Waco evening news. (Waco, Tex.) 1888-1889, 1888-10-04
REcLAIMlNo THE DESERT.
Possibilities of Irrigation In the South
wcst--Opening tho Ancient Canals.

west--Opening tho Ancient Canals.
Though IL has long been known that
the tribes Of aborigines who once existed
In tho states and territories Of the SOUTH
west had system Of agriculture which
permitted them to subsist In towns Of
considerable size, we have not realized
until RECENTLY. -s.se extent Of their re-
sources and the ability they displayed as
engineers. The Hemenway expedition
has examined ancient lines Of canals in
southwestern Arizona In the valley OF
the ella and its chief tributary the
Saloda, rivers which pour their waters
finally into the Gulf Of California, like
their northerly neighbor. the Colorado.
Between the Salado and the Gila, where
there Is now only q growth Of such
plants as endure . torrid climate,
without rain for the greater part Of
the year, the ancient people had their
towns and cities. Some Of the communal
houses were several hundred feet square
and three or four stories high. One city
was traced for three or four miles, and
contained between forty and fifty Of
these large structures, which were irreg-
ularly placed after the fashion Of Indian
towns. Each large house is supposed by
Mr.. Cushing, the ethnologist of the party,
who has made the Pueblo Indians life
long study, to have held the members Of
one clan. Tho walls were sometimes Of
adobe bricks, and sometimes they were
strengthened with posts and wattes.
Each town has separate larger ruin
surrounded by strong wall so as to
form yard. Here Mr.. Cushing locates
the abode of the chief ruler or priest, the
stores of the town and the citadel in case
Of an attack. It is estimated that the
two valleys Of tho ella and Salado sup
ported at one period no less than zoo, 900
souls.
This could only have been accom-.
plished by irrigation. 1t appears that
the water from the Salado was run
across the fiat land between it and the
ella for q distance Of from fifteen 10
twenty miles. The new settlers have
already begun to use the bitches con-
trived by the extinct population. The
canals were dug in terrace outline, filled
with brush and then burned out in order
to solidify the bottom and sides. "Mr.
| Cushing" says The American Natural
list, ''is Of the opinion that they used
RATS made Of reeds for navigating these
canals, and this seems more probable
from the heavy materials that have been
brought from distance. It seems GER
TIN that they foated the pine timber
used in their building operations down
the Salt and ella rivers from the distant
mountains.
These people burned their dead as a
general rule, collecting the ashes into an
urn, which was commonly broken, in
sign Of death; but the expedition found
90 many skeletons buried within the
larger buildings mentioned, just beneath
the floor, that it appears to have been
the custom to bury chiefs and priests.
A food vessel and highly decorated water
4 jar were buried with the corpse, and
sometimes arrow and spear heads. In
one grave large stone knife and tur-
quois ornaments were found. Tools and
weapons are generally of stone, and there
are few copper ornaments, shell carv.
ings, inlaid with turquois, and other
decorations common to semi-savage
tribes. The pottery is Of many colors
and carries fine glaze. They had
smelling furnaces in the mountains, and
appear to have stood upon much the
same plane of cultivation as those Zunis
to whom Mr.. Gushing is guide, philoso-
pher and friend.
The opening up Of these old canals is
the first step to cause the deserts now
covered with mesquite to support a fail
population. With modern appliances II
. Is not impossible that the Colorado, rush
ing along the bottom Of an enormous
cleft in the earth, down which Mai
, Powell made his venturesome trip year.
, ago, should spread its fertilizing water.
{ over portions Of the Yuma and Mohav,
deserts instead of losing then. in the sal
waves Of the Gulf. The climate is ad
verse to irrigation in some respects, be
] cause the moro you separate the stream
S and rills the more you expose the wate
{ body to surface evaporation. In land
, like Arizona and New Mexico the Persian
system Of underground streams, broker
y at intervals by wells, ought to b
v tried. A system of covered canal
would be the best in climate lik
that Of New Mexico, for the evapora
!. ton upward would be at a minimum
~ Whether this country will ever be re
> claimed to do the work it can under
y thorough system Of irrigation is ques
n ton. Perhaps it were. best left to ind
y vidual or municipal, to corporate Q
e state enterprise. National schemes c
e the kind are too prolific Of jobbery an
n corruption. 1t Is matter, however
y that viii repay the study of those havin
:; large amounts to invest for slow but SUI
y returns, dependent for success on til
o financial prudence and sound enginee
}. ing which have caused Holland to b.
n come the richest country Of its size in IL
is world.-New York Times.
Senator DOuglas' Lifelike Remains.
6 at is not generally known" sa
=, Stephen A. Douglas, ."that the remain
~ Of my father, reposing there in til
ie vault at the base Of the Douglas mon
re ment, are as we'll preserved todav as eve