Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1890-01-27
IRRIGATION CANAL WORK,
4 Protest from the PuchlOs-The seldom
MesiiIa HitCh-Pr0sEerity on
the Lower PcCUS.

Special Agent +. G. Lewis, OF the Indian
department, who has been temporarily
stationed here since the death OF Col.
Mcclure and pending the confirmation OF
Mr.. Segura, yesterday received from the
secretary of the interiora protest recently
drawn mp and forwarded to the depart
ment by the Indians of five puebos be
tween Cochito and Isleta, against the az
ton of the Rio Grande Irrigation Il Colo
nizaton company The Indians set forth
that this company has undertaken to Oc-
Cupy their lands and construct lrrlgatlDg
canals through them without first having
Consulted the owners ere OF or made any
arrangements whatever to treat them as
owners of the property, and they state
that they on this account stopped the
employees of the company from all work
on her lands, and they want the govern
neut to stand by them to the end that
lsliCe may be done. Agent Lewis says
the government will certainly DO this and
that a perfect bu mess understanding
must he had between the water company
and the Indians before the work can be
prosecuted.
sELDEN-MESILLA CONTROVERSY.
To-day meeting of Mesilla valley clti-
zens is in progress near Fort Selden, at
which Major Arson Mills, U. S. A., who
is father of the Ell Paso dam enterprise,
is taking expert testimony to he laid be-
fore the secretary Of war. Major Mills
has received tue following instructions
from the war department:
''Iu obeying your summons to Wash
ington 10y congressional committee COM
municated to you this morning, come by
way of Fort Selden and give q hearing to
parties interested III and those opposed to
the construction of the twenty-tOUt ditch
through that reservation. Sheriff Mariana
Barela and Conn. George Lynch repre-
sent the party opposed, and W. II. ii.
Llewellyn represents the other party and
bias u revOcable license to construct said
ditch, which license is now suspended.
Bring with you full report after inter
viewing the parties referred to and after
visiting the line of ditch and seeing
what Its effects will be, Mr.. Lleweliyn
asks that his license be restored, with
the following condition: That when
ever there shall be any scarcity OF water
in the Rio Grande, to such al extent that
dit hes having prior rights to the use
OF the water in the said river Shall not
have such supply us they may have APP
propraled heretofore severally, then, III
such case, the head gate OF SAID lrrlgatlng
ditch constructed under license shall be
Shut. The amount OF water appropriated
by said lower bitches to flow unmolested
to said several bitches below. Consider
fully"
In the meantime twenty teams are at
work on the canal below the reservation.
| The Las Cruces Republican says:
Judge Waldo, solicitor OF the Santa
Fee road for New Mexico and president OF
the land companies which operate in this
valley in connection with the railroad,
was sent here by the company to inspect
the situation. AS a result OF his investl-
CATION, the companies are doing all in
| their power to assist he enterprise. Judge
Waldo freely expressed his legal opinion
| that the old bitches have prior right to
the water, 10y reason OF prior approprla-
ton, and any new ditch company would
only have right t. the use OF the surplus
water; that Is to say as long as the old
bitches need the water no new ditch can
touch it; that the present ditch system is
i'll the nature OF a cOpartnershlp; that no
person holding water rights under it
would have a right to Withdraw rom 1t
in other words, that no such person could
legally divest himself OF his obligation to
contribute to the maintenance Utthe ditch
exec pit with consent OF the Others
PROGRESS ON THE PECos.
The New MExICAN's latest information
from Eddy and the Pecos irrigation enter
prise shows great progress in that favored
section. The town of Eddy is rapidly
growing. Real estate is being transferred
with unusual advances. The town is
alive with mechanics who are building
new houses and general improvements.
Eddy is likely to be in short time the
best town in New Mexico, simply because
it has alter and plenty OF 1t. The presl-
dent of the Pecos Irrigation company, Mr..
J. j Hagerman, president of large railroad
and banking corporations. says: 1--WE
intend to make the Pecos valley one OF
the most fertile and prosperous tracts i'll
the United States. No money will be
spared to carry the entire scheme to Il
successful issue and every encouragement
will be ei> ell to bona fide farmers, mo matter
how little capital they may have, to take
up farms and cultivate them under lrrl-
CATION