Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-04-05
WASTING WATERS.
Figures on the Flow in the Rio Santa Fe
Acres II Could Irrgatc.
To the Editor OF the New Mexican

To the Editor OF the New Mexican
In your newsy paper OF the 81 INST
you express wish to know tine amount o
water in the Santa Fe river that flows
past given point in the tWenty-loui
hours. For my own purpose, have, tins
spring, taken measurements 10 determine
! the amount OF water in the river available
for storage purposes, and YOU are most
welcome to these results; but | wish 1t
expressly understood that these results
are only approximate.
! The river during the spring has an
average section of about ii square leel
with surface velocity OF . feet per second,
but mean velocity OF about 80 per sec
ond. This gives the quantity OF water
| flowing past given point i'll twenty-tour
hours as 1926, 400 cubic feet, AS the
river usually rises about February |, and
continues high until about the middle OF
June, We may count on at least three
months every day OF which the above
amount OF water will be available for the
purpose OF irrigation.
The amount of rainfall in the spring
and summer months averages about ten
inches, and the amount necessary to in
sure good crops is about twenty inches.
This leaves ten inches to be supplied by
irrigation. The 1926 400 cubic feet OF
water which is now wasted in one day
will cover lightweight acres to depth Of
ten inches, or in other words, will lrrlgate
that number of acres and if the amount
flowing for ninety days could be stored,
there would be sufficient to supply about
5000 acres. The small amount OF water
flowing during the dry season would COM
pensate for the loss caused by percolatiOn
and evaporation.
As have stated above, the figures as
to the amount OF water apply only for the
spring months and are very low esti-
mate. lido not doubt that if more reliable
data were obtained the amount of water
available for storage purposes would be
increased from 20 to 90 per cent. Re-
specially, P. l.. HARBOUR.
Santa Fe in the Lead.
SAYS the Denver News anent the dressed
beef racket: The eating house man is as
hard to squeeze as drop of mercury, and
just when they knew they had him he
wasn't there. He chose to patronize the
butchers at Santa Fe, who have good
grazing ground to draw their supplies from,
and they chuckled while they hewed the
choicest of roasts and juiciest OF steaks
from San Juan beef to feed the hungry
overland travellers.
In the mean time the dressed beef deal
ers, preferring to be on the safe side, are
waiting for somebody to test the law in
the courts. This will be done as soon rs
possible, but much time will be consumed
in getting the case through the territorial
court and from that to the supreme court
of the United States. While this is going
on, southern Colorado, having the choice
cattle, will drive them into New Mexico
and feed the hungry.
The local combine was outhanked.
They failed to consider the situation and
the area OF the territory in which they live.
Their expected trade is gone because the
sleepy old town of Santa Fe had wide
awake butcher who secured Il longtime
contract at reasonable rates. 1t is not the
first time that combine came to grief,
and it will serve as warning to others
who try to see personal advantage in a
Law which is intended for the benefit Of
the whole people.