Santa Fe weekly gazette. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 185?-1859, 1857-03-07

yeur, anu may DC put uoWl Ut ah ueruBcos
"hiteen feet from bank to bank between Its
mouth and the 80 parallel, u distance by
land Of three hundred ana fifty miles ST.
"veral shoals or rapids occur III this distance,
but they are not more than fifty yards in
length, and can with little labor be- SO far 70
"mo', d dS toSecure steamboat navigation over
'tnl wnole distance. 1t is greatly to be re
GREETED that the Rio Grande for several hum
'ured miles below the mouth Of the Pecos is
not equally favorable.
'The Pecos river divides the region in ques-
'tlon into two nearly equal parts, the eastern
"known as the "Llano EStacado" or Great
American Desert, gently undultatlng table
"land, without timber Or water upon the sur
"ace, and with general elevation OF $500
fleet above the sea, and the western sys
TEN Of mountains and Of table lands with
"neuriy the same elevation lying east OF the
"K.o Grande The whole Of this region has
"a gentle dip to the southeast, in which di-
rection are its lines Of surface drainage The
mountain ranges have o direction o little
east Of north, are grouped together in short
detached ranges, and along the ~ parallel
"vlewcd as q whole from three continuous
'lines Of lofty mountains about fifty miles a.
part, and as the Guadalupe "(htty miles west
"of the Pecos) the Sacramento, and the Or
gan mountains. Proceeding in both nirec-
'tlons from the 81 parallel, the formation is
"the same, the only change being one OF ma
ines Of the mountain ranges" 1.-The table
bic lands betweenthe mountains, arepartlal bas-
"lnsor o her troughs Of sedllnentary rock, open
AT the north and south, and wltn rapid des'
cents, both from the east and west TO their
lowest lines. These valleys are covered
throughout with most uAurlant growth Of
"granma grass, and their soil is Of excellent
quality. The only luck water to be as pro
'ductve as any lands west Of the Mississippi
The strata Of the carboniferous group from
"the flows Of all these table lands except
wherein limited districts they are covered
with latter formation Of red sandstones
"marls ana clay which have been referred tC
ito the "lrias' These carbonlferous strata
"have been upheaved and dislocatcd, by the
eruption Of the mountains have described
"and their ruptured edges are exposed, along
the lalks Of the mountains at attitudes va
'rying from 600 to 900 feet above the low
"est lues Of the valleys, the carboniferous Ii
limestone forming the highest line ofsedemen
"tary rocks ana being found III all cases IN
'meOiateIy in contact with the emplou rock
which is usually granite. As a general thinl
"the granite is the highest line Of the noun
tain rangcs, which have an average altitude
"of 5000 feet above the valleys. The meteoro
logical notes will concuSlyely show (wha
"mght naturally have been expected) that a
"least eight tenths Of the rain and snowfall 0
this region occurs upon the sumnlts OF TIN
; ",iountans, aud fo-ms numerous and abun
',lant streams which seek their way to til,
"flains down the hanks Of the mountains. Ii
"orrr however to reach thu plains the streams
''mnSt first cross over the entire breadth Of til,
"ruptured edges OF the sedlnentary rocks, an'
"unless after long continued rains the who'll
"of the water is absorbed by the porous bed
"oi saddstoae before reaching the upper Sra
"tum forming the floors Of the valleys. Th
Streams are found along the mountain at ey
: "ery few miles, and their absorption by tn
ruptured strata Of porous rocks has occasion
: "cd peculiar Typographical features in thl
! whole region. Instead Of seeking water a
'iS usual in this country, along the lowest Il
! mes OF the surface, it Is found here in most q
"bundance along the highest lines Of the rldg
I, "es on each side, and the routes following tn
general direction Of these valleys, have il
Consequence been forced from the lowest
"and so far as surface of ground is concerned
"moSt direct and practicable lines to the III
|, mediate nanks Of the mountains and at alt
"tudes Of from one to two thousand feet aboy
1.-The valleys The passage Of the streams Q
water from the submits Of the mountain
"has formed deep ravlnes or cahones in tn
"sedimentary rocks, and in pursuing these ca
. "hones up the water increases in quantity t
"the very face Of the granite nuclus."
, "The absorption Of the enormous quantit
j. "of water thus known to exist every where i
''the ranges Of mountains in this region, III
"doubtedly supplies and maintains abuudau
reservoirs Of water beneath the surface {
'"these trough or valleys. whichis only with
. .'drawn from their upper surface by this p'
$ "cunr but simple and easily observed geolog
4 "caI structure Those who will examine TIL
q ''region with the care and attention which
"haxe devoted to it for several years past, ca
l "entertain no manner Of doubt that abur
! ''dant streams Of water for oil purposes can b
made to overflow these valleys at any poini
I I "Nearly the same remarks are applicabl
= ito the "Lano Estacado," which has for il
! ''basiS the same carboniierons rocks out croI
I ''ping along the face Of the Guadalupe moui
I, "tains. The "Ilano' differs from the trough
between the mountains in having no corre
= tsnonding elevation of mountains on its eQgter