Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-11-22
progress of public education is always a
good gauge Of public spirit, and therefore
the condition of the


PUBLIC SCHOOLS
of the county may we'll be mentioned
here. In the forty.nine school districts
there are forty-four teachers and schools,
an enrolment of 1892 children of school
age, and an average daily attendance of
1918, of whom 748 are boys and 40
girls. Including the children attending
the public schools, private and secular
institutions, between the ages of and 20
years, there are 3,41O pupils. The aver
age number of months of tuition in each
of the forty-four schools is about four
months. In the more thickly populated
portions the school year will average
from seven to eight months, while in the
sparsely settled districts it will run from
two to four months. The total receipts
of the county this year for school pur-
poses was 1924, and the total value of
public school property is $41,240. This
does not include the value of
THE SCHOOL OF MINES,
which is territorial institution, created
by act of the legislature of 1889, and
located at Socorro, the county seat. 1t is
supported by tarof 1-5 of MIL on ali
the taxable property of the territory, and
IL organized as high grade school of
technology to teach all branches of learn
ing that underlie the professions of chem
istry, metallurgy, geology, mining and
engineering, in fact to fit it's graduates as
tirst-class mining engineers and experts.
Tuition in this institution is absolutely
free. Its president, Prof. Floyd Davis,
says: "It will in no sense be allowed to
degenerate into shop in which to teach
the mere art of assaying. The require
mcnts that will be demanded of the teach
ers are that they be practicable men, en-
dowed with energy and with high grade
of intellectual and scientific requirements,
not so conservative as to be hampered by
the traditions of scholastic education, but
rather they shall be imbued with the ex-
actions of modern progress and with am
bition that will only be contented by sig
nal achievements accomplished through
their Efforts" The work of the able
Prof. Davis is efficiently seconded by
Prof. Theodore s. Delay, his assistant. A
school organized on such broad lines and
with such comprehensive opportunities
for progress is worthy of explicit notice.
ITS WORK
is conducted under board of trustees, of
which the governor of the territory and
the superintendent of public education
are ex-officio members. The 1898 term
began September s, and after the Christ
mas vacation the 1894 term will open on
January 2. The final examination occur
December 21 and % and May and 4.
Candidates for admission must be we'll
qualified for the work of the school and
have preliminary training in the col
lateral branches of learning such as to
enable them to avail themselves ofthe full
advantages of the school.
THE BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT
of the school are of the best. The build
ing is shaped, 1876 feet long by thirty
two feet deep, with central assay wing
of fifty-four feet long by thirty two feet
wide. 1t is constructed of gray trachyte,
in broken ashlar, trimmed with red sand
stone. The basement is entirely foored
with cement and is divided into furnace,
store, coal and wash rooms, an assay pre-
paration department, metallurgical
laboratory and water closets. On the
main floor are the presidents Office,
library, reception room, private labor
atory, qualitative and quantitive labora-
tories, balance, evaporation and stock
rooms and the laboratories for fire and
wet assaying. The second story contains
lecture room with capacity for seventy
students, and preparation room. The
third story is occupied by museum, a
we'll lighted micro-spectro scopic room
and storage closets. The building is
plumbed for water and gas, and supplied
with the former in all parts under high
pressure. The complete structure cost
$42, 2,94O.s3, and when the entire apparatus
necessary for its work is in it will cost
at least $4,000. Convenient working
desks, twenty-five crucible and two large
Denver Muffle furnaces, large roasting
furnace, scales, balances and generators,
together with On ample and carefully
selected supply of chemicals and re-
agents complete the present equipment
of the school.
At present there are twelve students in
attendance, two of whom are post
graduates. The great Colorado school
of mines started out with only three
pupils and was long time working up
to Ave. It WILL therefore, be seen that
New Mexico and Socorro county have good
cause to be proud of the school. This
years work is on general inorganic and
organic chemistry, blow pipe and quail
tative analysis, assaying and metallurgy,
and the work Is about equally divided
between Profs. Davis and Delay. The
future work will include the whole range
of metallurgical and chemical studies,
together with the French and German
languages, including scientific reading.
The school has campus of twenty
acres of level land all under irrigation
bitches.
AGRICULTURE.
The farms of this county are principal.
ly found in the Rio Grande valley. Be-
ginning. at Sabinal, about thirty
miles north of Socorro and then stretch
inn down to the beautiful fields Of San
Marcial, near the southern boundary. All
this section is easily irrigated, and much
more land than is now cultivated might
easily be reclaimed. On the ninety miles
of the course of the Rio Grande in this
county, there are over 100000 acres of
land easy to reclaim in the first bottoms.
On the nesas and bench lands there are
100000 acres more. This is all of mex
haustible fertility, and capable of sup