The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-11-15
AN ATTRACTIVE SPOT.
ALAMoGoRDo, NEW MEXICO,
AND THE SURROUNDING
COUNTRY.
The Scene of Industrial Operations
Started by Wyoming and Lacka-
wanna Capitalists Reviewed in In
teresting Style by a Former West
Pittston Boy.

Leaving lei Paso, Texas, on the new
| ly constructed railroad. the FL Paso
and Northeastern, popularity known as
| the White Oaks route, one is not par
ticularly impressed with an eighty-six
mile ride over semigrassy mesa dot
ted with cacti, but on arriving at
! AlamoSordo, which is to be the central
| point on this route. we find things
| changed. Alamogordo is situated in
| the Sacramento valley and about
three and one-half miles from the foot
| of the Sacramento mountains. After
| leaving the train and taking "A sweep
| ing view of the country, one cannot
! help but admire the grandeur of the
scenery from this point Directly west
! some forty miles, the Jagged peaks of
| the San Andreas range extend north
! and south as far as the eye can see:
to the south some thirty miles are the
! Jarilla mountains, while through a
| break in the Sacramento mountains,
in a northeasterly direction, the great
| White mountain peak looms up, which
l believe is one of the highest in New
| Mexico To you who are only used to
our low Pennsylvania hills. it is diff
| cult to convey even fair idea of the
| Kaleidoscope beauty Of Il New Mexico
| sunrise and sunset on these mountains
| The gradual change from the blue
! hills of the morning to the tinted
| shades which sunset produce is truly
| marvellous.
This new town which, although not
| q mushroom town, has sprung up like
a mushroom in the night, is subdivided
into business and residence lots and
! five-acre fruit tracks. Everything
! about the place has a scene of activity
| ever since / arrived here. and from a
| little town of about 150, at that time,
| it has already developed into u pros
porous place of 500 people, and every
/ day new conerS are arriving, both by
| train and western regulation style
! overland. The town site is n dcsira hle
! one, being located directly opposite
! the Alamo Canon, whence we get an
/ excellent supply of spring water for
! drinking purposes. At present this
! supply is conveyed through a four-inch
main, but the Alamogordo Improve
| ment company is now surveying for u
! twelve. inch main and before the year
| is out we will have water enough to
| supply a town of 1000 inhabitants.
| AlamogordO is already forging to the
| front as a business center and this
| and the surrounding country, ana
| some twenty-five or thirty stores rep
| resenting almost every line of the mer-
| camille business are doing q thriving
| business. a new hotel of thirty-fiv
| rooms is now in course of construc-
| tion and will be completed in about q
| month, and we have a weekly news
| Taper. y dozen or more residences
| are now occupied but a great many
! people are living temporarily in tents
| awaiting the construction of the new
| mill, which will give them cheaper
| lumber for building purposes.
| The pride Of the town, however, is
| its park. This park is a full mile in
| length and 400 feet wide and is set
| out with young cottonwood trees.
! which were imported from Texas last
! fall. They are doing well under irriga-
! tion, and in another year or two will
give ample shade. Pennsylvania ave-
nue., which, by the way, is the longest
| street in the town, extends the full
! length of the park. The altitude of
! AlamOEordo is 1900 feet and the land
! gently slopes to the foot of the Sac
| ramentO mountains.
1t was very hot here in July and Au-
| gust, but even with the thermometer
| up to ll5 degrees to 122 degrees, as it
! has been, one does not suffer as un-
| der ninety degrees in the Wyoming
! valley, nor do they prespire. The
evenings are always cool. ard just now
/ ii is necessary to have fire at night.
! This is owing to the severe weather
which has recently prevailed in Colo"
RADIO and other northern states.
The new saw mill now being con
structed by the Alamogordo Lumber
company. composed of Scranton,
| WilEcs-Ba and Pittston capitalists,
is nearly completed This mill is sit
uatcd just west of the town and is a
model plant of its kind, being fitted
throughout with the latest and most
| improved style Of milling machinery
| possible to produce. The motive power
consists of Two l25 horse power Stirl-
! ing boilers. The main mill is 1876
! feet and adjoining this are the lath
and shingle mills on one side and the
| planning mill on the other This mod
| ern plant will turn out 100000 feet of
lumber per day and will give employ
| ment to about 400 men in mill and TIM
| Der.
| AlllpNl tNtIy lllliS III lllt llbli anu
| vegetable line can be grown here on
the level. The soil is wonderfully rich
| being as it is, one mass Of the decay
| of centuries At La Lug. six miles
north, are line orchards of peaches.
| pears, German prunes, apples, etc,
and figs are successfully cultivated
| The flavor of. these fruits fer surpasses
| oar eastern productions and the
/ peaches, pears and apples grow to alb
normal dim nsions. y ready market
! is found for oil these productions in
| I2l PasO.
Nearly all our eastern vegetables
| except corn, grow successfully here on
| the plain. | have seen lettuce, cucum-
| bers, tomatoes, beans, turnips, carrots,
radishes. bects, cantelopes and water
! melons growing successfully with lit
| tie irrigatior--all within u radius Of
| POO feet
Water for irrigation purposes is sup
| piled through a large ilume from the
! La Luz canon, and a splendid dow Of
| artesan water can be had by sinking
| from $50 to 200 feet,
| Leaving AlamogOrdo, we will follow
| for a few moments the line of the new
| ly constructed Alamog1rdo and Sac
ramcnto Mountain railway, which is
| the branch road running into the tim
| Der. This road, leaving Alamogordo,
| runs along the base of the mountain
! for six miles to he foot of the La
| Luz canon and from here TO the sum-
nit of the Sacramcntos, about twenty
miles, through rough and winding cam
ons. Ii is a wild, grand view at every
|