Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-03-27
facilities, the North Star today would
be the shining lignt Of the San Juan.
GREAT IRRIGATION CANAL
FOR SAN JUAN COUNTY

FOR SAN JUAN COUNTY
Former Governor of New Mexico. l..
Il. Prince was an arrival last night
from Santa Fe and Is spending the day
in the city. He was accompanied hy
Jay Turley the well known civil on
gneer Of Santa Fee The object uf
| their trip here Is to attend a meeting
Of the directors OF the san Juan Ca.
nal company and to discuss measures
| looking to the commencement of ac
| uVe work on that enterprise II is
| understood that tnere Is to be sort
of reorgani2ation of the company. As
tn the details of this reorganization
The Herald Is not informed II is un-
dcrstood, however. that number OF
| prominent capitalists have become in.
terestcd IN the project to the extent
that they viii look over tne PROPOSE.
ton, and If 1t meets with their ap-
| rrovnl, VIII put their money into the
enterprise
The initial steps to this great irri.
cation venture were begun last year.
and the prime movers hoped TO have
the canal. or part OF 1t at least, I'm.
ished by tnis time and water running
onto large number OF new farms
| which are as yet unrecaimed but
they met with number of unexpected
| drawbacks, and progress has not yet
reached the point of actual construc.
| ton. The preliminary survey work
rights of way and concessions from
property owners were obtained. how.
| ever. and plans for starting a new
| town were made
II Is proposed to take out canal
| on the northwest side of tne San Juan
| river several miles above Largo can.
on The canal is designed TO carry
sufficient water 10 lrrigate sO.0ro
acres of land-land which lies back
on the mesas out of reach of all
| diichcs existing at present Furnish.
| Ing power Is one of the possibilities
| which the Origlnators OF tne company
| figure on.
| Mr. rurley is authority for the
statement that there is more unap-
propriated water In the San Juan
| river than any stream In the great
southwest. with the exception OF tne
| Colorado river down in the canon.
The canal according Ito Mr. Turiey.
Is located above all the numerous
sand arroyas. which cause so much
| trouble to ditch owners In New Mex.
| leo. by filling up the ditches with
floods of sand during algh water. Al
so, he says. the supply Is taken out
up where the water Is pure, and he
| believes the company will eventually
be called upon to furnish water for
| the town of Pennington, as the Ami
mas river will be polluted by tailings
from mills and sewage from Silyerton
| and Durango.
Mr. Turley states that all the rail.
| roads which nave been surveying
| south of here with the exception oil
| the one which Is TO run through the
La Plata valley. runs through land
which VIII be watered by this canal.
He spoke of the great contrast OF
| the effect Of water In the develop.
| ment of European countries and in
this country In those countries the
great aim was to get away from wa
ter. while in this country we wanted
TO get TO IT, In Holland the people
built dykes TO keep tne sea out; in
England they built great drains to lei
| the water run OFF their land; in Ger
many the same thing. and so on
wherever there was TOO much water.
In this country water was everything
to the farmer; he could not do bust
3, ,...
people were beginning to look to irri-
gallon enterprises for profitable in
yestment. as more and more nome.
seekers are looking for homes on irr'
gated lands. People In Denver. in
Colorado Springs, all through New
Mexico, and in places in the East
where nc had been were ready to talk
| Of this country, and the first thing
| they asked whenever the subject was
broacned to them was. Can the land
be irrigated and what will II cost p
Speaking OF the cost Mr.. Turley
claimed that this canal could furnish
water at much less cost than me
proposed government plan In the La
Plata valley He said IT was expected
water under the government reser-
voir would cost the farmer about $50
an acre. and the people of that section
| admitted II would be a good thing,
even at that cost. II had been esti
mated that water could be furnished
the farmer through the San Juan ca
nal for something over $50 an acre.
| almost $40 less than what 1t would
cost under the government reservoir,
50 II land under the government en-
terprise would he a good thing II
would be much better under the San
| Juan canal.
-----=- '- - - -