El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-18
Ell PAS0. TEXAS, MONDAY. DECEMBER 18, 1899

rung down on the "farce" (see testimo-
nv of II. A. McClelland below of Rio
Grande navigation?
INTERESTING TESTIMONY.
When court met this morning, ]. n.
McMsban, the trapper and guide who
piloted the Hill geological expedition
down the Grand Canyon last October
ard Hosted down the Rio Grande from
Ell Paso in 1898, was recalled for addi-
tional cross examination by the gov
ernment in regard to the character of
the bed and banks of the Rio Grande
from Ell Paso to the mouth of the Con-
chos. Hedescribed thesuccession OF low,
sandy valleys and rocky canyons in con-
siderable detail.
George Lynch, of Hatch, N. M.
forty miles up the Rio Grande from
Las Cruces, was the next witness for
the defense. He testified that he was
a United States mineral surveyor and
also engaged in agriculture. He has
lived In that locality since 1876 aud
has been engaged in cattle raising and
farming. He named and described
seven or eight torrential streams or ar
royos each fifty to one hundred yards
wide and thirty to fifty miles
long, emptying into the
Rio Grande between Elephant
Butte and Ell Paso. These streams
ueuslly flow into the Rio Grande but q
few hours after rainstor ms, though
some of them have water nearly all the
time farther up toward their sources.
Witness said the Rio Grande went dry
at his place in July, 1879. and was dry
probably five or six months. OF late
years it goes dry every year. For sew
ersl years from about 1888 to 1895 there
was severe drouth, causing the death
of great numbers of catt'e. Witness
had IL 900 cattle at the beginning OF
this period and but GOO left after it.
The deposition of 81. B. Bee was
read for the defense. He is United
States inspector of customs, and has
been for the past five years. he has
lived at Laredo three years. He has
known the Rio Grande since 1885 from
Fort Selden, N. NJ. to Rio Graude
City, and has cow-hunted ON it from
Selden to DEVILS river. He lived at
FL Paso two years and Del Rio three
years. He has noticed no change in
the river. The Rio Grande goes dry
above the mouth of the Conchos, and
he has travelled Is or 20 miles in the
dry bed of the Rio Grande. He does
h l.
would have any perceptible effect on
the river below the mouths of the Con-
chos. Pecos, DEVILS river, Las Vacas
and Las Morss.
The deposition of Thomas r. Wor-
sham for the defense was rasd. He has
been United States inspector of GUS
toms at Laredo for nine years. Has
known the Rio Graude since 1867.
From 1868 to 1889 he resided within 36
miles of the river and was in the cattle
business. For the last ten years the
volume of water in the river has de-
creased on account of drouth.
| IRRIGATION, NOT NAvIG ALTON.
| 81 don't believe the Rio Graude is
susceptible of navigation for any prac
tical purpose" said witness, land in
my opinion it never will be so. In my
opinion the greater number of the popu.
lstion will be decidedly more benefited
by irrigation than oy navigation.
"He believes the proposed storage OF
water at Elephant Butte would have nc
| apprecisble effect on the river at La
redo.
years ago" he continued,
"there was q small stern
| wheel fiat bottom steamboat
that used to make four or five trips q
year from Brownsville to Rio Grand q
City. carrying freight for govern