The Van Buren press., 1897-09-25
TIE WELL ON THE JORNADa.
Iobp Martins Long struggle 10 fihe
Water on the Arid Plain.


off to the east?" said an ola-tlme Ne"
Mexican to New York tourist Inc
two were occupying the same seat III
the Atebison train rolling southwark
over the Jornada del Muerto ana hao
struck up a friendly acquaintance TO-
vetber. THAT is Martins well. 1he'
Mexicans called it Aleman, the Wofa
for German in their tongue. Martin
was a German who came 10 Mexico,
in early days when the Jornada had the
worst name of any Travelled region III
the territory. and deserved it. The trail
from Santa Fe to El Paso crossed IT,
and the trip over this plain meant a.
7O-mile stretch without water except
the chance of finding pool in the TIME
of the summer rains. At all other sea-
sons the plain was arid. Travellers un-
dertaking to cross it gave il their horses
all the water they wanted at starting,
drank all they could themselves, hlleo
their water bottles, said their prayers
then if they ever did, and rode upon
the plain with their lives in their hands
There could be no delay with safety,
for. with the best luck, thirst was op-
pressing them when at last the trail
came down among the eottonwoods
that border the Rio Grande and man
and beast could drink their fill from
the muddy current. Bands of Apaches
swept the plain and lay in ambush for
travellers by the river bank at either
end of the Jornada trail, and it is little
wonder that the crossing of it should
be dreaded and that it should receive
the name it bears, the Journey of
Death
Martin was an original character,
with lots of push and sand. After
crossing the Jornada a number of
| times with wagon trains he made up
| his mind that water could be found
| by digging at a point about midway
| across it, and made his arrangements
| to sink a well there. He began with
| the rainy season, and with a force of
diggers and blasters set to work in
earnest. The Jornada rests on foun-
| dation of hard volcanic rock, and after
| digging down a short distance he had
| to use powder all the rest of the time
| 1t was a slow, expensive and danger
| Gus piece of business. The men had
to receive high wages to risk their
| lives in such a place, all supplies had
to be brought so miles from Mesilla,
and every spoonful of water used was
| hauled in Barrels from pools left by the
rains in hollows of the prairie. But Mar
tin kept the work goigg through the
| rainy season and after until, one by
| one, the pools dried up, and it became
very difficult to provide his crew with
water. Still no sign of water could be
| found in the well as the men worked
slowly downward through the rock.
THE end came one day when Martin
rode in from Mesilla and looked down
| into the hole where the men were drill
ing in the solid rock.
"'Work till noon, boys, he called
down to them. When you come up
to dinner bring your tools with you,
We pack our wagons and start for
| Mesilla this afternoon
"'Shall we load up the holes we're
| putting III anu lll OIC IlOlt Dldoi
asked the foreman.
eyes, we'll waste one more round Of
powder on the thing answered Mar
tin, and turning his back, walked away
to think over by himself what fool he
had been to invest everything he had
in an undertaking that all his friends
had tod him was bound to fail.
"The men filled and tamped the holes,
and at noon came up out of the well,
the last man staying behind long
enough to light the fuses. The blast
went off while they were seating them
selves at dinner, The meal eaten, Will
some of the men helped to bring in and
harness the mules, and others began
pack the wagons, one man sauntered
over to the well hole and looked down
to see what the last blast had done.
He yelled as if Indians were in sight.
and the men came running to see what
he had found The well was half full of
water and the water was still rising.
The last blast had opened the rock
down to the water vein, and Martins
| fortune was made.
"All the great wagons of traffic and
the stages over the Jornada had TO
pay him toll, and his well was mine
of wealth to him. The charge per
horse or OK for watering was 25 cents,
and with the long wagon trains CON
stantly crossing the desert, the prouts
counted up fast. One class of travellers,
the Apaches, never paid toll to Martin
They would come to the well, usually
by night, water their horses, and tide
away, never molesting the people in
charge. This mutual understanding
continued until these Indians ceased
10 go on the war path and kept to their
reservations. Aleman was made a sta
tion of the overland stage route. and a
failroad station near the well now be.rs
its name. When, in 1880, the Atchison
company built their railroad across the
Jornada and settlers coming out ol
the desert began to build resert oirs for
rain water and to sink artesian wells.
the glory of Aleman departed. and the
place became the headquarters of a
cattle company.-N Y. Sun.