Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-08-08
THE WATER PROBLEM
Insufficient Storage Capacity and its
Effect U on Local Con-
SumtrS,
Moves for Wells and Wind Mills An Ala
mosa Expert Visits the Arte-
sian Well Plant.

There seems to be disposition on the
part Of many people hereabouts to hell
| themselves in the solution OF the water
problem. One hears the question a
wells and wind mills and tanks and water
pipes pretty generally discussed just now.
For lack Of saving great quantities OF sur
plus water that goes 10 waste here each
spring there las been great individual
loss here this season, People have put
in water pipes at considerable expense
but 10 see them remain dry AZ a powder
horn for lack OF accommodation ny the
water company; acres Of small fruits have
shriyeled and Uilhered With unused
goose-necks at hand, pitiiul indication
OF insufficient reservoir capacity; and
men WHO have worked years to establish
their orlhards have zone to the water
company and said. ut is not Il CUES
ton OF money. Name your price and
give us the water a lew hours to save our
crops" And all to no purpose because
the water company has failed to
keep pace With It's increased patronage
ANA enlarge its storage capacity.
On this account there is much public
comment and those who can afford it
and also many WHO can't, are discussing
the question ot attempting to help them
selves ont Of the dilemma.
And when one comes to consider it
there isn't scarcity Of water here III the
general acceptance Of the expression.
With hexhaustblG supplies Of water To
be had by sinking wells ten to fifty feet
deep it is time the fruit growers and gar
deners hud ceased Worrying With the mat
ter. Their OILY resort seems to he in
seit-heIp Hi, is the conclusion that
many have come to, and not less than
! twenty property oV ners heic are to-day
studying the cost Of sinking wells, erect
Ing wind mills or hot air engines
in order 10 forever rid themselves OF
corporate ann0N anCe and un"eltHluty in
everything save the destruction OF their
gardens and orchards. OF course every
| one Is try ing to secure the best and at the
same time the most inexpensive solution
OF the question: Several wind mills have
/ been ordered, others are studying the
workings OF hot air engines, neat and
! compact little machines such us are in
. successful operation ON the premises OF
Mr.. Martin Lehman and Hon f. C.Wade,
OF Las Cruces, and also in use in the or
! Chards OF Hon. Warren Bristol, Mr.. Lin
dauer and others oi Deming, The wind
mill seems to be cheapest at the start, but
whether II Is the least expensive in the
Slong run Is Il question yet unsettled
here. The cost Of wells is also
under consideration. Five new wells
have been dug within as many weeks, and
Il dozen more are about being contracted
Tor IL various quarters OF the city. Sew
eral citizens have suggested that they
would be willing TO patroHIze 4 tubular
we'll machine II some responsible man
could he induced 10 come here with one.
Mr.. r. L. Elder, Of Lan}y junction, has
had such machine, capable OF going |
down 100 feet. and his record as 4 sue
cesslul well man in the Panhandle of
Texas Is sufficient guarantee that he will
stand by his contracts. 1t is thought he
can he induced to come here this fall and
try lis machine i'll this locality. Core
spOndenCe has been opened with HIM on
this subject
\ BRIGHTER PROSPECT.
In this connection it is worthy OF note
that affairs OF the artesian well enterprise |
took on very decided prospect ior ulti- .
mate success last night. Mr.. L. b. |
Franz, while visiting Alamosa to look |
after the interest OF his branch store there, |
became acquainted with Il Mr.. Hines, a
practical Urtesian well man OF thirty wears |
experience and who has several outfits at |
work III the San Luis valley Mr.. Franz |
told him OF Santa Fe's beautiful valley .
and the i'll luck that had attended our
endeay0rs 10 put down Il test we'll, and
finally prevailed upon the gentleman to
come here and look the situation over.
Mr.. Hines spent Yesterday in SAN
Ia Fe, and in the afternoon he
cry in company with {. +. a. Fischer,
Capt. Sol, Splegelberg, and Mr.. Weltmer.
The visitors manner and conversation
Indicated to these citizens that he was
level headed business man, not apt to
fly the tanget and bubble with enthusiasm
on small proyocation. After reaching the
ground and examining the plant and the
soil that made up the thousands OF broad
acres surrounding ii, lie spoke earnestly
yet conservatively iii passing his juds-
ment. He said the machine vas made
for deep boring and would do the work to
satisfaction if properly handled
lie lifted up several Of the drills that
lay about on the ground and said:
These are all right. They should be cared
for, as they cost about 800 each when
new, and il the threads are allowed to
rust they will be useless" He then in
spected the 30-horse power boiler and
engine, the cable and every part OF the
plant, and announced that us good work ,
could he done with tins as with any OF
The more modern artesian well iuventlons
unless quick sand should be encountered,
IN which event it would only be neces-
sary to procure another drill point, one .
hat would work inside OF the casing, low i
erlng the tube as the earth was cut away.
Mr.. Hines then held his wat, h and
dropped pebble down the well, estinat- |
ing 1t to be clear OF obstruction Tor 100 /
feet deep. 1t Is thought to he 200 feet I
10 the bottom Of the present we'll Iii
the topography OF the region he
expressed the opinion that artesan flows
could he had here almost as readily as in t
The San Luis valley, and We said the soil i
vas as rich ms he had ever found in the
west. He stated that Of course he could {
not "look on the ground" and as |
sert at what depth an artesian
flow could be had, but he thought the /
indications here al favored success. He |
sad there was but one way to prove it {
20 after it; that Alamosa had worried
over the same problem Tor twenty Years.
and all this time the people had kind Of
II theory that no artesian flows could be
had on the Western mountain slopes, till
one day it was decided to sink a test well {
and success crowned the effort. AS in |