Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-02-28
EXPECT EARLY END
TO ENGLE DAM
ACTION
Government Engineers ond At
torneys Think Condemnation
Suit viii Be Closed Up in
Short Order,
lEl Paso Times

one million dollars Is what the Vie
torio Land and Cattle company wants
the government to pay for a strip of
lane t,200x10O feet-the proposed site
of the Engle DAM.
r. F.. Burgess, special counsel for
the government in the condemnation
proceedings at Socorro, n. NJ, re-
turned home yesterday morning ac-
eompanied by J. a. Smith, who was a
witness for the government OH land
values.
AS announced in the Times yester-
day morning, the taking Of testimony
at Socorro closed Thursday morning
and arguments by the three special
attorneys for the government and two
lawyers for the Victoria company
were made.
Mr.. Burgess believes that the com
mission will reach a verdict early
next week, and he believes 1t Will he
a reasonable m
"The gentlemen composing the COM
mission" said Mr.. Burgess Yesterday,
are men of intelligence. They are
fair-minded men, who will not do any
thing unreasonable to defeat or delay
a great government project Intended
to benefit the people of the RIO
Grande valley.
lIlCit NttN abO0i " .
before the commission. The Victoria
company endeavored to show that
5000 acres of the 33, 900 the govern
ment sought to condemn is valley
agricultural land worth SO per acre,
But / think the government showed
that not more than ], 800 acres of the
land is available for agricultural pur-
poses. However, it Is good grazing
land, worth possibly So per acre, while
the balance Of ii was alleged to be
worth $3.50 per acre.
THE small land owners who have
the best agricultural land are comins
forward voluntarily and selling to the
government at prices ranging from 70
to SEQ per acre"
The Victoria company had offered
to let the government have the land
it wanted for 100000. But when the
got before the commission il
raised its figures and wanted $75 per
acre for 5000 acres, 50 an acre fot
$4,000 acres and 81 100000 for the
dam site-a strip Of Ian l,2O0 feet
long and 100 feet deep.
In demanding a million dollars for
the dam site the Nictorio company
does not allege that the ground is
worth it. but say that owing to the
Importance OF the enterprise and the
great necessity for the dam, the gov
ttltilltlll ca eiLARiA ~ pay
dollars for the site. The company
also alleges thai the dam and reser-
voir will be IN injury to the balance
Of the company's vast range. The
government and its witnesses believe
the dam and reservoir will enhance
the value of the company's property
by giving it a perpetual and mex
hautsible supply of swater for the COM
pany's cattle.
w. M. Reed. supervising engineer
of the reclamation service, who will
return from Socorro today, believes
the commission will agree upon a rea-
sonable price and that the government
will at onc deposit the money, take
possession of the land and begin
work on the dam.
Mr.. Burgess says that the people of
Socorro display no interest whatever
in the dam project. Their lands Will
not be benefited by the dam, hence
they are altogether Indifferent as to
the final outcome of the contest be-
tween the government and the Vic
torio company. 81 @lt
But the people between Rincon ana
El Paso watched with deep interest
the hearing at Socorro and are await
ing with feverish impotence the
verdict of the commission which
means so much to the farmers and
land owners of the Rio Grande val
ley.
If the price agreed upon by the
commission is reasonable n is ac-
ceDted by the government, there will