Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1901-12-26
A SPLENDID
WATER SUPPLY
The Underground Flow in the Santa
Fe Valley Should Be Utilized
to Reclaim Many Acres.
INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS
They Are Being Carried on by The Expert
ment Station of the College of Agri-
culture and Mechanic Arts at
Mesilla Park.

Professor j. j. Vernon and A. b.
Sage OF the Experiment Station OF the
College of Agriculture and Mechanic
Arts at Mesilla Park, who are investi-
eating the various methods of irrigation
in New Mexico, with especial reference
to pumping wells, left this morning for
Las Vegas after spending almost three
days at Santa Fe investigating number
of pumping wells in this vicinity. They
paid particular attention to the we'll and
pump of Enos Andrews in the eastern
part of the city and the well and pump
of DR.. w. S. Harroun on the Aqua Fra
road. They found that conditions In
the Santa Fe valley differed from those
in the Mesila valley considerably and
altogether in favor of the Santa Fe
valley. The underhow of water in this
section is even more marked than in the
Rio Grande valley and the area of land
under cultivation might be extended
much more by the use of irrigating wells
to supplement the tlow OF the Santa Fe
river and other streams. The soil is
especially we'll adapted for orchards and
will hold water longer than in the Rio
Grande valley although it also affords
perfect drainage. number of plans
were discussed as to the most economic
method of utilizing the underflow in the
Santa Fe valley by the construction OF
series of wells the most striking OF
which was to construct pumping well
on the second terrace OF Santa Fe
toward the mountain and letting the
water power from that well operate
pumping plants lower down in the
valley
Experiments are being carried on at
the experiment station at Mesilla Park
with different pumps, which are being
furnished free of cost by manufacturers
for testing and experimental purposes.
A we'll is being drilled in which six
inch pipe will be inserted. Although it
has been said that gravel would not be
found in the Mesilla valley, yet the we'll
at a depth of 32 feet struck layer of
gravel, nine feet of which has been
penetrated. The great difficulty in the
Rio Grande valley in operating pumping
plants is to separate the water from the
quicksand and, therefore, Il well with
results.
AHOIueT pan lOl utiliLliiS oho uhuoi
flow of the Rio Grande, c pecially at
San Marcial, where it is only three to
six feet under the surface, is to dig
trenches 300 feet to several miles long
out of which the water could be pumped
at comparatively small cost as it would
not need to be lifted great height and
an extensive surface of water is reached.
The quicksand problem, with which the
Santa Fe valley has not to contend, is
an obstacle in the way of the proposed
San Marcial experiment, however.
A great deal of interest is being
aroused by this investigation of irriga-
tion methods, and Messrs. Vernon and
Sage are in receipt of many letters on
the subject. Upon their return to Me-
sila Park they will prepare an exhaust
i've bulletin upon the result of the in
vestigations made on their present trip.
Being questioned as to the possibility
of finoing artesian water at Santa Fe'
Professor Vernon said that can only be
determined by sinking an experimental
we'll. The conformation of the country,
however, he considered very favorable,
and the comparatively great altitude OF
the city is not at all an unfavoraDle
factor. The gravelly soil and stony sur
face of the Santa lie valley adapts it
especially well to orchards and sugar
beet culture, and Mr.. Vernon is certain
that by utilizing the splendid water sup
ply that this section possesses under
ground, a very large area of Improbable
land may be turned into orchards and
fields of grain and forage crops.