Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-07-10

q TTTTT- II ~
vine and fig-tree watching the way-
ing fields of alfalfa and the great
orchards dropping their ripened fruit.
You have stood awcd before the
/ engineering feats of the Egyptians
The genius which constructed the
suez canal has excited worldwide adj
/ miration. The Firth OF Forth bridge
in scotland, the great Nile dam, re-
/ claiming the wastes of lower Egypt;
the enormous ocean liners, h cities
on the seas-these have all learned
their share Of praise.
But compared with the reclamation
of the arid wastes Of the west, these
great projects are as the sand castles
which children build.
Great things have been said about
making two blades of grass grow
where one blade has grown before.
What about making two hundred
thousand people live where not even a
wolf could live before? That is what
irrigation means to New Mexico
Thar is the project now in process OF
realization.
Opportunity in New Mexico has
never had in all history so wide a
realm to conquer as that supplied by
these mighty irrigation projects.
Year by year-ten thousand acres
here, ten thousand farmers here, a
thousand m there-are taking
up irrigated land in New Mexico.
Growing crops of alfalfa, vegetables
etc, are routing the mesquite from
it's lair and apple blossoms are fall
ing above the graves of dead coyotes.
To drop the figurative and get
down to the literal, brings the writer
to one of the proposed great enter
prises. The Alamo Irrigation project,
which is intended TO reclaim $4,000
acres in the counties of Guadalupe,
Chaves and Roosevelt.
Nature has provided W. immense
reservoirs for storing and distributing
the wealth Of waters which are to re-
claim these acres.
One OF the large reservoirs TO be
built on the Pecos river covers the
Alamogordo basin-hence, the name
Alamo This reservoir is TO supply
two canals, one on the east side, COW
ering the lands north m east of
Fort Sumner. along the railroad and
reaching to fabian; the west canal
covering the lands along the railroad
west and south Of Fort Sumner. An
other big reservoir is projected below
Puerto de Luna. The combined stor-
age capacity Of these W reservoirs
will be four hundred thousand acre
feet-enough to cover that number OF
acres one foot in depth.
The United States reclamation SER
vice engineers estimated the flow or
the Pecos river would be sufficient 70
irrigate seventy thousand acres, II
stored il Triton Lake, and, upon that
estimate. that project had been recon-
mended for construction.
After the United States decided to
turn the project over TO the Carey
Land Board Of the territory. and fur
ther information was being gathered
with a view Of developing the Triton
Lake project. the engineers found
that TO make the flow of the Pecos
river available and carry it through
a canal thirty-five miles long. it
would be absolutely necessary to store
the water in reservoirs on the river.
The normal flow of the river. for a
large portion Of the year. would be of
no use in so large a canal, and when
the big floods came, only the capae-
ity Of The canal could be saved and
all the rest would pass by and be
lost.
After the necessary storage reser-
voirs had been found. surveys n
filings made, appropriating the flood
waters, the engineers found that suf-
ficient land could be had close to the
stored water, and near the railroad,
and that it would be unwise to carry
the water fifty miles and lose sixty
per cent OF II just for the sake of
using a good reservoir site; for this
reason the Triton Lake project a
abandoned by them as being imprae-
teal and not for the best interests of
the territory or the public.
In order TO verify the conclusion OF
the engineers. the territorial engin-
eer and a representative of the Carey
Land Board, and numbers of the var
ious appropriations Of Pecos river wa
ter. made an inspection trip Owe the
stream and the lands to be reclaim
ed by it. from Santa Fe to the lands
below Triton Lake.
1t will be the policy of the terri
torial officials to make the best pos
sible use of the water in the Pecos
river. one very important engineer
ing feature upon which the most eco-
nomical use OF the Pecos river water
depends, and which the Alamo pro-
iect provides for. is the diverting Of
the water from the bed of the Pecos
river for several miles above Santa
Rosa. where about seventy second feet
Of water is now lost in porous gypsum
strata, and carrying il around this
point Of loss In a canal whereby the
loss Is practically all saved.
The annual water supply available
Tor the Alamo project as determined
by Mr.. II. T. Henderson. consulting
engineer. is 195.s01 acre feet. or SUI
ficient to reclaim $4,000 acres
after ample water had been stored
and used to reclaim $4,000 acres
above Santa kosa. under what Is
known as the Jones project. Thus it
viii be seen by the development OF
these two projects $4,000 acres can
be reclaimed, while the triton Lake
project by the use of all this water
could reclaim only "a 600 arrae even