Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1891-06-22
new MEXICO.
A Traveller Tells What is Being DONE
There.
Wonderful Developments in Two Years
One of the Greatest irrigation Dis.
tricts on the Continent.

Los Angeles Times:
r. w. Tansill, a prominent citizen ol
Chicsgo, director OF the Pecos Irrigation
& Improvement company OF New Mex
leo, is in the city accompanied by bis
wife, and Is stopping at the Hotel West
minister.
Mr.. Tansll was asked by a Times re-
porter: "Is this your first visit to Cali
fornia?"
"No! This is my fourth visit to Cali
fornia. but my first to the southern part
of the state"
Il presume you are travelling for pleas
ure?"
"Well, yes; although l have a double
purpose in visiting California this time
for health and pleasure first, but also tc
look at what irrigation is doing for this
part of your state"
81 learn that you are just from the Pc
cos valley of New Mexico. Will yor
kindly tell our readers something about
that valley, of which we have heard sc
much :"
"My experience is simply this: Severa
years ago, being overWorked, and my
health impaired, became convinced that
| must seek a change of climate. My
friends called my attention to the devel.
opment then about to commence in the
Pecos valley, and advised me to 90 there
| acted upon their advice and went
there"
"What is the climate OF the Pecos val.
ley?",
The Pecos valley has an elevation Of
from $500 to $500 feet. The average
rainfall is about thirteen inches per year
The atmosphere is light and dry and gen
orally pleasant and brscing, and statistics
show that there is no better climate
known for those afflicted with pulmonary
and kindred diseases"
"Where is the Pecos valley?"
"It is in the southeastern part OF New
Mexico. And by the way, most won
derful transformation is taking place
there. This valley is 800 miles long, thir
ty to forty miles wide and as smooth as 6
floor, with gentle slope of from fifteen tc
twenty-five feet to the mile. So you SEE
it is admirably adopted to irrigation, anc
not only this, but there is an abundance
of water at hand to irrigate with. The
Pecos river is a great mounta' n stream
with flow, in the dryest part of the year
of about 500 cubic feet per second"
"But can this water be utilized?"
''It has already beIn utilized. A syn
dicate, organized for this purpose, is build
ing there the greatest system OF irrigatng
canals and reservoirs on the continent.
Over 100 miles of these are already com
pleted, each 20 to 55 feet wide on the bot,
tom and carrying to 7 feet of water.
Over 400 600 acres Il Iieahlest alls IRE 6ssIig
fhe T9rld s1.ill vii Be end improved. There
has been expended in this enterprise over
$2,000,000 and at least 81 100000 more
will be expended within the present year"
"Does this company own these lands. "
"No. 1t is not the purpose OF this COM
pany to hold lands. Two years ago they
all belonged to Uncle Sam, but large
proportion of them have been entered by
settlers. There are yet, however, about
100, 900 acres under these irrigatlug canals
that are subject to entry under the home
stead and desert land laws"
"What are decided lands under these
canals worth now?'
"Desrable lands, including a perpetual
water-right, subject to an annual rental
of but $l25 per acre, can now be pur-
chased at from 500 to $50 per acre, max
ing them the lowest priced irrigated land
IN the United States, hence the most
desirable for farmers of moderate means
but these prices will certainly advance
soon."
"What do these lands produce?"
Everything that can be grown any
where in the United States, except
lemons and oranges. Fruits, vegetables,
cereals, cotton, hemp, tobacco-every-
thing grows there luxuriantly. This
valley has nearly the same climate and
soil conditions as exist here in southern
California, and will rival this state in the
production of semi-tropical fruits"
"Where will farmers find a market for
their producer"
"a railroad has been built into the val
lev, from Pecos on the Texas Pacific rail
road to Eddy, ninety miles, giving il
communication with the outside world
and the mining districts of New Mexico
and Colorado will take all the produce
of this section for many years to come
at good prices. Besides, two cities are
growing up in the valley that will con
sumo great quantities of food. Eddy, the
county seat, in the center of the valley
is bright, enterprising little town anc
is certain to become city of i'm
portance in the near future. 1t already
has $50, 900 hotel, national bank, etc.
and is beautifully laid out with streets
like your southern California towns. I'm
migration is pouring in at wonderful
rate. The whole valley is filling W
rapidly, and the Pecos Irrigation & I'm
provement company at Eddy, N. NJ, il
kept busy answering inquiries from peo
pie who contemplate emigration to some
new country.
"Is there any game in that country"
"Plenty of it. Antelope are abundant
in the valley, while on the staked plains
fifteen to forty miles east of Eddy, these
with deer and peccaries, or wild hogs
may be found in numbers to suit the mos
enthusiastic hunter. In the Guadalupe
Sacramento, Mescalero, White and E