Rocky Ford enterprise., 1911-02-10

For more than twenty years ROCKY
Ford has been attempting to supply
its inhabitants with water from the
High Line Canal and artesian wells.
and for more than twenty years this
attempt has been failure, and this
same process of obtaining water can
30 on for twenty years more and it
will be Il failure. The deep well
pumps are a failure, one and all OF
them, when it comes to pumping the
depth we are compelled to pump and
in such quantities as we are com
PEELED to have. The expense OF op-
Grating deep well pumps and the up
keep on these pumps is enormous
and will finally bankrupt any city the
size OF Rocky Ford that attempts to
Keep them going year after year. Al
most every deep well pump OF any
Importance has been tried i'll our ar
tcsian wells and all found wanting.
out the expense goes on for the
jumping and the repair bills climb
nigher and higher almost monthly
and our water supply is gradually
failing. 1t is an accepted fact that
the artesian flow of water under Us
is gradually diminishing; the pressure
that was once there to force it out
of the pipes is almost gone and the
wells that few years ago would
stand to be pumped day and night
without faltcring. are now.giving out
and will only supply'a limited amount
for few hours, and then we are
compelled to rest them in order that
the water can accumulate in the sands
again.
Our new well which is as large as
any well that has ever been bored for
the city. is practically a failure. when
in reality il should have been the
best well ever put down in the city.
This new well Is supplying Us about
90 gallons per minute. when II the
water was in the Dakota sands As il
was at one time in years gone by. be-
fore all the holes had been put down
and all this water taken from these
Dakota sands. it would be furnish
ing us not less than zoo gallons per
minute.
We have three old wells that have
been pumped Tor several years and
they are gradually failing. All this
goes to- show. and in my mind is pos
!tive proof. that the water in the
sands under us is gradually giving
out We can go south of the city a
mile or so and get well that will
dow for a short time and pump may
be for a year or so, then the same
thino comes to it that has come to
the half-dozen others that the city
has spent its good money on. and to-
day are practically worthless.
So far as the quality OF water is
concerned. there is not city in the
state OF Colorado or west OF the Miss
issippi river. that has any better.
urcr, cleaner or healthier water thar
the city OF Rocky Ford. Citizens, you
can drink OF the water i'll the mains
to your hearts content and II will not
harm you in the least.
We have water famine staring IL
in the face for the coming summer,
unless we act. and act quickly. We
ave no time to parley. argue or 10
waste on wild cat propositions, or
imaginary water propositions. we are
up against the real thing. and it be.
'hoovcs us to act at once and to act
in harmony. What are Canon City.
Pueblo. La Junta. Las Animas, La
mar. Garden City. Dodge City.
Hutchinson. kas.. and many other
cities doing for water? They are do
ing the same as Rocky Ford has got
to do. they are doing the same a
we are going to be compelled to do.
What is il? They have gone to the
Arkansas River for their water sup
ply. and they have water in abund-
ancc: water to give away. The city
mains in these towns or cities are
kept cracking with water every hour
in the day and every day III the year.
Visit ono of these cities and ask one
of the citizens how about your water
supply. and the reply comes back TO
you. we have never failing supply
of water from the Arkansas River.
II the Arkansas River was so to rs
miles from us, the inhabitants OF
Rocky Ford would be wild to get
the undcrflow here to us. the same as
Los Angeles. California. has done;
only that city went 900 miles to bring
supply of river water to them and
the water in that river is not any bet
ter or purer than the water in the
Arkansas. that flows within one mile
of our city limits.
Go to Kansas City, St. Joseph,
Omaha, St. Louis, ST. Paul, Mime
apoIis. Detroit. Cleveland, Evans
vile, Terrehaute. Indianapolis. and
thousands of other cities in the Uni
ted States and you will find them all
getting their water supplies from the
rivers that run the nearest to them
St Louis takes her water from the
Mississippi river, only few miles be-
low where the Chicago river emptics
the sewage from the city of Chica-
go into il; Kansas City gets her wat
cr from the Missouri only few miles
below St. Joseph. where she empties
all her sewage into it. and all OF those
immense slaughter houses empty all
their refuse into il. Still ST. Louis