the Territory Of New Mexico about IF.
teen miles east Of rhe Pecos AID 7ery near the
TEXAS Ike; the tlird west Of the RIO GranGe, on
the table and betwetn thai river and the Cha not
far ifCm FL Paso. This last experiment seems 70
ba7e been an entire failure; the two Others were
uore successfal. The first was commenced on ,te
lst Of June 1855, and in three months and half
the We 9ss carried down Gil feet At 800 'ee',
c,esr a. j pure water was reached, which rose 20
lee ffom ia point Of issue. At 500 feet. second
sual stream WAS res,heJ. A. 6il feet, power
ful strtsm vas approached, which, rushing through
the sond.,ore, Iose rspidy and caused the beds Of
c'sy aboye-tbe quantity OF tubing carried Gu, hav.
ire been eIhau.:ed-to cave il AID FL the xcU to
su tx,tLt which made il impossible 70 clear /.
ANEW torrg sbou. fiye miles east from I'll, fra,
cue wss commenced On the l.. Of Apt, 1876.
TIE same scans Of water were ls.d ope1, aud at
lesrly the same depths IS before A. &C feet
stIesm was struck, which rose within 10 feet
Of TIE surface. The water was pure AID Psl.tabe,
sr1 so ab'.-ds1. tat corstsa: pumping FOR many
daJs ard n.h's Cd No. diniLish the light q.
Which i stood. The boring was c5rtuqet 200
feet further, I'll he bcrHg ro1. were Exhausted,
VIXEN il became reces,ny to stop. At this depth
4 SCI fe: he mnls az cloys y ng sboEe tee
caIboniie'ous strata were not el,ire'y passed
thrC uet bat 200 feet further woad, acc )rlihg TO
Cspt. Popes cslcu.ators, haze carried the wel
ITO he sandstone Of The cartoD;E rpus g-oup fr.m
wl.ci be sai:;ip,te; az abundan. supply Of w,te;
risrg to he s1iface ali copiO1s enough fo: pur
pcsts q .IliEsiior.