El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-16
The Rio Conchos Empties
Into The Gulf
While
THR, RI0 GRANITE
Is But a Tributary Stream
Which Often Loses
Itself In, the
Sands.

LAS CRUCES, N. M, Dec. 16.-When
the trial of the Elephant<Butte dam
case began this morning, witness Nc
Mahan, who made the trip by boat from
Ell Paso down the Rio Grande, in 1883,
was recalled for further cross examin-
alton on the details of that trip. He
could recall no stream entering the
Rio Grande for 300 miles below Ell
Paso.
The next witness for the defense was
George Lynch, mineral surveyor and
cattle man, residing at Hatch, N. M,
forty miles above Las Cruces. He de-
scribed the streams that enter the Rio
Grande between Las Cruces and Ele-
phant Butte. He said that the Rio
|Grande has gone dry every year in re-
cent years, though it had not formerly.
There had been, he said, continued
drought in the latter sos and early
9O's.
More dispositions were then read
for the defense, 81. B. Bee deposed
that he had been United States
inspector of customs. for six years. and
for three years has been located at
Laredo. He is familiar with the Rio
Grande from Fort Selden to DEVILS
river. He said that the Rio Grande
chos and that he had Travelled fifteen
or twenty miles in the dry bed of the
river. He did not believe that the
storage of water at Elephant Butte
would have any perceptibls effect on
the flow of water at Laredo.
The next witaess was 81. A. Nc
Clelland, q clerk. who has resided at
Laredo for the past few yelrs, and is
familiar with the Rio Grande in that
locality. He was engaged in steam
boating in 1873 and 1874 bet We IN Rio
Grande City and Brownsville. He said
that the Rio Gran1e is not considered
as navigable by those who are in
formed, because of the lack of water in
the river and lack of rain fall. The
witness said navigation is most
decidedly q farce from Brownsville
up"
MOST PROFIT IN IRRIGATION.
The next witness, Thos. r. Wort
ham, for the defense, testified that he
had resided at Laredo, as deputy in
spector of customs, for nine years, and
has known the Rio Grande since 1867.
In his opinion the volume
of water in the Rio Grande has de-
creased during the last tan years. He
did not believe that the Rio Grande is
susceptible of navigation for any pract-
ical purpose. He belived the greater
number of people would be benefited
by the use of the water of the Rio
Graude for irrigation than for naviga-
tion.
: F. 81. Earnest, United States Inspec-
tor of Customs at Laredo for the past
six years, testified that he hal known
the Rio Grande since 1882 He said
the waters of the Rio Grande can be
more proftably used for irrigation
than for navigation. During the flood
at Ell Paso in 1897, he watched for a
rise in the river at Laredo but can re-
collect no rise over six feet.
Sheriff. "Pat'' Garrett, for the
defense, testified that be hal lived at
Uvalde, Texas, from 1891 to 1897. and
that thera had been a drought in that
section in those years, resulting in
great losses in stock and the drying up
of streams.
The trial of the case is pro crossing
rather slowly aud it will proba oly take
two or three days of next week to
flush It,
FRIDAYS PROCEEDINGS
The hearing was void of sensational in
cident, though full of ir srestiug tnfor-
nation about the great river. The
testimony regarding the relstive size
of the Rio Grande and the Concbos at
the point of junction suggests q revi-
sion of geographical description so ss
to make it read that the Rio Grsnde
empties into the sand and the Concho,
empties into the Gulf.
ICOutinued on 5th pApe1