El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-10-01

\ country one Of the most at
tractive irrigation projects in
the country. Even the big enterprises
under government dam projects are
no more attractive than the offering
here in this region There are now
10000 acres under cultivation and
residents declare that there are 100000
acres Of the same land that can be
sasflv converted into farms. The
z-lo1e valley lies over q vast lake OF
artesian water-not buDbllng areesls1H
water but artesian nevertheless, Tor
a. rises many feet IN every wei ana
fbe pumDe 10 date have never DeeA
able 70 diminish the flow On the 80
trarv pumping his in every ms -a-l .-
increased the produc1iFehess u
Cooperative Pumping system
Portales stands alone in the OnlLeu
States In unique methods OF LLlste
zion. Its farmers are pumping Oh 80
cooDeratfv system ana the LlIsL US
was only $50 per acre, While lne nam nam
+enauce and operating cost has so Tar
not been quite $l-5O per acre pSa o-s
Only spots here ana mere a
under irrigation, although 1OiOV1 acres
are this year under reclamation ne
project Of pumping was YolunlaLy
one so that only such land owners
40 wished to Join in Nhe work were
sssigned M" Thus some Farms
adi0in each other, while others are
isolated. .bo of+v
of Portales generates the eleclILC
power and carries it on wires 70 eacN
farmer who is a MEMBER OF lle ~
Danv Each farmer has a pump OF
bis own farm located at the highest
point on his land and ne slaIlS -lS
Dump when he needs the water anu
operates it until ne gets enousn,
throwing a 10 inch stream OF pure
crystal LIQUID into his d1rcneS 10 DC
disposed Of as he wishes. Besloes
their original payment or 800 an a.
for the construction OF Lne plals --.SS
farmers only pay for the aInOuul %
mower rhev consume in operating Inelr
pumps. the charge being reguIatea
merely to take care OF the operating
expenses and the repairs TO the cen
tral plant and distributing system me
longest power line is Is miles, me
farms under the system are scattered
through the valley, some in the city
some a few miles out and some as
far out as the lines are operated
While the plant has only been IN
operation since last spring the sue
cess Of the system has already been
proved and many farmers who failed
to come in under the cOoperaLlN
scheme seeing the success or the
others. have installed individual pump
ing plants Of their own and are max
shallow Water
Water is secured throughout the
valley at depths OF from elsnJ 20 ~
feet-first stra tum-and there are
three strata. The contract of the r.
rigatiOn company with It's stocknold-
ers compels il 10 sink WeIs TO
deDth of 90 feet This insures them
0enetratine the three strata. First a
big shaft IS sunk to the first water
eveI and the pumps are installed on ,
fhis level A IA inch shaft is sunk
tba resi- Of the required distance and
a pipe 80 feet long IS dropped Gown
from the pump in the casing rms
leaves the pipe in 30 feet OF water an
the time as the water always rises
70 the level of the pit The pumps are
six snch centrifugal pattern, OF the
American Well company make, anu
are operated by Individual motors oe
irving their power from the ceLlI@I
plant
These pumps discharge on the SCR
face usually in cement pasln, q
stream of water 10 inches in circum-
ference. bitches carry the water then
to all parts Of the farm The dIscharge
capacftv of each pump is about L+uO
gallons per minute and the cost Is
about so cents an acre foot per year
3r $3.50 per acre Of land irrigated. per
year. This cost pays not only Tor me
power but the maintenance OF lne
power plant, according to the conol-
lions under which IT has operated TO
Built BY WestinEhouse.
The company operating the plant IS
formed on the lines Of laws regulaU-
fne the United States reclamation ser
vice The cost OF the installation Of
the generating plant and the power
lines was $85O,000- Ten tnousano acres ltss
of land We're signed up under the
nrOiect- This meant an original cost
of S35 an acre. The owners or the
land uortgaEed their property TO the
company TO guarantee the ay--le-A ~ u
their stock and then the company was
bonded for the s350,0O0- The Vest
fnghouse company accepted the bonds
at par with six percent interest RMS
eel e rnN1 he
land owners have 20 years in which /
10 nav for it. or a total cost Of less
than 50 per year including interest I
When the plant is paid for, the land /
owners in the company viii be the 4
owners. Judge W T. Lindsey is the !
general manager Of the company and /
IS one Of the stockholders
No man was permitted 70 sign up /
more than 100 acres Of land under the I
project ana some signed much less, /
although owning that much or more,
With the idea Of being able to take ]
in more land as occasion Ray require, \
the company was incorporated for 4
sT85. 600 but stock TO the amount Of (
1888. 900 only was issued At any time 4
that land owners may wish to come I
into the company in units Of 5000 or I
10000 acres. the stock VIII be issued to /
these owners and the central plant en-
larged accordingly. The present plant 4
now signed UP. so IT viii be necessary
TO sign up another 5000 or another /
1000 acres before any more land can
he irrigated by the present system
The original intention. when the com
pany was incorporated for S7S5.0OO was
TO bring in eventually $4,000 acres Of
land for cultivation.
Power Plant Described
The power plant consists Of two I
mammoth gas engines, each Of $50 Z
horse power, operated with gas pro- I
dUced from coal in the cOmpany's
own plant Each Of these engines Is used
to opera e half the pumping system
and easily takes care OF the needs Of
the members. hence the addition Of
one additional engine would at any I
time take IN another 5000 acres. There
are now 20 wells fin operation. The
entire plant will quill" the pumps of
30 Of these at one time but Il is never
necessary to operate even half the
pumps at one time, hence each farmer
has his hours for pumping and one
engine IS used to generate the power
for one section and the other for an
other. at different times There is
thus a saving in fuel and the machin-
cry Is given rest and the engineers
have a chance to keep II In repair I,
The drive wheels Of each OF these
mammoth engines weigh nine tons.
The plant IS housed in a big brick
structure inside the city limits of [
T00~fn7eu