Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1903-10-28

John B. Harper, United States irri-
cation engineer in charge of the irri-
cation systems of the Pueblo Indians
in New Mexico, is preparing to COM
mence work for the thorough repair
of the irrigation systems OF the Pueblo
of Cochiti, about thirty miles south.
west of here and of the pueblo OF San
Ildefonso, twenty miles north of this
city.
The irrigation systems for these two
pueblos were completed last year, but
the high floods of this summer injured
them to some extent. At San llde-
fonso for instance, the Rio Grande
changed it's channel and made new
channel in the rear OF the head gates
and some of the bitches constructed
heretofore. The work, which will be
done within the next two months there,
is to remedy all OF this and to protect
the head gates and ditch systems
from similar flood waters Of the Rio
Grande during the coming season. The
sum of $1,50O has been appropriated
by the interior department for this
purpose and the work will be done by
Indians
Cochiti Pueblo System.
The irrigation system fer the PuHb.o
Indians CT Cochiti was completed two
years ago, but considerable damage
was done to some of the bitches by
last summers high water in the Rio
Grande. For the repair of these the
sum of $4,000 was appropriated by the
interior department and the work Will
be done by the Pueblo Indians.
Last year a tunnel through solid
rock seven hundred feet long was fin
ished under Mr.. Harper's supervision,
which tunnel is used to convey river
water to the irrigation bitches. The
tunnel proved very successful and last
season, the Cochitis had an ample wa
ter supply, and made full crop, the
first time in the history of the pueblo
since De Vargas moved to the present
site in 1894.
The work which will be done now
will continue the bitches about haif
mile UP the stream, where strong
and permanent head gate for the regu-
latiOn of the water supply will be
placed. Mr.. Harper proposes to push
work on both systems and expects to
have them finished before January
next. With these irrigation systems,
the Indians or both pueblos have en-
ioyed the use of all the water neces-
sary and have increased the value and
amount of their crops greatly.
Before these improvements were
made on these ditch systems under Mr..
Harper's direction, it is a well known
fact that the Indians of San lldefonso
were suffering from starvation and
poverty; the same was true OF the Co.
chiti Indians, although in a lesser de-
gree.
Since the Indians have been able to
use full water supply for the raising
OF crops and for the irrigation OF the
gardens and orchards, their children
have improved materially for the bet
ter and now their neighbors describe
them as "muy rico" (very rich), in
fact these Indians now have plenty,
when they had but little three years
ago.
The Big Zuni Reservoir.
Mr.. Harper is actively at work pro-
curing the material and appliances
necessary for the construction of the
great dam and reservoir in the Zunl
river valley for the use of the Indians
of the Zuni pueblo. The location Is
about four miles northeast of the Zuni
pueblo and is magnificent natural
reservoir site. AS early as 1882 the
late u. s. Senator John A. Logan, who
was travelling through that section OF
New Mexico reported to the interior
department that this reservoir site
should be utilized for the Zuni In
dians and recommended the construc-
ton of dam and reservoir at that
point for the irrigation of the lands
owned by the Indians.
Since that time several expert gov
ernment engineers have examined the
site and pronounced it's condition and
almost ideal. The reser-
voir will cover between 625 to $50
acres, or about square mile, and will
receive the drainage of $50 square
miles of a drainage shed and partly of