Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1903-11-21
SCHOOL
OF MINES
DR.. Charles R. Reyes Completes
Work on Underground Water
Conditions in New Mexico.
MINING SCHOOL NOTES
University Club Recently Organized
Has Proved a Success. Court
Conyenes Monday
to the New Mexican.

Special to the New Mexican
DR.. Charles R. Keyes of the New
Mexico School of Mines, has just COM
pleted the first of series of memoirs
on the underground water conditions
in New Mexico The report is for the
.Jornada del Muerto extending from El
Paso, 200 miles northward, between
the Rio Grande and the Sierra San An
dreas. 1t is belt of table land 80 to
40 miles wide and was long regarded
by the early explorers and settlers as
devoid of water.
The main object of the investigation
has been to determine from the geolog-
ical conditions the possibilities for ob-
tanning underground waters within
moderate depths and especially the
probabilities for artesian waters. Geo.
logically the Jornada plain has been
found to be a. broad shallow trough.
pitching northward. The total amount
of pitch is about $500 feet-the low
est point being at Ell Paso.
The main part of the Jornada IS
found to be composed of porous sand
stone underlaid throughout by COM
pact impervious clays and shales
which have thickness of more than
800 feet. The conditions point to TWO
important water horizons or water
sheets. One is at the base OF the
surface of the plain. Shallow wells
may also usually be advantageously
sunk in the sandstone, when these
form the surface rock.
The most important water sheet IS
probably that lying at the base OF the
great sandstone bed. In the central
part of the plain, as at Engle, this lev
el is about 1000 feet below the sur.
face, but gradually rises until II
reaches the surface on each side a
dozen or more miles away. A few
miles north of Ell Paso this water
stratum should be reached within J.,
600 feet of the surface. In the south
half of the pain, from El Paso nortn
ward for so miles the indications are
that the water supply is artesian IN
character. The head or main collect
ing area is from 500 to 1000 feet above
the elevation of this part OF the dis
trict
The report will be published as
special publication by the New Mexico
School of Mines. The federal govern
ment has found it to be of such great
imrortance that it also will publish
the report as a special volume OF It's
irrigation monographs. The report al
so contains much of Importance to the
mining resources OF this region.
University Club Of socorro.
= The University Club OF Socorrt
which was recently organized is prov
inc a success. It is composed OF col
lege graduates who are associated
with the New Mexico School OF Mines
or live in Socorro. Its fiourlshlnl
condition is shown by the fact that
already has over 30 members.
The main object of the Univers1t.
Club is to. keep it's members IN close
touch with University life, to encour
age University sentiment in New Mex
leo and to promote intellectual socla
bilitv. The present organization is tn
first college graduate society TO D.
formed in New Mexico.
For it's home the members OF tn
University Club have leased the Sper
ling residence, which has been ntte'
up and party furnished and more es
pecially adapted to the needs OF sucl
an organization. In the reading room
will be found alt the latest magazine
several of the leading newspapers an
publications on the latest topics
higher educational work.
Provision is made for the entertain
ment of graduates from abroad ana
is expected that at the f0rtnlentl
meetings some distinguished Unlvel
sity man will give a lecture or rea
a paper of broad bearing.
Mining School Notes.
R. Harland Case, who has been n
Gently attending the school In tn
metallurigal department has accepte
a lucrative position with a prominer
consulting mining engineer, and ia
already entered upon his duties IN ca
ifornia. He will also spend conside
able time in New Mexico and Arizon'
The school has just received q mn
set of stereoptican slides represen
ing a large variety of machinery use
in mining and in treating ores. Fe
lecture purposes this series forms
very valuable addition to the equil
ment of the institution.
During the past two weeks Professt
Ragg and Mr.. Dominian have been pu
ting ia all time not devoted directly
instruction in arranging and preparin
the rock collection for study purpose
Besides the two large Kranz cole
tions of foreign rocks from type local
ties there are many addition to equs
ly interesting material from this cou
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