Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-07-13
LARGE IRRIGATION PROJECTS
Something Concerning the Diverting
Dam Near Fort Selden and the
Elephant Butte Enterprise.
LARGEST RESERVOIR IN The WORLD
Interference in This Work on the Part
of the Government Would Work
a Great Hardship Upon New
Mexico and Retard Develop
ment Generally.

Anthony, Dona Ana County, N. M, Jul
10, 1897.-The English company know
as the Rio Grande Dam & Irrigation com
pany raised the money and commence
work on the storage reservoir system TO
this valley. They have gone so far as t
nearly complete weir or diverting dan
at the head of the valley and about 81
miles of canal,with syphon to carry tn
water under the channel of the river AM
deliver same into canal on the opposit
side. This is located near old Fort Sci
den. Work has not yet been commenced
on the Elephant Butte dam, which is in
tended to furnish constant supply fol-
the weir above mentioned. This reser.
voir was intended to be the largest in the
world and to make the largest artificial
lake in the world. At high water stage
1T would take possibly week to fill il
when years supply of water would be
provided for. The river carries from 9
very small amount whatever to 16,O0(
cubic feet of water per second of time
And 10000 per second is 57,600,000 cubic
feet per hour passing given point, &C
one can readily see that water furnished
at that rate would soon fill any reservoir
that could be built by man. It is not to
be understood, that this 10000 foot stage
lasts long and it is only reached occasion
ally. The last time this stage was reached
was one day in 1891, wher it reached 49,
500 8. f., according to government meas
urement. In that year there was only one
month that it exceeded 5000 cubic feet
per second, but 5000 per second is 32,
100000 per hour and 100000 cubic feet
of water per hour, constantly running for
month would fill a right good sized
reservoir and would amount to 777,6O0,-
600 cubic feet per day in month, that
would be good sized lake certainly. /
should say just look at it moment 49,
32S,000,000 cubic feet per month.
The river generally commences to rise
the Let of February, gradually increasing
until about the 18th of May, which is
looked upon by our native people as
high water day, and the day ls made sa.
cred to the water saint by them. There
after it generally falls until the 1st of
July and is low and in many localities
dry until the next February, only for
rains that fall in northern New Mexico,
which generally give little flush of
water. II is no common thing to drive
or ride along the bed of the river for
miles and and only find occasional holes
with water sufficient to water your horse.
This state of affairs exists for months
at time. The banks and bed of the
stream are generally quicksand, and in
high water time, the bed is constantly
changing, cutting out in one place and
constantly filling up in another and the
bottom changes so very rapidly, that
rope ferry cannot be maintained across
the river for any length of time in any
one place.
The Mexican people opposite Ell Paso,
Tex, have for the last 10 or Is years
maintained a weir dam across the river
to throw the water into their bitches.
They have one now built of rock, which
the high waters of May and June did not
injure.
Now, on the application of the Mexi.
can minister, our government has held
that the Rio Grande is navigable river
and as such the permit given by the Hon.
Hoke Smith as secretary of the interior
to the Rio Grande Dam & Irrigation com.
pany is void. An injunction has been
sued out to restrain further work on the
river and the Elephant Butte dam, which
fortunately was dissolved few days ago.
It is said that treaty is about ready to
ho anhupffkoI ka kha 70 h,ki
the use of the water of the river in New
Mexico and Colorado for irrigation. The
annual message of the president Of Mexico
to the Mexican congress, stated that a
treaty had been agreed upon between
their government and ours for the build
ing of an international dam at Ell Paso,
Is miles below here. The press dis
patches from Washington stated the
same thing and that the people Of New
Mexico and Colorado are to be pro-
hibited from using the waters of the
river for irrigation.
Should this international dam at Ell
Paso be built to the height contemplated
The immediate result would be to flood
about 10000 acres of as fine land as is to
be found anywhere and ruin from $4,000
10 100000 acres more by making it water
logged and swampy even if the treaty
permitted US to use water as has been
done here long before the Spanish in
vasion, 300 years ago. Here the govern
nent has sold US land upon the express
condition that we should reclaim the
,ame by putting water upon it for irriga-
lion from the Rio Grande. We have done
10, but at the same time we have learned
that in order to make our lands re-
,ponsive to their full capacity we must
nave better system of irrigation than
Dur little ditchas afford.
The Elephant Butte reservoir would
ruin no valuable land. 1t would furnish
sufficient water for our valley and the
valley below Ell Paso. So If our govern
nent is under any obligations to furnish
water to the people of Old Mexico it
,ould be done much cheaper to hire the
Rio Grande Dam d Irrigation company
10 deliver them water than to build the
International dam.
Some may think that I am interested
,ither az stockholder or attorney for the
Rio Grande Dam & Irrigation company.
This is not 80. The only interest have
9 in common with the rest of the people
,ere who own land which We desire to be-
,ome profitable.
With water for irrigation our lands
,ere are the most productive of any in
he United States, without water, they are
If no value.
Our valley is laid down by the depart
nent of agriculture as in the very center
II the sugar beet belt through the United
states. Tests have proved satisfactory
10 far, but tests on much larger scale
ire being made this season than hereto
ore. Here the sugar making season
'ould last until February or March.
Government bulletins also show that
and which is we'll suited for raising
lugar beets is worth from 800 to 5000
per acre.
But in order to raise them successfully
hey must have water whenever they need
:, about six times during the season. Our