Deming graphic., 1912-04-26
MAYOR COItBETT AND ENGI INEER
CASE GIVE NALu uARlE
INFORMATION.

reived n request from l.. NJ. Allen
passenger traffic manager Of the Rock
Island lines. for accurate information
regarding irrigation possibilities in the
Mimhres Valley as Ford. Bacon \
Davis. prominent firm OF engineers
IN New York City. were dcsirous OF oh
tanning such information.
Being dcsirous ~ giving reliable aud
accurate information. Mayor Corbrlt
arranged with Il. H. Case, Il civil cngi-
ncrr whose ability and Judgment would
he taken at par Or above, by any person
wanting ground floor facts.
AFTER speaking Of the superior rail
road advantages Of Dcming, IN" letter
says:
THE Mimbres Valley Is Bolson
Plain. or Pocket Plain. geologic type
which Is found frequently In the
Southwest II has no drainage outlet
All the water that falls upon its water
she'd is retained in the suhtcrrancan
strata of the valley. The Mimhrcs riv-
cr proper has n watershed of about 1900
snunic miles. II Is a perennial stream
Ia where II leaves It's narrow mnrnl"n
valley. and enters The open lry'!
stretch Of country known rs the lowe
Mimh'rs Valley. the area of which Is
some @io.OOO acres.
on leaving it's mountain vale" SON"
'w'ntv.siy miles northwest of Nrmin",
the w.tcr SINKS. finding II Wv 'ni'
III" underground water system 0f ~"
.llyial and colIavial d"pnsil which
fills The valley proper.
During the rainy season, from Jun"
n Nu"mM the dry chgnnrl calrics III"
r'rud waters escaping the sink and
also the flood waters draining into It
below the sink" distance of about
'hirtv. five miles southeast from It's
point or exit. distributing these fI"nd
waters also into the und""rorn,
.urt1.
~ lake exists at the end of this
dr. water he'd and what water is NOT
lest hr evaporation and absorption
along It's banks finds lis way also into
The underground system,
The river AT It's sink" has been
gauged through a period of years ana
some $50 900 acre feet Of water pour
into the sink" nj this point annually,
IN addition TO this II Is estimated ihal
20 OOO acre feet are addcd from th"t
,ai cf the catchmcnt area krown rs
the Rurro Mountains watershed
The valley fill consists Of, first. S"l'
from five 10 fifty feet decp. then alter
roto LAYERS nr clay and gravel. tn"
lrrs or lOO wells from 10 Ia ?oo tr'l
~ dcpih showing gravel sirnias vary
i'r IN thickness from riv" Ia fifty t'''
ri from Two to ten straias occurring
within that depth.
The water plane, or depth from the
Nnracc. varies from ~ 10 l3O I'"''
here being nm area Of probably ~
l0o acres on which the pumping lill Tor
wells " from 800 to | 900 gallons ca
pacily per minute will range from j"
~ 81 feet.
The agricultural history Of this vat
reclaimed by the close Of 1912
OF this l25.OOO acres probably not
more than 1000 acres are under c'il'l-
yaiion now. That area will probah'F
he doubled next year. and II Is not ni''
likely that 10000 acres will have been
ley began In 1905 when the first lrrl-
eating well and pumping plant was III
stalled Prior to that year 1t WIZ
strictly cattle country. and its lhons
ands of acres OF grass and mesqu'''
land afforded range for numerous
cattle, Deming at one time being one
of the principal shipping points '"'
cattle In the Southwest.
The advent Of the farmer was hard''
appreciated. Considerable donb' 'N-
listed as to the success of agriculture
but land was being rapidly taken up
In 1909 n Californian who for severa'
years had been manager OF the Cudahy
ranch In South Los Angeles, visited
this valley. saw the one pumping plant