Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1901-06-19
IRRIGATION ENTERPRISE.
and Luna Comtyto be Great,
Benefited.
DESERT TO Be MADE TO BLOSSOM.
Special Correspondence.


Silver City. n. NJ, June 1S.-The
large irrigation scheme which has
been In progress in this and Luna
counties for sometime past has finally
come to be n definite business enter.
prise. The territorial irrigation com.
mission has approved the contract of
the land commissioner with A. X.
Burkdoll. of Haywood Springs, for So.
900 acres Of land for the building OF ir.
rigation works and reservoirs along
the Mimbres river In Grant and Luna
counties. The Silver City Independent,
in its issue of to-day. says that the
irrigation company will receive IS per
rent of the proceeds from the sale Of
the 10000 acres of land they will re.
claim. at the minimum price of $l.25
an acre. the cost of the land will be
To- them a little over thirty cents an
acre outside the sums they will ex-
pend for irrigation works. The works
must be approved by the irrigation
transferred. Tho amount to be al.
lowed projectors is not to exceed the
cost of the irrigation works. nor Is II
to be more than rs per rent of the
proceeds from the sale of $4,000 acres.
lut preliminary Nblh Hdn H''u III
der way for some weeks in the vicin-
ity of Haywood springs and Allison.
Deputy Surveyor George X. Brown
has been in charge. but has been un-
willing to give out information for
publication.
The point where the principal dam
and reservoirs will be located is In
the extreme northwest corner of Luna
a.Y,nNV sshIyh yra vtaftnI Ia tho aIt.
tor of the Independent, who states
that n considerable portion of the
land to be redeemed by the company
lies in Grant county, and that the plan
of the irrigation company. when car.
ried out, will put In cultivation lands
lying about Haywood springs. The
tract extends southeast. on both sides
of the railroad. to a point about seven
miles northwest OF Demlng. IL Is
| well known that these lands In most
parts are extremely fertile. The anne
people have arranged to lease and pur
chase $4,000 acres additional lands,
standing to the credit OF the various
territorial institutions. They lie in
the Mimbres valley Immediately south
of the body covered by the contract
with the irrigation commission.
II Is proposed, and the preliminary
surveys have located the bitches Ia
direct the water from OF the Mimbres
from the principal reservoirs to a Sc
rics of storage reservoirs located on
both sides of the river In the valley
lying among the lower hills. The
capacity of the reservoirs located will
be approximately 25. 1000, 600 900 gal
Ions. The water shed which will send
the floods through the canyon which
will be damned constitutes nearly l.,
900 square miles The weather bureau
statistics for n considerable term of
years show that the average annual
rainfall on this mountain district is
practically twelve inches. and IL Is not
ovcrestimating the volume To say that
between 10000 OO. 200 and 100. zoe, 900.
900 gallons pass through this canyon
every ear. Last year IL Is believed
double that volume found its way to
the lower country through this gap
II may be interesting to know that
| 10000. 600 900 gallons OF water vii
cover 100 900 acres nearly thirty In
ches deep.
To properly and safely store this
tremendous body of water will requir,
| the expenditure of $4,000
The contract with the territory re
quires that work begin on the dan
on or before January list next and the
entire work must be completed by july
LIST. 1904, in order for the builders t.
secure the proceeds derived from the
sale of the lands.
A number of farms on the Mimbres
will be submerged by the reservoirs
and negotiations to purchase these
places have been under way the past
week. Among these are the ranches
owned by Captain Foster, Robcrt Mil
Ter and Homer Tarbull. II Is under.
stood that thus far all negotiations
have progressed In n most satisfactory
manner. When all the preliminary
work has been completed n map "a
wing with il detail specifications and
plans will be filed with the secretary
Of the irrigation commission and will
be subject to nat body's approval.
This is a project that car be carried
through In most of the arid lands OF
the territory and New Mexico, instead
u being nearly all composed of bar
rem plains could he made one of the
richest farming regions in the world.
/ ne soil is the richest that can be
found anywhere II only water can be
secured to irrigate II, and fruits and
grains of all kinds will grow without
any great trouble.