El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-10-15

of placing FL PaSO at the head OF The pfoceSSo
the Ell Paso Chamber of Commerce Book, 1.-THE Story
$8OOO0OOO and idea of the magnitude OF the work
may be obtained from the following figures The engl-
neers will 90 sixtve feet below the bed OF the river III
order to reach solid rock for their foundation The dam
will be $50 feet thick at bed rock and $50 feet long Ii all
the cement required to construct this huge dam were de-
vered in one shipment it would require frelglt tram
fifteen miles long with every car packed to Its ful ca
pacity.
An amount of water equal to that found IN the Hud-
son river from Albany to Manhattan Island would nave
about the covering power as the quantity wcn VIII
be held in reserve in Lake Hall.
The crest or top of the dam will be twenty feet wide
and 400 long, extreme height being 275 feet Con-
CRETE rock and huge bars will be used in It's consuc
ton One hundred and sevenyve feet above the river
or twenty feet below the crest of the DAM spways will
be built to off all of water after the reservoir
proper is full The storage of water will reach $685.
100000 cubic feet 767 100000 gallons Lake b. ~
Hail. which the given this huge reservoir Is to be
thrtv-four miles long and will average IL miles WIDE
To reduce these figures practical basis the Elephant
Butte dam WILL when complete, reserve body Oh water
capable of covering 2350000 of land to the depth
of one foot enough satisfactorily gate the entire Rio
Grande VALLEY for distance of ITO miles during period
DRY FARMING
Dry farming in the vicinity'of Ell Paso is in its in
fancy The few tests made have proven most sasfactof
and profitable.
The Department of Agriculture has been studying tie
soils and crops suitable for these regions which will re
suit in great value to agriculture and horticulture
To persons looking for investments low priced land
there great opportunities the second bot
tom lands adjoining the valley either side back for
distance of few miles When the science of dry farming
is applied to this land it will be productive dry farm
ing section of the country. This mesa land how
ever will probably be irrigated the big Elephant
Butte dam project is completed and the electric power
proposition developed 1t is the intention OF the recama
ton service to furnish electricity for pumping water TO
these lands at small cost The soil on the mesa
fine and will grow almost anything, particularly is 1t
well adapted for orchard and vineyards. There are
many thousands of of this land which will
probably be irrigated within few years In the mean
time with the methods of dry farming applied to them
they will net the farmer big profits No other dry farming
section in the entire Southwest today offers the prospects
that the mesa second bottom lands adjoining the Rio
Grande Valley do
It is but natural that ranch property should be
tremey active when such gigantic enterprise has been
guaranteed by the Government.
LAND VALUES
Land values in the Rio Grande Valley are low at
the present time and there worlds of opportunities
for anyone to get small large tract of land 1t IS
true the land not cheap per land in the cry
farming districts places where irrigation is
tain Five years and three years ago. before the
Elephant Butte dam project was certainty or even
possibility valley lands could be bought low five dol
lars per During the past year. the big project
became certainty and when the engineers actually be-
gan work. land prices have gone up fast This five
dollaran-acre land is selling for $3000 and high
as $4,000 per acre. Cleared lands in cultivation in al
falfa orchards vineyards, with houses bars etc.
high $4,000 per and it is low. In the FL Paso
Valley land not quite high Good land be bought
low proportion to It's producing capacity Orchards
Washington Oregon Colorado and in the rich valleys of
California selling high $4,000 to 100000 per
and vet these orchards will not produce much as
Rio Grande Valley orchards the fruit is certain.
the quality not good and the freight rates to the East
ern markets much higher. Besides this the climate in
the Rio Grande Valley is delightful than the climate
of these other valleys.