Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1911-09-29
VALUABLE THINGS
FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW
Engineer r. H. Case Digs up
Vast Fund of Valuable
Information
INDIsPUTABLE FACTS
Real Prosperity Of the Min
bres Valley has Only
Just Commenced.

A short time ago Mayor Corbet
received a request from l.. M
Allen, passenger traffic manager o
the Rock Island lines, for accurat,
information regarding irrigation pos
sibilities in the Mimbres Valley, a
Ford, Bacon & Davis. a prominen
firm of engineers in New Yorl
City, were desirous of obtaining
such information.
Being desirous of giving reliabl,
and accurate information, Mayor
Corbett arranged with X. II. Case
n civil engineer whose ability anC
judgment would be taken at par ol
above, by any person wanting
ground floor facts.
After speaking of the superior
railroad advantages of Deming, the
letter says
The Mimbres Valley is a Bolsor
Plain, or Pocket Plain, a geologic
type which is found frequently in
the Southwest. IL has no drainage
outlet. All the water that falls
upon its water shed is retained in
the subterranean strata of the
valley. The Mimbres River proper
has a watershed of about 1900
square miles. 1t is a perennial
stream to where il leaves its narrow
mountain valley, and enters the
open level stretch of country known
as the Lower Mimbres Valley, the
area Of which is some 250,O0O
acres.
On leaving its mountain valley
some 26 miles northwest Of Deming,
the water sinks. finding its way
into the underground water system
of the alluvial and colluvial deposit
which fills the valley proper.
During the rainy season, from
June to August, the dry channel
carries the food waters escaping
the sink" and also the flood
waters draining into it below the
sink, distance of about 35 miles
southeast from its point of exit,
distributing these food waters also
into the underground strata.
No lake exists at the END" OF
this dry water bed and what water
is not lost by evaporation and alb.
sorption along its banks finds its
way also into the underground
system.
The river at its sink has been gagged
thru a period Of years and some
25O,OOO acre feet of water pour
into the sink" at this point annual.
ly. In addition to this it is estim-
ated that 250, 900 acre feet are added
from that part of the catchmeni
area known as the Burro Mountains
watershed.
The valley fill consists Of, first,
soil from to 80 feet deep, then
alternate layers of clay and gravel
The logs of 100 wells from $50 to
200 feet in depth showing gravel
stratas varying in thickness from :
to so feet and from 2 to 10 stratas
occurring within that depth.
The water plane, or depth from
the surface, varies from 10 to l5t
feet, there being an area of prob
ably l25,000 acres on which the
pumping lift for wells of from 5OC
to 1900 gallons capacity per minute
will range from 30 to S5 feet.
OF this l25,000 acres. probably
not more than 1900 acres are under
cultivation now. That area viii
probably be doubled next year, anC
it is not unlikely that $1,000 acres
will have been reclaimed by thu
close of 1912.
The agricultural history of this
valley began in 1908 when the first
irrigating well and pumping plan
was installed. Prior to that yeal
il was strictly a cattle country
and its thousands of acres Of gras
and mesquite land afforded rang'
for numerous cattle, Deming at ont
time being one of the principa
shipping points for cattle in tn
Southwest.
The advent of the farmer wa
hardly appreciated. CONSIDERABLE
doubt existed as to the success
of agriculture, but land was beinl
rapidly taken up. In 1909 a Cali
fornirn who for several years ha'
been manager of the Cudahy rancl
in South Los Angeles, visited thi
valley, saw the one pumping plant
then in operation. delivering l,O0
gallons per minute, and immediatel
realized the possibilities.
This gentleman, who had ha
some lS years experience in pump
inq water for irrigation in Califol
mia, installed a plant Of. 1850 ga
Ions and the commercial possibilit
Of agriculture was definitely deter
mined.
Following his example, Other
tried the so-called experiment an
made good, the result being that Z