El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-06-08
Early Benefits to the Ranch
ers-El Paso Will Furnish
Supplies.

Another week should see the actual
project. On Monday, June Is, judge
NJ. c. Mechem will convene court at
Socorro. n. NJ, and the SocorrO con-
demnation case is the first on the dock
ct With judge Mechem's affirmation
of the finding of the Socorro comJnis-
sion, $500, 900 in good American money
will be deposited with the district clerk
at Socorro; the information that this
last step has been taken will be flashed
to Washington, and back viii come the
order signed by director Newell in
structing the men on the job to begin
work. 81
Dirt will then begin TO be moved by
the scrapers and dump wagons from the
Santa Fe main line, near Engle, to the
site of the big impounding reservoir
which is to store the life giving waters
of the old Rio Grande for the conven-
fence of the ranchers below who have
fought the desert and conquered Be
fore the work on the dam proper can
be built, this railroad must be COM
pleted, the bridges built, concrete mix
ers, and tons of machinery set up at the
site of the big dam which is TO make
the Egyptian efforts at dam building
seem puny by comparison. Then when
everything has been done which must
be done before a great project can start,
500 men will man the machines and
scatter over the works. The old river
of the north will be bypassed around
the site of the dam and the first load
of concrete foundation will be dumped
into the excavation in the river bed
and out of the silt and sand or the
river the magnificent concrete struc-
ture will rise TO a greater height than
Ell Paso's tallest skyscraper now In
course of construction
Early Benefits to Water Users.
Although it will take at least five
years to complete the big dam, the
valleys of the Rio Gran6e and the city
of the twin valleys will not have TO
wait that length Of time before they
derive the benefits which will accrue
from the construction of the dam
Starting at next years low water IN
the river, the dam viii be pushed hard
to get it built above the level of the
river bed before the flood waters OF
the following spring come down from
the Colorado mountains. This water VIII
be stored in lake B. NJ. Hall, submerg-
ing hundreds Of acres Of the land above
the dam site.
This water will be the best insurance
the farmer can obtain for his crops
as its presence there will mean that
there will be a water supply when wa
ter is needed and crops can then be
planted without the water equation en-
tering into the plans for the dry sea-
sons Water will be insured perpetu-
ally for the land Of the valleys after the
dam has reached the storage stage, and
for all practical purposes 1t will serve
its purpose just as well half done as
it will when completed.
FL PasO VIII Furnish Supplies.
More fortunate than either of the val
leys which will be so greatly benefited
by the big dam. e. Paso will not have
to wait even a day after the order is
given to go ahead with the work before
reaping direct benefits from the dam
Men win be needed at the dam and
these men must be equipped for rough |
ing it in the camps. This equipment |
will be bought in FL Paso. Supplies |
and food for the workmen will have to |
be provided and Ell Pasos merchants /
will supply these necessities.
To accommodate the workmen who |
are engaged in the preliminary work Of /
the dam, trains will be run between FL |
Paso and the dam site each Saturday |