Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-05-02

gems found are cut and polished for the
eastern markets at the perfectly cqijr,-
ped lapidary in Ell Paso. There are six
claims in the group, and in exploring
them for turquois valuable body of
copper ore has been uncovered. Reply
ing to your question, I will say that
| there is no truth whatever in the story
that old man De Meules was recently
examined by commissioner appointed
by Judge Parker, with view to depriv-
ing him of the management of his af-
fairs on the ground Of habitual drunk
enness. The story was a pure fiction
No such examination was ever held. Mr..
De Meules is at his home at Watertown,
N. Y, and has not been in the territory
| for months.
OTHER TURQUOIS MINES.
"The Alabama company is also work
| ing valuable turquois mines near the
depot in Jarilla. and is making frequent
shipments of gems to New York for
treatment. The lessees of the De Meules
group are employing about twenty-five
| and the Alabama company about flf-
! teen men. Neither are connected with
| the turquois trust.
THE FRUIT CROP.
Respecting my home city and coun-
| ty, I am glad to be able to tell you that
Las Cruces and Dona Ana county never
were in better condition than at pres
ent. There has been some scarcity of
water, but so far crops have not suf-
fered, and it is expected that there will
be plenty of water for irrigation pur-
poses in the bitches in another week.
The acreage of wheat and alfalfa is un-
usually large, and the fields look fine
The fruit crop, including peaches, april
cots, plums, prunes, pears, apples,
grapes and all the small fruits, prom
ises to be the largest in the history of
the county. All are now beyond danger |
from frost. The growers will begin |
shipping peaches and apricots about the
middle of June. The trees are so heav-
lily loaded with bloom that much mon
ey will have to be expended in thin
ming
MINING DEVELOPMENTS.
LAS Cruces Is realizing large and in
creasing benefits from the rapid devel-
opment of the mines of the county.
Those at the western base of the Organ
mountains are proving especially bene-
fetal. The well-known Bennett-Ste
phenson group is being steadily worked
under bond and lease, and makes regu-
lar shipments of lead-silver ore; the
Modoc, equipped with compressed air
drills and gasoline hoists, is being sys-
tematically opened up, and 1t is under
stood that it's great bodies of lead-sil |
Yer ores will be concentrated at the
mines; the Torpedo group of copper
mines is not only undergoing extensive
development, but is shipping about for
ty cars of ore per month to the Ell Paso
smelter. The Modoc, Bennett-Stephen-
son, Torpedo and Excelsior mines are
all on the same general strike or con-
tact;. which can be traced on north over
sixty miles up through the San Andreas
mountains.
A RAILROAD TO ORGAN.
Much development work is in prog
ress in the San Andreas mountains, and
much high-grade copper ore is being
taken out, some of which Is shipped
across the plains in wagons to the FL
Paso & Northeastern railway, and some
is hauled to Las Cruces and other
rN0tv1 fc CnrH to fnv oh
ment to tbc smelters at Ell Paso and
Silver CiK rhe mineral possibilities
of the dfssS ct are wonderful, but Of
course can not be fully realized until
reached by a railroad. 1t Is only ques-
tion of time when a railroad viii be
built from Las Cruces to the Organ dis
trict and the gold camp beyond. and
thence north, paralleling the San An
dreas mountains on the east. There Is
also serious talk of a railroad from Ala
to the San Andreas district. The Te
sources of the district certainly JUST
fly the immediate building of one or
both of these roads.
THE AGRICULTURALC COLLEGE.
1.-THE present condition of the agri-
cultural college at Las Cruces Is most
satisfactory. The attendance is larger
than ever before, the corps of instruct
ors is faithful and efficient, and the ap-
pliances in all the departments are
equal to any in the country. The sue
cess of the institution is attested in the
strongest manner possible by the fact
that it's graduates are nearly all en-
ployed as experts at good salaries. So
clearly there is no reason why the
young men of New Mexico should go
outside the territory to gain an educa-
tion."
DEFENDING GOV. ROOSEVELT.
Touching the recent scurrilous attack
on Governor Roosevelt, published in a
pamphlet by New York attorney Ma
jor Llewellyn, who served with the
rough riders in their memorable cam
paign before Santiago, part Of the time
as captain of troop G and as acting
major in command of the second squad
ron from July 1. 1885, spoke with much
justifiable indignation as follows:
"The attack on Colonel Roosevelt in
pamphlet published by one Colonel
Bacon, wherein he charges Colonel
Roosevelt with shooting Spanish pris
oner, and also with cowardice during
the Santiago campaign, is hardly
worthy of refutation. Bacon Is loud
mouthed local liar. and blackguard,
who needs his worthless hide thorough
ly tanned with cowhide.
Colonel Roosevelt shot this Spanish
soldier in front, with his revolver, and
probably prevented him from killing an
/ oAhor As,,orinan coldior or tho Gnn n :.