The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1904-09-08

year was under fifty feet per sec
ond, and that the seepage from the
Roswell district did not reach his ca
| nails
Mr.. Cameron then filed several doc
| uments and stated that with the ex-
ception of several documents they
| wished to file that that closed their
| case.
The Roswell Side.
Attorney Reid for the Water U.s.
ers' Association said he expected to
file an abstract of title and would
do so soon. He then asked Mr.. j. j.
Hagerman for a statement in regard
to the case.
Mr.. Hagerman took the stand and
said that he had become connected
with the irrigation companies in the
Valley in 1889 and that the next.
year he bought bonds in the old com
pany and gradually increased his
holdings In 1892 new charter was
secured for the P. |. & Improvement
Co. He became president in 1892.
Lake Avalon was built in 1890 and
Mcmillan in 1898. A company secur-
ed lands on the Hondo in 1888 for
the First New Mexico Reservoir &
Irrigating Co. Maps were filed in
Washington by the first owners. His
company bought this outfit. They did
this to irrigate the best lands in the
Valley, the Hondo lands, to do what
was now proposed to be done by the
government. They then thought and
he did so now that much of the wa
ter used in the reservoir would find
it's way back to the Northern Canal.
His company in 1892, 1893, 1894
and 1895 did some work on the res
ervoir, the work being construction
work and the cutting of canals. The
cost of this was from $4,000 to
$25,OOO.
During the reorganization of the
them everything in Chaves county
owned by them, lands, canals, water
rights, and in fact everything they
possessed in the county. The deed
covered all the rights and franchises
of the Northern Canal. the waters
of the Hondo, all of them and of its
t1-ih hnf a rio nf
N the same document went to the
southern Canal. What he then bought
included every conceivable thing in
Chaves county owned by the old
company.
In reply to a question he stated
that he bought it to get rid of big
he was tired of it, In 1896 he made
Up his mind that the lower valley
had no future but that the upper val
.ey had everything. In the same year
he went to New York and raised mon
ey to build the railroad to Amarillo,
as the salvation of all depended On
receivership until he had secured
the money for the road. The reorg-
anization was effected in New York
at this time. The old company saw
that there was but one thing to dc
and that was to sell The property TO
get out of the hole. He offered them
o. IN
with the stipulation that they would
pay the claims for labor. etc. due.
He was not bound legally in this
but considered it a matter of justice
and right. The old company reserv-
ed nothing in this sale.
In response to questions Mr.. Hager
man stated that he considered thirty
inches of water ample for the rails
ing of the average crops. Some
things took more, some less, but
this was a good average and was
ample The old contracts of his com
pany called for twelve inches but
this was not enough and he had rails
Gu 1t 10 WA1CA WdS
sufficient There was no complaint
as to this amount. His company does
it's work in careful and systematic
manner, measures its water. and
does not do things in a haphazard
way as does the company down the
Valley. Below they do nothing in
systematic way. and the result is
great waste.
Alfalfa, said Mr.. Hagerman need
ed more than thirty inches. but the
average was thirty for all crops. His
best farm for alfalfa used but thirty
inches. however. The Honde soil is
better than that He considered that
for orchard eighteen inches was suf
ficient, for corn twelve and for aafal-
ia thirty-six.
The witness was acquainted with
the springs near Carlsbad and could