Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-04-27

work he had ever been employed upon.
As is well known, 81 per cent Of the
proceeds from the sale OF all arid
lands is turned into a fund to be spent
for recaiming land in the state or ter
ritory where the land is sold. New
Mexico had in this fund at the end of
the fiscal year 1904 1888, ,l05.73.
The government had under consider
alton the construction OF a S7000,000
storage reservoir on the Rio Grande
the Rio Houdo reservoir at an expense
of 100000 and one al Urton lake OF
great magnitude. There had already
been allotted by the government $780,.
900 900 for projects found feasible.
Records of the past ten years show
ed an average discharge of 100000
acre feet of water in the Animas riy-
er-enough to irrigate 100000 acres
| of land
Estimates showed there were 30
900 acres of land in the La Plata val
| ley to come under this system. and
| there were 10000 more outside OF that
valley which would be reclaimed,
bringing the total up to 10000 acres.
Supposing the cost SHOULD be found
TO be $40 an acre, the total cost of the
system would be s2.OO0,0OO He con
sidered the lands as fine. if not bet
ter than the land at Las Vegas, where
the people were begging the govern
ment to build a storage reservoir to
| cover 10000 acres at an expense Of
| s57.50 an acre. With Durango's 8
splendid markets and southern connec-
tions he thought our acres should be
far ahead of any others he knew of.
He said the government surveyors
never had any peace when they Went
to Las Vegas.
He believed there was from $4,000
to 100000 acres Of Navajo lands that
could be watered from this system.
and he, through his superior officers
had taken the matter mp with the In
dian department with the hope OF in
ducing the government to bring these
lands under the contemplated system
Sc as to reduce tne cost per acre. II
these lands are ever irrigated ~ musl
he from the Animas river for The san
Juan is too low. CHIEF photographer
Newell was disappointed to learn thai
Il comparatively small area OF Ute
lands would be benefited
Mr.. Hinderlider thought that in case
the government should not see fit &c
make the expenditure for the benefit
of the Indians, congress might be pre-
vailed upon to buy the lands and oper
them to white settlement. The lant
is absolutely worthless as it is ant
could probably he bought for verl
little
Mr.. Hinderlider's first idea was tina
the system should have 1000 cubj'
feet OF water per second but sinc'
the possibilities have so greatly in
creased. he doubled the figure, au'
stated that he had that day filed OF
| 900 cubic feet of water in the Ami
mas river in the name of the Unitet
States
As soon as his work for estimates ii
finished he will make his report anI
! tnen our people VIII nave apllSth4ui
definite to work upon. While Duran
go is not in New Mexico, much Of tn'
land to be watered is in that terri
, tory.
He stated that one railroad compan!
had obtained right of way through
; one of the reservoir sites, owing t.
an oversight OF some clerk in Wash
: ington in leaving out a section in max
ing the segregation. He said that on
way the people might help the worI
along was in this particular case
bring influence to bear upon the CON
pany to change its line so as to g
around the reservoir, He believed
this could be easily accomplished, 70
railroads were sometimes influence
by public opinion, and then tney wer
as greatly Interested in the growt
and welfare of the country as any
body else.