Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-09-28

A dispatch from Washington says:
Charles S, Slichter, engineer OF the
United States reclamation service,
who recently conducted the investiea.
tion OF the underflow Of the Arkansas
river valley in western Kansas, u now
engaged In a similar work In tie VI
entity OF El Paso, Texas,
A brief reconnaissance indicated
that there would be no underflow OF
any consequence al the narrows OF
the Rio Grande above that city. AZ
the site Of the proposed International
dam the distance between the walls
OF the gorge Is less than 400 feet, and
the borings seemed to indicate that
he'd rock Is reached at about SO feet
at the deepest point The limited
cross section Of less than 10000 square
feet could not transmit a large vol
m OF ground water even II other
conditions were favorable. The high.
est velocity ever determined for
ground water Is 100 feet for twenty.
four hours. Assuming this maxi
mum velocity at the above sec
ton and a porosity Of one.third. the
daily discharge would be 100000 Gu.
bic feet. or Is IL second feet. The
gradient OF the water plane at the
narrows Is but four feet to the mile.
and all other indications point to q
low rather than a high velocity.
There are none Of the common and
usual Indications Of an nnderflow at
this point. II q free nuderflow exist.
ed. a perennial stream would un.
donbtedly exist in the narrow gorge
above Ell Paso. In addition to a per-
ennial surface flow through the mar
rowest portion Of the gorge, above
the gorge and ear Its co~nverging
sides the ground water should have a
slightly artesian character, but none
OF these indications were found to be
present.
Notwithstanding the above consid-
erations, work was begun to determine
the actal rate OF nudeTflow. In the
coarsest strata OF sand met with In
drilling the wells the ~velocities were
found OF be 2.7 and 80 feet per twen-
ty-four hours.
An important fact brought out by
the investigation is the Increased
hardness and saltiness Of the water
In the sand Of the gorge with the
depth penetrated. The Increase can
be noted from foot to foot. At a
depth OF forty-two feet the water con
tains about 1900 parts per 100000 o
common salt. not quite as strong al
sea water.
Mr.. Slichter examined the situation
below FL Paso with reference to ths
possibility Of ground water suppl,
from wells. The mesa east and nortl
OF the city contains a very fine watel
bearing sand at a depth Of about 1Sl
feet. The STRATUM Is between thru,
and sixty feet thick and the materia
is too fine for good wells. At the
southern boundary Of this mesa ths
river runs at the present time about
forty feet higher than the top Of thu
above mentioned water bearing sand
There IL every indication that thu
time the river cut the gorge above
the city TO a depth Of So feet 1t cut
into this deposit OF sand and resortet
and redeposited the material, carry
ing much Of the fiber substance away
For this reason good wells can be hat
along the entire edge OF the mess
wherever the river has done It's work
except In q few instances where tn,
river carried away all he sand ant
left a local deposit Of clay and mud II
Its place. BY running levels It wa
determined that the water plan