El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-05-03
DAM CONFERENCE
III e interests of the Ell phant Butte
and Interua atinnaI Dams Confer.


There was quite a conference Satur-
| day evening in the Off es of the Eng
ish company between leading citizens
of this city, inc luding Mayor Magoffin,
C. r. Morehead. A. p. Coles, 2. F.
White and Others. and the local repre-
sentatives of the English company in
| Guiding Secretary Johns, Chief
Engineer Campbell. DR.. Yaire and E.
| G.. Roberts.
| the English company to sign the fol-
| lowing document.
OFFICE OF RIO GRANDE DAM AND
IRRIGATION COMPANY. =
Ell PASO, Texas, May 1, 1897. }
To the joint commission between the
United States and Mexico, having
under consideration the equitable
distribution of the waters of the Rio
Grande and the proposed Interna-
tional Dam above El Paso, Texas.
Gentlemen-We the undersigned,
president and directors OF the Rio
Grande Dam and Irrigation company,
having been informed that the respec-
tive governments of the United States
and Mexico are under mlsapprehen-
sion as to the object of our enterprise
and the claims we assert under our
charter, in so far that it has been al
legged that we claim the exclusive right
to control all the waters of the Rio
Grande at the point, Elephant Butte,
New Mexico, where we propose to build
our dam and reservoir. do hereby de-
clare for the Information of the two
governments before mentioned, and
such action as they may deem proper
relative thereto, that we do not claim
the right to use all the water OF the
Rio Grande, but on the contrary recog--
nize the prior right of the people of
the valley of El Paso, Mexican as well
as American, to prior use OF SAID
waters and that we will use all reason
able efforts to procure by territorial
legislation of New Mexico, or federal
legislation of the United States, or in
ternational treaty between the United
States and Mexico so as to secure as
against US the prior right of the people
Of the valley of Ell Paso, both Mexican
and American, to the perpetual use OF q
sufficiency of water to fill yearly the
proposed reservoir contemplated in the
international dam above Ell Paso, and
to provide legal and practical remedy
as against US, for both the people OF the
valley of El Paso in Mexico and the
valley of Ell Paso in Texas as against
Us should our company ever attempt to
with hold water so as to prevent suf-
ficiency for the intern atiOnal dam and
reservoir.
In order that each OF our projects
we request that you lay this communi-
cation before your respective govern
men 5 q as ca " date as practicable.
We are, gentlemen, very respectfully
yours.
The Erglish company declined with
ttaIk-.' fcr t. e re son that they 60
cot cons any suc1 action on their
pat necessary. They claim here is
noueh water in the Rio Graude for
four such reservoirs as they propose
% build. and that the International
eople are need lessly alarmed.
Furthermore if the international dam
not buiit thev propo-e to put in a
dam at HI Paso thea selves and run
canal down the Texas side as far as
the valley of the Rio Grande will be ir-
rigated. Moreover, an arrangement
wi be made, If possible, with the
Mexicans 80 that they can secure part
interest in the waters stored by the
lower dam.
Chief Engineer P. E. Harroun of the
Homestead Irrigation company of
Santa Fe says it is not so much ques-
tion of water as it is question of silt.
He is building series of storage dams
along the Rio Puerco, and says he has
solved the silt prob EN- as far as his en-
terDrises are concerned by building in
tercepting dams in the river which are
used as settling basins. the clear water
being diverted into mountain side can
yons through high line bitches. Mr..
Harroun thinks a good deal as Engi-
neer Campbell does about the ability
of the river to fill the reservoirs.
Mr.. Campbell does not anticipate
any trouble from silt. He thinks it
may in time form bar at the upper
end of the lake: but the silt will deposit
up stream instead of filing in the res
ervoir; and the deposit anyway will be
nothing to get alarmed over. The
English company folks say they have
only the frieudliest feeling for the in
ternational dam project, and would like
to see it 60 ahead.