El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-04-27

! or since the Christian erai 1t is a
wonderi" And, wiping the moisture
from his brow, he added: Know Franz
vanderlip? Well he was here last
! month, and said we had EN- all beat
It met Chauncey Depew in Washing
ton last winter. was introduced to him
in the marble room at the senate.
! What state did you say you are from,
sir?' says he to me, gripping my paw.
Texas, sir says I. The state OF
Texas. SIR says he is a peril to the
union says he. Within the next half
century, says he, when she's settled
up as thick as she will be, she will
| dominate the nation says he. She'll
| decide the politics. she'll name the
/ president. and she'll make the laws of
the United States says he. And she'll
] make poor little old New York look
like 80 centsi' That's what he said,
and it's so. And then Chauncey asked:
What town in Texas did you say you
was from, sir?' and when 1 said Ell
Paso, he bust right out laughing and
gripped me again and said: Pardner.
shake; I know all about Ell Paso. I've
+ been there. I've seen it grow! 1 have
travelled this old world over many
times says he. and I've never seen
anything to beat Ell Paso. could just
hear it growr he said. How much
v
And when 1, said 10000 he shook his
head and looked serious and exclaimed:
You've undercounted, my dear sir;
there's more people than that in FL
Paso; 1 saw more than that myself;
go down to the census office and make
'em send out some honest enumerators
and count 'em again. That's what
Chauncey said, and Chauncey's been
everywhere"
Is Fast Grower.
Ell Paso is a remarkable place and
one of the fastest growers in the scoun-
try. 1t was a goat ranch until 1884,
owned by John and Henry Gillette.
They borrowed money from james.
Campbell of st. Louis and went broke.
Campbell had to foreclose on them
and organized 2 town site company. Of
which Gen. John W. Noble, secretary
of the interior in Harrison's cabinet,
was president. David r. Francis, sec
rotary of the interior in Cleveland's
cabinet, was vice president, and James
Campbell, Capt Boffinger. ]. c. Van
Blarcom s. J. flanagan and z. F. Ham
NETT were directors They laid out
the goat ranch in town lots, and rail-
roads coming from ali directions
brought people with them. In 1890 Ell
Paso had 10, 33Sl inhabitants. 1t gained
% RC4CCAL Q0144AS ~ yeas
and at the census of 800 the enumer-
ators rounded up Is, sos Shortly after
that the boom took hold in earnest
and during the next 10 years there
was q gain of 147 percent in the popu-
lation, which totaled 1928 on the first
of June, 1910. There have been at
least 1000 additions to the population
since then. everybody is sure, and no
estimate of future growth is too big
to suit the enterprising people
Is the Gateway.
FL Paso means the Gateway and
it Is such in fact as well as name. with
half a dozen railroads concentrating
there to make it the most important
of all the cities on the Rio Grande.
It is the distributing point for the
southern half OF New Mexico and for
a large section of northern Mexico.
Both sections are rich in mines, cattle
and agriculture, and when the big
irrigation system now under construc-
ton on the upper Rio Grande north
of the city is completed. the present
cultivated area will be multiplied sew
eral times and FL Paso will gain much
in commerce, in population and wealth.
It is already the metropolis Of very
large area There is no city that will
compare with 1t between San Antonio
Denver and the City of Mexico. north
and south, distance of more than
1900 miles It's smelters and other in
dustries aTs NECESSARY 20 the contribut-
ing area to take care of the ores they
produce, as well as the business houses
are necessary to supply q vast popula-
ton with food and clothing.
And there is more than trade in FL
Paso. There are 40 churches repre-
senting 90 different denominations,
fourishing Y NJ c. A. with new
$4,000 building. u modern and well
equipped school houses, a public libra
ry. and other evidences of culture and
refinement.
There are two new hotels, both of
them quite pretentious; there are sew
eral banks with large deposits. and |
every important manufacturer of min
ing and agricultural machinery in the |
United States has a branch house or |
an agent here.
Soil Means Wealth.
The future prosperity of Ell Paso, /
however. depends upon agriculture. |
The mines may give out, but the soil I
never, and it only peeds the irrigation |
that the reclamation service is now /
preparing to furnish TO become one of /
the largest producing sections in the /
United States.
The source OF supply is the wide
water shed Of the Rio Grande, which
rises in the eternal snow banks of
the Rocky mountains in central Colo
rado. flows southwark through the
middle of New Mexico, and then turns
eastward at Ell Paso, where it becomes
the southern boundary of the United
States until it empties into the Gulf
Of Mexico. Numerous streams born in
the mountain SHOWS contributed to it's
volume Of water, but after the snow
melts and the spring floods are over,
most of them shrivel up to tiny rivul-
cts. or else go dry altogether. In order !
to conserve the spring floods. and fur
nish a perpetual supply of water when
it is most needed. the reclamation
service is building a dam set in a mar
row gorge of the river, 120 miles
north of FL Paso. It will be 400 feet
long and 275 feet high, and create a
lake covering 10000 acres of land and
holding $500, 600 acre feet of water
that is. enough TO cover an area OF
2, 500 600 acres one foot deep.
Dams Past and Present.
There are other contributory dams
for the regulation Of the flow of water,
and for its distribution over an area
Of 10000 acres, of which $4,000 acres
lies in old Mexico, 10000 acres in
New Mpxfc0 and the ernaindar in Tox-