Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1908-01-23
NOTICE
ukpEReRoUND WATERS AND
None TOO THRIFTY HUMANS.


NONE TOO THRIFTY HUMANS.
For probably eight or ten years the
territory had standing offer of $4,000
TO be paid to the first authentic dis
eorerer of artesian water. Finally a
, resident of the San Pedro shouted
~Eurekal'' and reached for the mon
ey. but an echoing whoop came back
from Graham county and the reward
was divided between the two. Since
thai time flowing wells >haye become
so common that they fail to provoke
attention. but where there is one web
at least hundred should dot the
southwest. On this subject We pre-
sent the following eommendable edi-
toriaI from the Ell Paso Herald:
There are good grounds for the
belief that the tradition of aridity'
which has more or less cursed the
southwest for generations is due less
to the freak of a Creator who loves
to set puzzles for his manikins to
solve, than to the ignorance and in
capacity of those same manikins TO
use what is offered them. In the
southwest it has been known for a
great many years that most of the
waters prefer to lie beneath the sur
face away from the thirsty sun and
wind. but 1t is only comparatively
lately that any great interest has
been aroused in the question of how
to utilize these great stores of under
ground water.
Some people wonder why the rab-
bits don't carry canteens out there in
the San Simon valley between here
and Douglas; but the plain truth is
that the rabbits long ago found out
that the water was only seven feet
under the surface and they dug wells
in their burrows and ran their speak
easies without even getting license
The buffaIoes knew the trick, the
Apaches knew it. the very cactus and
mesquite and wild grass discovered it
several millions of years age. but
man with his head full of jellyfshes
and vanity is just beginning TO see
that the underground reservoir is one
OF natures fine provisions for eco
nomic storage. Now the holder spir-
its are finding that the water viii
flow under pressure when ii is tap
ped
"A short time ago an engineer wei
Informed about Mexico, asserted that
the state of Chihuahua is well sup.
piled with underground water; five
>artesian belts. said he. lie between
here and the state capital. and others
(not engineers but artesian belts) lie
in various parts of the STATE. Arte-
sian water has been developed in var
ious parts OF the San Pedro valley
of Arizona, and along the CHA The
Pecos valley artesian belt of New
Mexico with its 500 flowing wells is
famous the world oTer, and the belt
is believed to extend into Texas. The
plains sof west Texas have plenty Of
water and it is rot very hard to de
FeIop in moderate quantities
Around Deming they are pumping
the underground water to the surface
for irrigation. This has been done in
California on an extensive scale for
many years. with great profit. Some
little pumping has been done in The
Rio Grande valley. but our people
have been fooIing themselves for
twenty years over the projected dam.
and they have burned dp just exactly
100000, 600 in coed crisp gold GER
tifcates while carrying out such a.
foolish policy Of do-notbing. The dam
win come. but fhe sioO.eoo,O 900 Of sac
rffieed profits on zoo. o00acres of
neglected valley land win never come
back
Texas. New Mexico and Arizona
ought to make their voices heard at
Washington in a united appeal for
generous appropriations for the sys-
-fematic aad thorough study Of under
xround waters Water is the most
valuable raineraI which lies In the