The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1904-06-11

these towns. Just starting. Artesia.
There l was the guest Of that de-
nghtful Virginia family. Mr.. f. b.
Kemp, formerly of sAlexapdria. They
have brought the Ane n4vor Of the
best old Virginia life with them, and
in that snug little bungalow" I
found the sweet and gentle refined
society that is the charm and the glo-
ry of old Virginia homes. And mis-
is Characteristic Of the, newcomers
into the Pecos Valley. They repre-
sent the best element OF eastern 30
ciety. Though they are living in tenn.
porary structures. some In tents. at
Artesia. Mrs. Kemp. who has been
used to the best. told me they have
excellent society there. AS yet it is
a mere skeleton town-the outlines
of the picture that is to be-a
Tor two of scattered frame houses
struggling over the sunburnt desert.
with a single brick building, the bank.
What are these shrewd. energetic
men relying on to build up a town
on this arid plain? What induces
those f~ar-seeing capitalists from New
York, Boston, Chicago, and the east
ern money centers to put their CAPT
tai out In such a dusty spot? One
word explains it-water. No one will
believe until he ees them that such
wells could be found in the desert:
but I saw them. They throw a
stream of crystal clear water as
large as a mans body, 5000 gallons
a minute. This water is received In
reservoirs. and conducted over the
land, which seems to have been form
ed with a slope precisely adapted to
irrigation, and nature does the rest.
On these now barren, dry. and dusty
tracts they will raise alfalfa. and be-
sides grazing cattle on 1t will cut hay
five or six times a year. They will
grow the finest apples, peaches, and
all kinds of fruit. They will grow
celery that would make Kalamazoo
ashamed. These Artesian pioneers
have planned to have the finest town
in the Pecos Valley, and there is no
doubt that in a few years the won
ders Of Roswell will be duplicated
here. A young man with a couple
of thousand dollars could get a foot
hold there now, and in a short time
be a rich man. Some almost incredi-
BILE things have already been realized.
Making money is not in my line. but
even a blind man can see the oppor.
tunity at Artesia.'
There are many novel things to
an eastern man out here. For exam.
pie, they dig their wood out of the
ground. A bush no higher than a a
will yield a cord or more Of excellent
fire-wood from it's roots, which ara
by far the largest part Of It. Another
curiosity Is the mirage. Away on In
the horizon you will see what o
would be willing to vow was q beau
Lllul lane, Will SuOio hiu6Cu ~
forests and it's surface dotted with
islands. Sometimes you fancy o
see a sail Dr. a dozen white-winged
vessels. But there is no lake there.
1t is only an optical illusion. Happt-
ly, the poor dumb animals, dying Of
thirst and starvation. perhaps do lot
see the mocking abundance.
The great charm of the Pecos Val
ley is its glorious climate. The gen.
eral elevation is about 5000 feet
above the sea level. There are on an
average three hundred days OF sun
shine during the year. II is not as
cold as Colorado. but just as dry and
invigorating. 1t Is particularly adap-
ted to people who suffer from asth-
ma or lung troubles. and there have
been some wonderful cures. This air
acts on me like wine. It exhilirates
me. Even breathing it for a week
has rejuvenated me. find am get
ting as lively as a. antelope.
Fifty or sixty miles west Of the
Pecos rise the mountains-the Guad-
aloupe, Sacramento. Capitan-with
peaks rising 10000 feet into the
bright air. These mountains are en-.
ormously rich in gold, silver. coal and
iron. So the future of this country
is very bright. With irrigation and
scientific farming making its deserts
blossom as the rose. and capital and
industry developing its mines. New
Mexico will become one Of the most
prosperous and delightful parts OF
our great country.
Lumberton, Miss. s. A. STEEL.