Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-07-25
GOOD RAINS IN
SOUTHERN new MEXICO
The Precipitation Was Worth Many Thou
sands Of Dollars to the Farmers and
Stockmen of the Southern
Counties.
MANY HOMESTEAD ENTRIES ARE BEING
MADE At The LAS CRUCES LAND OFFICE

| Snecial correspondence New Mexican.
Las Cruces, N. NJ July %, 1902.
Since my last communication all
southern New Mexico and northwest
| Texas has been blessed with a copious
| rain. 1t began raining about noon on
Saturday last; rained all that after
| noon: rained off and on on Saturday
| night and all day Sunday and Monday.
| In consequence, the parched ground
| was we'll soaked. OF course. these rains
! make. overv one smilel- e'o tne Mesilla
valley they mean another cutting of al
falfa worth not less than $4,000 and the
salvation of corn, beans, chile and gar
| den stuff generally, worth 100000 more.
| To the cattleman they assure green
pasture during the balance of the year
and into the winter. Taking the seven
counties constituting the lower end OF
the territory, it is safe to say that these
rains We're wQrth not less than a half
million dollars to the people residing
therein. And the end is not yet. AS
write there are heavy clouds in all di-
rectlOnS around the HOTlZOIl anu lHele
will doubtless be more rains
From the local land office learn that
there has been quite a furry lately in
homestead entries. This is due to the
construction of the Bisbee road into Ell
Paso. Water has been struck at var
ious places along the line of this road,
in Grant, Luna and Dona Ana counties
at from 100 to $50 feet below the sur
face, good, pure water, in unlimited
quantities. In the neighborhood of Col
umbus, in Luna county, it has been
found within ten feet of the surface.
This is not new as to Grant and Luna
counties, but is somewhat new as to
that part of Dona Ana county that lies
ca ST of the divide between the Mimbres
and the Rio Grande watersheds. have
been informed of a cattlenan in this
last section who found water in the
center of good grass country within
200 feet of the surface and who was Of
fered $4,000 for his well the day after
the discovery. These facts have slim
ulated emigration in that section, and
the effect is seen in the homestead en-
tries at the land Office and the numer-
Gus inquiries being addressed to the Of
fcers of that useful institution There
is still considerable public land in that
section and where water is king it is
likely to be all taken up.
The Las Cruces concert band has un-
dertaken to furnish ii selies of open air
concerts during the residue of the sum-
mer on Sunday evenings. These jun
| iors of the town have learned to "toot"
on their horns with surprising rapidity
and the town is proud of them. The
adjutant of the band had out this week
IN circulation a subscription list upon
which all who felt inclined might put
their names for a money contribution
| towards the expenses of equipping the
band. The list was we'll filled. The
boys intend to use the money In pur-
chasing themselves uniforms.
| Henry D. Bowman, receiver of the
United States land office, returned on
Monday last from California, where he
and Mrs. Bowman went some weeks
before to breathe in the salt air. Mr..
Bowman returns with the conviction
| that Southern California has few, if
any, natural advantages over the Me-
silla valley, and that if our people had
| a tithe of the money and energy that
have been expended there we would
make favorable showing by way Of
comparison.
Chief Justice J. w. Mills spent day
in this town the first part of the week.
The judge has some property interests
in this section and Dame Rumor has 1t
that politics had nothing to do with his
trip here, but that he came to look af-
ter these interests.
Professor G. l.. Herrick, civil and
mining engineer of Socorro, was in
town this week. Professor Herrick has
been engaged to take charge of the
new dam and irrigation system propos-
! ed to be built on and near the Tularosa
river in Otero country. This is new
enterprise of considerable magnitude
and one in which some New Mexico
money is being invested. But as to this
| more anon.
| 4 0En111 lad crnlVk