Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1901-04-06
LAS CRUCES AND MESILLA PARK.
A Terrific Sandstorm Yesterday Caused
Some Damage in Those Towns.

| Special Cor. New Mexican.
Mesilla Park, N. NJ, April 5.-Severa
representatives from the department OF
| English and Spanish stenography in the
| college of agriculture and mechanic
| arts are arranging to take the special
| civil service examinations for stenogra-
pliers and typeWriters for the Philip
pines. These examinations are to be
held during the present month at va
rious cities throughout the country. The
demand for English-Spanish stenogra-
piers is very great, and the salaries
| paid are good.
Recent visitors at the college were Ell
gin B. Holt, a prominent cattleman of
| Socorro county, and a graduate of the
college; e. C. Scott and w. Harper of
Ell Paso, Tex; w. c. Reid, of Las We
gas, who has friends in the faculty of
the college, and Henry P. Ames, a
graduate of the stenography depart
ment, who holds a good position in Chi
huahua, Mex, and who is up on a we'll
earned vacation.
turned home yesterday after d two
weeks visit in Las Cruces, meeting her
many friends there and elsewhere. Mrs.
McFie was the guest of honor at an
afternoon party given on the I'd inst. by
Mrs. H. d. Bowman, at her home at
Mesilla Park
Mr.. C. l.. Shear, an expert from the
division of agrostology at Washington,
D. c., is visiting this locality. Mr.. Shear
is travelling through the arid region in
vestigating the requirements and con-
ditions in connection with ranges and
range grasses. Mr. Shear, with three
Of the experiment station officers, went
out yesterday to the cattle ranch of W.
w. Cox east of the Organ mountains,
to note the conditions there.
The weather conditions in this locali-
ty recently have been unfavorable to
the fruit interests. From to II degrees
Of frost has been the record on several
nights during the past two weeks. Most
authorities agree that the peach crop
will this year be almost a failure in this
valley, and many claim it has been to-
tally killed. AS there are some who
claim this every year, however, it is
fair to assume that unless further
damage is done, there will be at least
a light peach and pear crop. Apples and
grapes are as yet uninjured. Fruit trees
generally are coming into leaf.
The worst wind and sand storm since
April 5, 1895, visited this locality Yes
terday, and to-day the housekeepers
are sweeping dust from their houses,
and the contractors busy repairing
damage done. The court house, the
Catholic priests house and other build
ings in Las Cruces We're badly dam
aged; several trees uprooted, one on
Professor Hadleys farm, and two
houses at Mesilla Park were unroofed.
The storm ragged for the greater part
of the day, and at 2:30 p. m. maxi
mum velocity of the wind of seventy
miles an hour was registered by the
anemotor on science hail. The sky was
darkened throughout the day by the
cloud of sand and dust.
The election of a May queen to pre-
side over the exercises of the college
field day, which this year comes on
May 8, is arousing widespread interest
in and around the college. The results
of the voting are posted daily both in
Las Cruces and at the college, and are
watched with all the interest of a po-
litical election. Votes cost ten cents
each, and the proceeds are to be used
for the purpose of erecting grand
stand on the college athletic grounds.
The contest closes on the 10Th inst !
Many nonresident friends of the coll
ege and of the various candidates are
sending in votes for their favortes, and |
he contest grows warmer every day. |
At present the five leading candidates
'or queen, out of a total Of fifteen, are
he following: Misses Lizzie Coleman,
Adelaide Hughes, Bessie Newcomb,
lean Johnson and Mabel Gildersleeve.
F. e. LESTER.