Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-04-20
WALL STREETS INTEREST.


\ gentleman who has just returned
from the east tells the Nhw MGylcAN that
ne recently bad n talk with ieaiing Wall
street, men who said the rariii1y With
which western lands are hping settled
the construction If tuillmnIS, and the
General Growth oi the west. had had the
effect al forcing UpOn eastern capitalists
the necessity vi building water reservoirs
and canals in the so-rHlei arid county.
Capitalists were fast coming to the con-
clusion that, to make protitahlethe money
already expended in western enterprises,
they must put in more. and put it into IT.
rigation enterprises lie said that the
policy OF all western railroad corporations
would be henCeforth to urge congress
and state governments to aid the people
in water development, and he added that
capital in abundance could now be had
for snch development that eastern money
was never 50 cheap and plentiful, and lie
cited cases where loans were Icing So
cured at . per cent per annun on fifty
wears time. Among the capitalists who
thus spoke to the New MEXICAN's inform
ant was Hon. Roswell +. Flower, OF New
York. This gentleman is now making a
tour oil the west, investigating the dry
land and water subject to some extent,
and to Denver reporter he said:
"The cost OF the work is another con
sideraton. The government engineers,
| suppose will furnish this information,
and then we can judge more intelligotly
whether your population will warrant the
expenditure. Just as soon as you get
enough people to support such system
you will get it, But at present Colorado,
| understand, has to the square inch but
one and one-half people, Nevada two
thirds, New Mexico less than one, Idaho
less than one, Dakota four, California
five, Oregon two, Washington territory
one-fourth.
But, OF course, the time will come
when you will have TO have such sys-
TEN, and it may not be very long before
you will be powerful enough to demand
irrisating dams and bitches.
THE EFFECTS OF IRRIGATION.
"In regard to the many basins to be ir-
rgated, am OF the opinion that it is a
government matter, but l suppose pri-
vate parties have control of the lands
to be benefited, but these facts will come
out in the Engineers report The matter
Of irrigation will, no doubt, be attended to
by private parties who have taken up
lands and will in all probability bore for
water which, when they do, hey stand a
chance OF striking more than water, posi- /
bly, salt, oil, gas, or precious minerals.
The creeks, which at times are dry and
then again are raging torrents, could be
utilized and the water stored, making the !
arge tracts of land which are now com
useless, valuable and worth a !
great deal of money. have thought that
il would be an excellent idea to construct |
Jams in such places, and for this purpose
came here to ascertain what could be |
lone. There is plenty OF water here and
he only thing necessary is to save it, and
he work of doing so should be commenced
BY some one at once.
WHO SHALL DO THE WORK. !
my trip will be quite extensive, as
shall 90 to Southern California, from !
here to Oregon and back through the
Yellowstone Park and home. 1t is my
intention to examine into the irrigation |
question in all these places, as there may
De q number of schemes placed before
congress in connection with the surveys
~ the government engineers for the loca-
ion of water sheds and basins, and de-
ire to be posted so can understand the
projects and whether they shall be done
~ private parties, the state or govern
nent
"The arid regions OF the great west
mould be irrigated, as there arc millions
II new people in the country and we must
lpply lands for them to obtain a living
vi OF, and the water supply from the
Mountains and other sources should he
un in the basins and saved" I