Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-10-02

yerting of an arid waste of land int
beautiful farms WAS an alluring one; time
labor, engineering, skill and millions 0
dollars were equired, but at last tn
projectors are about to see their effort
crowned with success. Had it not beel
for the financial depression, it is safe tt
say the population of the Pecos vale.
would have increased during the pas
year a hundred fold. Despite the hare
times, however, the population has in
creased very materially and in no place
in the vest to-day can be found people
more prosperous.
THE RESERVOIRS AND CANALS.
The question naturally arises: How il
this water saved and how distributed
The answer is simple. By one of the
most complete systems of storage reser
voirs and distributing canals to be found
in the United States.
An account of how the company pro.
poses to reclaim the valley for the great
er portion of it's ITO miles must prove
interesting to the average reader.
The company has constructed two i'm
mense reservoirs and has up to the pres
ent built water conduits of total length b
of 1,294 miles. Then in view of the fact
that only four years have elapsed since
the initiation of this vast project, the
wonderful progress made is truly marvel
Gus.
The series of canals begins with what
is known as the Northern canal. 1t draws
| its supply of water from mountain
| tributary of the Pecos, near Roswell, and
| known as the Rio Hondo. At present it
| is only thirty-five miles long, but it is the
intention of the company to extend it
southwark when needed. In width it ia
thirty feet and carries n stream of water
SIX feet deep. The head of the canal is
situated on what is known as the old Pat
Garrett place, three miles from Roswell
and one of the Oldest farms in the valley.
There is now under construction reser-
yoir with capacity of 100000, 900 cubic
feet, for the purpose Of increasing the
already large supply of water, when the
canal is heightened. The surplus of the
Spring river about Roswell has been
added to the flow of the Hondo.
The most important system of the
company at present is known as the
Southern canal, which takes its water
from the Pecos, the Eddy distributing
reservoir and the Seven Rivers storage
reservoir.
| The Seven Rivers reservoir is located
eighteen miles above Eddy and has o
capacity of 9,OO0,000,000 cubic feet. Out
of a natural basin has been constructed
this immense reservoir. The hills close
in from either side, and across the river,
resting on rock its entire length has been
| thrown massive dam that intercepts the
entire flow. The length of the dam is
| 1856 feet, the greatest width at the base
| is 306 feet, the crown of the dam is 80
| feet across, its greatest height is SO feet
and the submerged area 8,100 acres.
This reservoir is the largest in America
and one of the greatest in the world. 1t
covers S,1O0 acres of land, at some places
to depth of fifty feet. The width of this
| body of water varies from quarter of a
mile to three miles and is eleven miles
long. The breaking of the dam is an ex-
tremely remote possibility. Ample waste
ways have been provided to permit the
escape of surplus water is case Of a sud-
den rise. From one filling, $4,000 acres of
land may be irrigated. Twice year it is
filed to its utmost capacity and at such
times it is a grand sight. This reservoir
is used for storage purposes only, the
water in the Pecos being sufficient to
| furnish the Southern canal with all the ir-
rigation fluid necessary.
Twelve miles below the Soven Rivers
reservoir is located the Eddy distributing
reservoir. Across the Pecos river at this
point has been thrown a dam 1,15O feet
h,,b n
solid rock foundation. 1t has a capacity
of 300,O00000 cubic feet and submerges
All area of 1,O32 acres. 1t has been pro-
tected from overflow by the construction
of ample waste ways. This reservoir
feeds the southern canal through rock
cut at the east end of the dam. Its length
is at present forty miles, it is forty we
feet wide at the bottom and carries seven
feet of water. 1t crosses the Pecos river
three miles below the dam by means of a
hume 468 feet in length. 1t continues
southwark from this point and its name
is changed to the West side canal, whore
| it crosses the Black river in similar
manner and terminates fifteen miles fur
ther down. The East side canal taps the
main canal Just before it crosses the
GCtB IlNCI doofO AIuuy3 uuN
for distance of nineteen miles, supply
| ing the farmers and suburban tracts of
La Huerta, the northern addition to the
town of Eddy. This is one of the small
canals, being only fifteen feet wide.
| There are several other small canals.
The numerous springs above mentioned
have sufficient flow to replenish the
river, and consequently ten miles below
Eddy solid masonry dam has been
thrown across the river to divert the
water eastward into the Hagerman canal
and Lake Surprise reservoir. This canal
and reservoir are capable at present OF
irrigating $4,000 acres of land.
The Highland canal is the last of the
series. 1t is thirteen miles long and be.
gins at point sixty miles below Eddy
When completed it will be forty-two
miles in length and has been built for the
purpose of irrigating the $4,000 acres oi
land owned by the company in Texas.
It will thus be seen from the facts
above written that the company have
provided amply for the irrigation of al
the lands lying in the Pecos valley
and whether it be dry or wet season thu
farmers located in this new paradise neel
have no fears of a drought. If the farm
ers of the drought stricken centers of The
east could only be made to realize ant
comprehend this fact, the Pecos valley
would in very short space of time be
come densely populated.
| FERTILITY OF THE SOIL.
During the writer's stay in the vale,
Continued on Fourth Page.l