Las Vegas free press. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1891-1???, 1892-05-19
CAPITAL m IRRIGATION.

for instance. On almost the latest
maps the Pecos country is a terra
incognita. The river is easily found.
Il rises in the northeastern corner of
New Mexico, flows southwark
through the territory, crosses into
Western Texas and reaches the
RIO Grande. The maps show
great unoccupied waste to
the eastward of the Pecos branded
in large letters "LlanO Eslacado,"
which the Biographies say means
staked plains. West of the river the
Rocky mountains main range cuts
IF the valley from the other three
fourths of New Mexico. On the
whole length of the Pecos and i'll the
entire breadth of its valley the latest
maps show scarcely half dozen
settlements of enough Importance to
he designated. The railroads and
the tide of immigration and of i'm
nrOvement went around the Pecos
by the north or jumped across it on
The south. The great valley was one
Of the waste places until 50 recently
that the mapmakers have not had
time to show the information. And
irr cation did it.
To open up this valley the organ
izers of the enterprise have built
eighty miles of railroad aud founded
city. One of the companyy canals
receives its water from the HOndO, q
branch of the Pecos, near Roswell,
N. NJ. A dam raises the water l5
feet. The canal is 80 feet wide at
the bottom and feet deep. 1t is
twenly.slx miles long and carries 6
Ieet of water. 1t has fifty miles of
lateral bitches from 4 to 10 feet
wide at the bottom. This canal al
ready brings $4,000 acres under
water, and its extension will add
$4,000 acres more, making 100000
acres to be irrigated by the canal.
Further down the valley another
canal Starts from the Pesos, six miles
,Onve the town of Eddy. AT that
print the Pecos cuts its way through
solid limestone. A da m, 1870 feet
long aud 50 feet high at the deepest
place, elevates the water and turns
I through the canal head which is
cut out of the rock 80 feet and
20 feet deep. Gates, set as firmly
in this rock formation as if they
we're in cut-stone locks of a naviga-
non cana, n, gulate the flow of water.
Nature could hardly have done more
I 10 help the irrigation engineers al
This point. The river II short dis
lance above the dam has a sharp
turn. The water coming down strikes
with full force against vertical cliff
aud the strength of the current il
Oh, cked and almost destroyed before
1t reaches the dam. On the side OPP
pos,e the head of the canal Il broad
cut l. adj off INTO ravine, providing
esc pc for surplus or flood waters,
which flow down the ravine and do
not reach the river for good half
mi G below the dam. The dam
makes lake seven miles long and
u AIRY two miles ide, holding bil-
TO- ga Ions Of water. The stream
W ich flows into the canal is 20 feet
deep AID 30 feet wide. This canal
will have main leugth of 20 miles
Before its duty is fully exhausted II
wiz b. taken acros> the PecoS on "A
tlu ue and will continue on down
the valley on the other side Of the
river To the Texas line. Below the
Texas line there is n third large canal
nuw under construction.
Faith in irrigation Is perhaps no.
where more strikingly illustrated
Than in this Pecos valley enterprise.
When the managers Invaded the re-
glon they found few scattered
ranches and just enough evidence to
how what the soil would du il water
WIS applied. They saw at Wit
Brothers place collonwoods which
had grown O. inches in circumfer-
rnce aud go feet high in nine years.
They were shown at GiIbert's pecan
tree which in six years from the seed
was "a inches in circumference; and
Is Ilogg's peach tree 81 inches in
di meier aud n feet high for its
n -