El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-13
ELEPHANT BUTTE CASE
TCoptipued on 9Th pagel

side During the rainy season, June to
September, both are liable to floods
lasting four or five days. In 1866 King,
Kenn sdy & Co. owned tie steam boats OF
100 to 400 tonsieach. that ran the whole
yea. Have seen tide, perhaps ,hrea
inches, twenty miles up the river. In
fool It ,ge the river is tan to twenty
feet deep above Brownsville. The
flood tim, Is June to September, and
lowest stages usually March to May.
Navigation was a financial success un-
til 1873, but is not now. Freight was
sci dom carried by carts until the last
four years.
aud steamboat owner, deposed that he
has known thu Rio Graude since 1855.
and still owns and manages boats.
From 1865 to 1874 the actual tonnage
running on the river. averaged nine
st eamb boats, aggre eating 1000 tons.
From 1865 to 1874 the river was navi-
gable to Roma tan months in the year
for boats drawing four feet. The pavi-
gable capacity of the Rio Graude has
been deere asing, from my observation,
since 1879. The decline did not affect
the opera lion of the boats then rum
ming on it to any great extent till 1884.
Occasionally from drouths, we had low
water for month or more. But so
long a. rises from the head waters
reached US the navigation of the river
was but slightly i'm impaired.
The principal streams of
which I have any personal
knowledge flowing into the Rio Grande
are the San Juan, the Alamo, and the
Salado, all comparatively small
STREAMS ON the Me xican side, liable to
freshets and affe citing the Rio Grande
for a few days at a time; nd the
Pecos, on this side, which furnishes
the larger volume to the Rio Grands
and frequently affects its navigation
for many weeks at time. The waters
of these streams are of different colors.
In my experience, the main
about 1886 was the water coming down
the main stream from the headwaters
of the Rio Grande. This was common
ly known by river men as Ell Paso
water. Personally know nothing of
the river above Ell Psso. My obser-
Walton is thai it takes q rise of ten feet
or over at Ell Paso about sixteen days
to reach Brownsville. The color
of such water differs from
other tributaries, being reddish,
and also in this, that the Ell PssO rises
used to keep the lower river supplied
with water for a considerable time,
while the rises from the1o other tribu-
taries frequently caused overhows in
the lower river but were of shorter
duration. Ell Paso rises occurred
usually twice year, in spring and fall.
In my opinion any obstruction Of the
natural flow of water down the main
stream would seriously affect naviga-
bility and 1 attribute the pres
emit condition of low water aud de-
creasing volume. for years past to the
impounding or cutting of of the supply
from the headwaters. The present I'M
navigable condition of the stream is in
my opinion due to this cause, Gross
interrOg atories). I have been United
States commissioner for 20 years and
am now referes in Bankruptcy. es-
innate the distance from Roma to the
mouth of the river to be $50 to $50
miles, and by land ITO miles.
Previous to 1888 the boats ran all the
year. Schedule time was not observed.
Up to 1891 the people on both sides
from Brownsville to Roma depended
for their supplies and commercial
wants upon steam boats. Until five
years ago the average steambo time
from Brownsville to Rio Grande City,