Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-12-18
RIO GRANDE DROUTH
Old Texans Say the Lower River
Has Failed Because of Dry
Weather.
NAVIGATION A FARCE
The Rio Oonoho and Other Texas Tribu-
taries of the Rio Grande Went Dry and
Depleted the International
River,


fifth day of the trial in the Elephant
Butte dam case, and from all the out
ward appearances at this time the trial
may continue until Tuesday next. Since
my last the time of the court has been
taken up in hearing testimony for the
defense, which has been given with tell
ing and almost with conclusive effect.
The court has been running day anG
hight from the beginning, with the hope
to get through tonight, but it does not
look like such will be the case. The evil
dence so far certainly goes to prove the
fact that the Rio Grande, dam or no
dam, Is not a navigable river, and never
can be for distance of 1000 miles from
this point down toward its mouth, AM
the contention of the government to The
contrary seems almost too preposterous
and ridiculous to be entertained and
discussed for moment with any sort of
seriousness. A dozen or more witnesses
have been called and examined for the
defense, and the most Of them aI4 old
residents in Texas who know the Rio
Grande and the country it runs through.
where the river is navigable as well as
where it Is not. The evidence was to
the effect generally that there was only
one steamboat now plying on the Rio
Grande, and that it did not make more
than two trips year; that the river
during the past few years had fallen SO
low that the voyage was attended with
great dangers and difficulties, and that
the low water was due to diminished
rainfall. 1t was fatty denied that any
of the water which made the great flood
at Ell Paso in 1897 had ever reached the
portion of the Rio Grande which was
navigable, and for that reason the I'M
pounding of the waters of the flood
could not possibly impair the naviga
bilty of the river. The only section or
territory in which the flow had not be-
come less during recent years was on
on which a dam had been constructed
or erected. The most Of these witnesses
are experts, and their testimony is ac-
cepted as the truth and the whole truth
by all who heard it. Your correspondent
lived forty years in Savannah, Ca, a.
the mouth Of the Savannah river, hav
ing gone there in the year 1S4S. At that
time twenty steamers We're plying the
river between the cities of Savannah
and Augusta. on its banks. From then
until now the steamboat business on the
river has gradually declined, until there
Is not boat that pretends to run regu-
larly to Augusta. In times Of high wa
ter boat Is sent up to bring down the
reached, but there is no regular boating
on the river. Thirty years ago railroads
were built on each side of the river to
take the place of the boats, and steam
boats on the Savannah river are now
things of the past, just as it is on the
Rio Grande. 1t is because nature does
not furnish the water for the rivers that
it used to a half century ago, These
are facts. L. C. WADE, SR.
Saturday H. P. Bee, customs officer
at Laredo, testified that the portion af
the river with which he is acquainted
had never been and never could be nav
igable.
above the mouth of the Concho,
said the witness, "the Rio Grande is
dry most of the year. and the lower
river could not be affected by the dam.
Another customs officer, Thomas Wor
sham, Of Laredo, testified by deposit
ton that the lower river could never
be navigable for practical purposes
Navigation" said he, "between
Brownsville and Rio Grande City is a
the lower river. One years diversion
of the waters of the Rio Grande for ir-
rigation purposes would be of more sub
stantial benefit to the people than 500
years of navigation on the lower river
F. H. Ernst, of Laredo, testified in
similar strain, and Pat Garrett, sheriff
of Dona Ana county, said that Bee
county, Texas, and others in the vicin-
ity had suffered from drouth, which
dried up the streams.
F. c.. Barker, Of Las Cruces, told of
the many irrigation bitches that tap the
river in the vicinity of Las Cruces. "As
rule" he said, there Is never a large
surplus Of water in the river, or too lit
tie for the bitches. More water passes
at certain seasons than would be need
ed to supply all the bitches during the
ervoir."
Professor l.. G. Carpenter, of the
6 o,to q acrrin,1ltnrol collauo nt Fort Col