El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-08-26

deHc1ouS taste, and is uneXce1leo Tor
irrigation purposes.
These sand and gravel strata carry
ing water are encountered at Dening
ar depth Of from As to $50 feet,
that is, the first stratum is encoun-
tered at 45 feet, the second at about
so and the third at about $50 feet
Many strata occur beneath this depth,
but these upper starta are amply suf-
ficient to supply the ordinary irriga-
ton well. There cannot be said to be
three uniform strata over the entire
valley, for in some places as many
as 10 strata are encountered in the
first 150 feet, although when any con-
siderable number of strata are found,
they are not of as great thickness as
where there is less number, and 1t
is found that the aggregate Of the
strata in the first $50 feet is fairly
uniform over the valley. However, the
pumping depth varies In different To-
calities from 90 to 100 feet, and the
dip Of the strata is so uniform that
it is possible to predict Just what the
pumping depth will be on any given
piece Of land within the well defined
limits of the valley.
Origin of Irrigation Pumping.
Pumping water for irrigation is no
new thing. AS early as 1856 there
! were several thousand pumps in low
er Egypt operated by oxen and irri-
eating very low priced crops. In the
United States, however, it seems that
the pumping plant was a development
from the artesian well. In many Sec
tions when an artesian flow which
had been developed at tremendous cost
was exhausted, farmers were COM
PEELED either TO abandon their. farms
or devise some means of lifting the
water artificially from the wells which
had ceased TO flow. In many cases
hte pump was resorted TO and operat-
ed successfully. Hence, the artesian
well may be said to be the father of
the pumping plant
Pumping water from flowing
streams has been common in various
parts of the United States for many
years. and it was not long before ir-
rigators saw that water could be
pumped from wells just as cheap
per foot of lift as from streams and
dead artesian wells. So pumping for
irrigation has spread to underflow
valleys all over the arid or semi -arid
west. The San Joaquin and Pomona
valleys of California are conspicuous
examples of pumping districts in
very advanced stage of development.
the most conspicuous example to be
found in New Mexico OF a. little en-
pire in the making through the in
strumentality of the pump.
How 1t Is Done.
But how, asks the novice. do you
install a plant that will irrigate 160
acres of land? And this very pertin-
ent question cannot be answered bet
ter than by describing a typical in
stalation in the AIimbres valley. First
then. the well is bored. Most of the
well rigs in this valley are known
as 'smerry-go-round outfits" They
consist of a frame work on wheels so
constructed that a horse can be used
by driving him around and around
the machine to operate the auger,
which is merely an ordinary post hole
auger on a large scale with a case
above into which the auger drives the
dirt When this case is full the auger
is drawn out, opened and emptied
Each outfit has augers of various
Sizes usually, 26-inch hole is
bored through the first water bearing
stratum. which occurs at depths
varying from 90 to Is or 100 feet The
hole is then reduced and reduced
again as the necessity arises. An ac-
curate log OF the well is kept and
screen casing is inserted in the water
bearing strata so as to allow the wa
ter free access Thus all the water
bearing strata encountered feed the !
we'll
A vertical centrifugal pump is then
Installed at the bottom of the 26-inch |
hole which has been cased usually |
with a steel pit A suction pipe. OF |
course, extends below the pump some |
20 or 30 feet A gasoline or crude
oil engine of size depending on the |
lift and the amount Of water to be |
delivered is then connected to the |
pulley of the pump by q belt, and the |
installation is complete. There are in /
the vicinity Of Deming many electri- |
cally driven pumps which are equip |
ped with direct connected motors de- /
irving their power from central