Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-05-27
MILLIONS FOR
WATER SUPPLY
Pipe Line For Road
BetweenC Carrizozo
aad Santa Rosa
GIGANTIC ENGINEERING FEAT
Flow of Rio Bonito in Sier-
ra Blanca to Be Turned
From East to West.


Between one and two millions of
dollars is a vast amount OF money TO
be expended for a small supply of wa
ter, but this is just what is to be done
by the E paso and Rock Island Rail
way Company within the near future
in New Mexico. 1t is learned from an
authoritative source that pipe line
is to be built from a point near the
headwaters OF the Rio Bonito, per-
RENAL stream emanating from the
Sierra Blanca Mountains, across
country a distance of one hundred and
sixty-five miles to stations along the
line of the FL Paso and Southwestern
Railroad. The railroad officials have
quietly been purchasing water rights
and practically everything is now in
readiness for the actual work of con-
struction.
What makes the undertaking gi-
gantic one involving such an immense
outlay of cash is the fact that the
water will have to be piped over a
mountainous country, and this pipe
line, when completed, will be a re-
markable feat of engineering. The
railroad officials are of the opinion
that despite the vast expenditure the
building of this pipe line will be a
big saving to them.
Pipe Line Absolute Necessity.
It is a we'll known fact particularly
in railroad circles that the Ri Paso
and Southwestern Railway which was
formerly the FL Paso and Northeast
ern Railway, has been seriously handi-
capped on account Of failure to secure
good water for running it's trains and
especially is this true between Carri-
zozo and Santa Rosa. All of the water
now being utilized has to be treated
chemically at a large expense and
this has had deteriorating effect
upon the boilers Of the locomotives,
and hues have to be replaced every
few weeks 1t is figured that the saw
ing of this repair bill within a few
years will more than repay the enor-
nous outlay in securing a water sup
ply free from any impurities. 1t also
means that there will be no further
delays from this source to freight and
passenger trains because of having
leaky boilers.
The Rio Bonito winds its way in a
southeasterly direction through Lin
coin County and empties into the
Pecos River. 1t is a pretty little
stream fed from melted snow and
rains in the Sierra Blanca range. The
water is pure and sparkling and the
supply is permanent.
1t is the intention Of the railroad Of
ficials to have this water piped along
the line of the railway from Carrizozo
to Santa Rosa. This will necessitate
the diverting of the water at a high
altitude in order to carry it by gravity
W lie pUllllS VI ulSlIlDullUU.
There will be ten to fifteen miles
of very heavy cast iron piping to be
laid through rugged mountains over
canons and around hills before reach
ing the divide and about the same dis
tance on the other side before reach
ing the more level mesa land.
They will carry this water as far as
practical by gravity and then install
series of large pumping plants to
force the water up the railroad line,
probably as far as Santa Rosa, max
ing a total of about one hundred and
sixty-fve miles of piping.
Will Cost Almost Two Million.
The size and grade of pipe has not
yet been determined but it is under
stood that they intend to have a ca
pacity of about two thousand gallons
per minute as far as Carrizozo, di-
minishing the capacity to the required
needs at points beyond 1t is esti-
mated that the cost of the huge under.
taking will be between one to two
million dollars.
The proposition is entirely feasible
barring the cost, for it is believed that
no company, of any kind ever went to
such large expense for such small
amount of water, for an illustration
the following comparison is given.
This water will cost at its destina-
ton (per the given quantity at least
one hundred times as much as the
highest price water used for irrigation
purposes in this Territory, however,
the benefits resulting will undoubtedly
be several hundred times greater.
The changing of the use and point
of diversion of appropriated water in
this Territory is obtained through a
permit from Territorial Engineer v.
l.. Sullivan who returned recently af-
ter thorough investigation of the feas-
ibility of the proposition and the
priority Of the water rights He went
over every foot Of the g4ound along