Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1902-02-22
WATER ON THE MESA.
Its Feasibility Possible and Probable
by Artificial irrigation.
ARID SAND SLOPES,
Editors Citizen:


two years ago. began the influx OF
states people TO what is now our city.
Then commenced the agitation OF an
improved water system for irrigation
purposes.
Up and down the valley for a width
of six miles and a length ut twenty
miles, Is land as fertile appearing as
II - extensive. AS pretty appearing as
II Is barren and useless. because non
irrigable.
In all these years theoretical schemes
have been advanced and ATTEMPTED.
Tor the redemption of the slope OF the
foot Mills ana of the mesa. and from
the days OF l}rownwcll and his two.bit
boring device. through Robertson and
his ioGr-hit high line canal, 10 the
more recent toy twothousand dollar
augur driven few feet into the ground
hotth OF the city to the most recent
~oHty-thoUsand. dollar low line fake.
nothing practicable has been attempt.
ed. aud the only results have been the
cNpcndiug of about $50 900.
These thoughts arose when | was
commissioned to investigate the water
question In connection with the Per.
kins plant in the valley. seven miles
south. ! found it situated on the slope
of the hills. Found first a small en-.
Sine room, at the rear of which was
mole about ten fee, square, and nine
ieet below its surface water, clear but
slightly agitated scale dropped TO
the bottom indicated nine and onc-haf
feet OF water. In one corner stood "A
lourinCh pipe connected with "A main.
and alongside two small pipes; that
was all. These pipes were afterward
found connected with pair OF air cyl.
inders in the well.
An obliging young man came from
the engine room and with him / en-.
tered II and saw a boiler. an engine
and lot of stun he called nipples. 81.
bows, collars. caps. unions. etc, which
were as unfamiliar TO me as engines
are unintcrosting. unless they dem.
onstrated what | wanted To sce-water
flowing over these sand slopes | had
wanted to see it as badly as for up
ward Of twenty years The Citizen has
wanted to see a railroad through
T1Jcras canyon.
shortly MIR. Perkins arrived. and it
was demonstrated that our desert is
subject to rodemptlon that In one part
of our valley the twenty-third hour of
the day OF the Cacti the sage brush.
the soap weed and the desert sand has
been reached and the first hour of the
alfalfa. the cereal, the beet and the
other vegetables. is approaching. Halt
"A minute. after the engine started a
solid fcur-inCh stream OF water spouted
ten feet into the air from siN-toot
stpndpipe about fifty yards from the
we'll III ! was as young as | used to
be- there would have been shouting
and self-irrigatior amongst all hands
by the elbow hoist and the downward
- L. 4 1.
old eyes well pleased to see water
actual water irrigatiug the desert
sands
In about twenty minutes. measuring
the well. IL contained six feet of water.
Five minutes later this was reduced
two and one half inches; the next five,
one and one-half, and in another five
one inch. Then could be plainly seen
tourlnch pipe from which flowed
naturally, a crystal stream spouting six
Inches above the pipe and falling in a
two-loot circumference as steady and
looking as clear as the globe we often
see covering a waNcn bouquet. This
from a depth of only fifty-seven feet
Tho water flow looked SUN Cient. but
Mr.. Perkins informed me that IL was
not enough to satisfactorily test the
capacity of his power. but that he can
easily increase the iloW from the pres
ent pipe. and knowing now where the
water is. the quantity is only ques
ton of additional sources of supply
Air is the force used. and its applica
ton does not pertain to this report
The water can be brought from any
depth and conveyed any distance.
Questioned as To the injury TO the
plant by the cutting sands the re
Spouse was that there were no valves
TO niurc no parts subject TO destruc-
ton by such sands as are encountered
here and that they are the worst in an
experience of more than 100 wells
What | was sent to find was. wheth-
or Oh, sands could he made fertile?
The hill slopes can be irrigated with.
out a low line canal and without re-
gard to the Rio Grande
Can the mesa be irrigated without
the high line canal and without regard
To the Rio Grandc? | have always
been satisfied that IL can when the OBJ
iect is approached intclliecntly and II
does seem rs though the intelligent
method is now in the valley But am
not satisfied ms 10 the competency of
my Judgment Mr. Perkins appears to
bee experienced In artificial irrigation
and as a practical man The citizen
should have his opinion on the Ques-
tion OF the mesa irrigation.