El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-08-03
RecIaiming the Land By Pumping
By R. BEDICHEK.

the entire valley if it could be raised
economically enough to make the
growing OF crops profitable.
In the meantime, the American
genius for invention had encountered
conditions in other portions Of the west
where cheap water meant salvation
not only salvation, it meant millions Of
dollars profit TO farmers. Powerful
pumps were the result and gasoline
and crude oil engines. Then it be-
came possible to transmit high volt
age Of electricity to almost any dis
lance without appreciable loss. With
this invention, the central power plant
became feasible, that is, a plant where
electricity is generated and from which
by cans Of transmission lines the
power IS conveyed to motors which run
pumps, so that all the farmer has &C
do is to touch the button, as OF old the
prophet smOte the rock, and abundant
water gushes forth.
All Of these means Of raising water
are now in use in the Mimbres valley,
and loi this river, lost for ages, is
found again; and this vast stretch Of
river valley which it took nature
countless ages to make into q desert,
is being unmade into gardens and
Of this desert valley is a signal triumph
of mans genius for making nature
subservient to his will.
OF course, the use Of the pump is a
ton and enlarges the field incalcul-
ably At first blush, one would OBJ
Ject that the cost of installing ma
chinery for lifting water out of wells
must be prohibitive, except where very
high priced crops can be produced.
Stin. It can be shown that the initial
cost Of putting land under irrigation
in the Aimbres valley, to take a single
instance, is only one-third as great as
the average cost per acre Of putting
Ae-a 49,.
government irrigation projects now IN
course OF construction.
The water occurs in the vicinity uf
Demlng in four strata OF sand aud
gravel, the first stratum lying be-
tween 80 and 60 feet below the surface
Of the ground, while the last is en-
countered at a depth OF from 100 to
200 feet. AS each successive stratum
is punctured by the well drill, the
water rises above the. level where the
first stratum is encountered, until at
the last the water in the well stands
about ten feet above the water level
Of the first stratum. For instance, if
the first stratum occurs at depth OF
80 feet and the wen is continued on
down to the last stratum, say to a
depth of $50 feet, the water VIII rise
IN the well to a point about 20 feet
below the surface OF the ground. Such
a well upon being pumped at the rate
Of 1000 gallons per minute can be low
water STANDS as long as it is pumped
at that rate. The Shuu well, three
miles east Of Deming, was pumped at
the rate Of 1,250 gallons per minute for
~ hours consecutiyely, without the
water falling below the 40 foot mark.
1t is often objected that the cost OF
fuel for pumping water must be great
er than the cost of water under the
gravity system, but when this expense
IS set over against the cost of mainte-
q 2 If
bitches and interest on the greater in
itial cost, the advantage IS lust as
often with the pump. and there are
many positive advantages which the
pump has over the gravity system. For
instance, you pump from your well no
seeds Of noxious plants TO annoy you
throughout the growing season. Under
a ditch, II IS next to impossible to
keep your land free from the pest of
weeds. It is claimed that the silt
which the ditch water carries, fertil-
ICES the land, but it is just as likely
to carry injurious salts which will in
time sterilize the land. Well water
is usually pure, ana it is especially SO
in the region of which we are writing.
The water pumped from wells in the
Mlmbres valley at the rate of 5000 gal
Ions per minute analyses 99.99 percent
pure the pureSt water in the United
states, with the exception Of the water
from few springs IN two small coun-
ties in the state of New York. Again
ditch water is usually a community az
fair, whereas the pump is an individual
enterprise and this appeals strongly 10
the average American, for America is a
nation of individualists
There have been 100 new pumping
plants put in in the vicinity of Deming
within the last Is months. But vast
stretches Of rich, trrigable lands are
still in a raw, arid state. Men with
capital and energy and brains are
NEEDED, and they are coming every day.