The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-07-07
STILL ANOTHER BIG DAM.

mere are 4Uu men at work eXCaydt-
ing for the great Elephant Butte dam
enterprise, which is expected TO trans
form the famous Rio Grande valley,
from the site of the dam down
through New Mexico and extending
into Texas for a distance of about
forty miles below Ell Paso.
Several years ago some English cap
italists made an investigation of the
entire Rio Grande in that section, hop
ing to work out great irrigation
scheme through the storing of its
waters. Their engineers examined the
conditions along the river in various
places and reported that the best plan
would be to build three small dams
just above the Mesilla Valley, in
New Mexico
These dams we're to be located but
short distance apart and were to
cost s3,000,900 each. Their opinion
was that one large dam was imprac-
ticable, as it would cost too much
money. A company was organized on
the strength of their representations,
but before they could accomplish any
construction work the entire pro-
ceedings were inhibited through the
process of an injunction granted by
the courts, on the contention that the
Rio Grande was a navigable stream
The enterprise failed
When the United States govern
ment was finally induced to extend
its reclamation service to the Rio
Grande valley surveys were made for
the location OF the proposed dam site,
and the present location was selected
at Elephant Butte. The mountains
draw close together at that point and
the formation is of solid rock. The
land above the location is not of great
value, and the point was selected as
an ideal location
The Elephant Butte dam will be
ponderous piece OF masonry, which
will rise 262 feet from the foundation
TO the parapet. 1900 feet long on top
ami 400 feet in length al the bottom
The height from the river bed 10 the
top of the structure will be 1877 feet
At the bottom the dam will be $50
feet thick and tapering up to twenty
/ feet at the top. The depth OF water
/ from the river bed to the spillway will
4 be 1872 feet and the spillway will be
4 SEQ feet in length, in order to properly
/ protect the great dam.
The building of this dam will create
the largest artificial lake in the world
1t viii be forty-fve miles long, with
an average width of six miles.
The dam will cost about 100000
when completed. 1t will irrigate no.
900 acres of land in New Mexico, As.
COO acres in FL Paso county, Texas.
) and $4,000 acres in Chihuahua, Mexico,
across the river from Ell Paso.
For ten years, beginning with the
first year that crop is raised
through this system OF irrigation, an
annual assessment of 81 an acre is TO
be paid by the benefciaries. and at
the end Of the period the entire pro
ject will be owned by the land own.
J. ers and the government will have been
4 reimbursed the entire amount ex
] pended. The management will he
s placed in their own hands and they
I will elect their own administrative
9 officers.
, Under the present system of irrigat
: ing in the Rio Grande valley with tbs
= limited water supply the net returns
i from the irrigated lands will average
! about $25 an acre. and with tn,
!, abundant supply that will be furnish
e ed just exactly as needed when tn,
new system il inaugurated it is be