Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-07-01
HOW The M|MBRES
WAS LOST AND
DISCOVERED
TALE OF THE RISE OF
THE PUMPING SYSTEM
Secretary of Deming Chamber
of Commerce Tells in Irriga-
ton Journal of Development
of Valley
(By II. B%edichek. Secretary Deming
Chamber Of Commerce. in Irtiga-
ton Journal.)

I
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Mans great foes, says an editor
writer on one of our great metro
pclitan dailies, lin the struggle with
which civilization has been born
have been the desert, the sea and the
cold. No country with Il natural
rainfall ever had any civilization
worth mentioning until the last few
hundred years. Civilization flowed
through an irrigation ditch in the
early ages. Judea is half desert
Egypt ana Babylonia are reclaimed
desert lands. Japan Is an irrigated
country. So is India, SO is Italy
But If 1t is in the struggle with
these forces that civil zation is born.
can they properly be called the great
foes Of man? Are they not, rather,
great friends in disguise, put here by
the creator To awaken and develop
the dormant powers Of the SOUL The
country Of natural rainfall, covered
with green and luXuriant vegetation,
is an example and inspiration to man;
the desert is q challenge, it awakens
his fighting instincts and appeals TO
his sense of the heroic. Sterility IS
the greatest curse, and the clarion
announcing battle with II has sum
moned the most intrepid spirits OF
every age.
There Is u region in southern New
Mexico now being developed which
furnishes an inspiring example &C the.
courage and ingenuity of Man pitted
against the cunning of Nature. The
Mlmbres river is Il clear mountain
stream with it's source just east OF the
great continental divide. II h drop
e rain happens TO hit on top of a
certain ridge OF pointed rocks be-
tween The head OF the CHA ana the
head Of the Mimhres. the western
half Of the drop is destined to find
its way n the Gulf of California.
while the eastern Dap viii find It's
way down the MinibIss and, finally,
into the Gulf Of MdziHF d5ot N4etsire
he's provided a suRwM Tor the half
a drop that goes lpt9 Abe Mimbres,
for just as this river issues from the
mountains it disappears. ~ does the
fcmous oxus river 81 Turkestan' into
the sands. Southwark seventy miles
Just below the line of old4MeXico. IT
rises to the surface aud forms a ire
mendous lake,
The yast stretch a9fT lsver valley
lands from the Cooks Range OF
mountains south TO the line Of old
Mexico. and comprising hundreds OF
.|gnurre miles, was until recently con-
sideied n good COW country when 1t
rained, and when 1t did not rntn 1t
was not considered good for any,
thing. a few hardy plants like the
cactus. the scrub-mesqulte ana the
sotol m%anaged somehow to store
away, camel-like, moisture enough
during wet a to tide them over
years Of dTouth, but this scant ana
thorny vegetation only served to rem
der the general desclation more vivid
and complete. The range would be-
come oVerstocked by ambitious stock
men during years of rainfall, and then
the years of drouth would come and
their herds would be decimated. The
bleached bones of thousands OF cattle
which now strew the valley still at
test the enormous losses which the
cattle kings Of those days sustained.
4 few years ago, however. an m
gineer in the employ of the govern
mcnt made a survey of this region
He gave it MS his opinion that the
Mimbrcs river was not entirely lost
but continued to flow at a depth of
from twenty 10 sixty feet through
sand end gravel strata under this en-
tire vallcy. The soil of the MimbIcs'
he said. has been built up by the
erosion Of mountains surrounding It,
1t seems hat at one time In tho his
tory Of the world. what is now a
great valley was but an immense
gorge in mountains which were miles
high. and that the bottom of this
gorge was the channel of q gigantic
over twenty miles wide in
places. when sufficient soil was
built up. the valley supported vcgc-
tation. tropical In its n%Nurianee'
There WIS also abundant animal life.
This the engineer proved by the Iact
that bones are encountered at great
depth an over the valley. In many
places human bones are found bur
led ten. twenty and thirty feet deep.
and il seems quite likely that these
are the rcm.lns OF some prehistoric
race. The overflows Of this great
river during thousands of years kept
depositing their silt. thus covering
the river deeper and deeper until
none Of the moisture Of its hidden
writer's could reach the surface. The
COUNTRY then became q desert. except
Dun ing years of excessive rainfall,
when the naturally rich soil sup
ported abundant grass. II thus took
Nature thousands Of years to hide
this river. but she did her wotk well
The engineer cxpref1 ed
the belief that there WAS an abund-
ance Of water in this underground
river to irtigate the entire valley if
q could he raised economically
ercugh TO make the growing 81 crops
pronteble.
In the meantime. the American
genius Tor Invention he'd encountered
conditions in other portions Of the
west where cheap water meant sal
vation-not only salvation. Sc meant
millions a. dollars profit a. falmcrs
Powerful pumps we've the result and
easoline and crude 81 engine Then !
IL became possible 10 transmit a high !