The chronicle=news., 1913-09-13
lE4 MEx|co-TexAS
maieAl!I!'!llok !! |! P!1Ql!eeI
GREATEST tskGs 5,

miles distant. the highlands Of NeW
and Old Mexico come togr,her 70 ~
10 form u brief steep canon through
which flow the uncertain waters Of
the Rio Grande. Al certain lines L.,
III. year. usually In Jups. ihsss vat.
ers are u turbuleni. sngry.. yellow
flood. cutting new channels through
the iox ch~esc-iike shores that marx
most Of the course and making the
boundary between the unitsd states
and Mexico QUE Of shifting sand. But
for the res, Of the year the Grand
River Of the North Is q shallow
thread over the pale golden saads.
and sometimes for Two and three
years AZ = time. the floods. far more
reliable than thoss OF the Nile. do
not come.
The valleys are made OF aiiuvisi
silt. the sun IL fructifyins In It's fsv'
vid heat. and. with water. the lands
that are u desert can be transfornsd
into = garden.
Given soil aud climate. the United
States government has undertaken 10
spend es.00o.00" for water. the sum
to be regarded as u loan. In order %
max. The desert blossom as the rose.
Al this canon. where the Caballos
and the Fra christobai ranges on thu
American side meet. there ix = 500
foot hiEh peak that Clips Its feet Of
hasait in;o the shallow water. and
here the Uaited States government 10
constructing the greatest engineer
Ing irrigation project on the coniin-
ent In building the Elephant Butte
dam.
This dam will threw the aceumu-
lated waters back for = distance Of
~ miles. and will submerxe $4,000
acres. putting messa. hills nnd plains
under the surface OF the great artIfi-
cisl lake aud letting respectable III.
tic mountain peaks only peer above
the waters edge ~ tiny islands. Five
Mexican villages north Of EAGLE and
south Of San MarciAi will be CON.
plciciy obiiterated and overflowsd %
decisivciy ~ were Sodom and 0o-
morrsh. the cities Of the plain.
This great basin. created BY the
Elephant Butte basin. will hold ~
much water as Il would take to fiji
the channel Of the Hudson river
from Albany to New York city. Be.
hind the dam there will be backed
UP 100000 acre feet. or 100000.
100000 cubic fest. or sso. 700. .ooo.-
900 gallons.
II will take the Rio Graude three
years At its full average flow to will
the basin II no water were taksn
from II. and with water used In the
anticipated quantities for irrigation
1t 10 expected that Is years will
elapse before any water will flow
over the top OF the spillway. Twice
as much water will be stored a ID
stored by the Assuan dam on the
Nile. the next largest dam in the
world.
According to the initial plans 9OO.-
900 acres along the coarse OF the Rio
0rande south and southeast Of Ele-
phant Butte and northwest and
southeast Of FL Paso. will be irrizat.
ed with the water.
Immediately south of Elephant
Butte lies Las Paiomas valley. or the
Valley Of the Doves. OF 5000 acres:
south Of that the Anicon valley oi
$4,000 acres. which Is separated from
the Mesilla valley Of $4,000 acres b.
the Leasburg diversion dam. the firs,
great subsidiary work for distribut.
Ing the waters. This diversion dan
10 already complete and lies about SO
miles or more north Of Ell Paso. The
Mesilia valley stretches right down
to the city limits Of Ell Paso on the
west and on the southeast to the city
begins the FL Paso valley, running
so miles to Fort Quitman and con.
Itaining to,OOO acres.
Under treaty arrangement. Old
Mexico will get the privilege Of us
ing the waters from this great reser-
yoir In return for certain boundary
concessions. The American farmers
combined in water users associa-
tion. will pay the United States gov
ernment - an acre for 10 years and
Twill. chen own the lake and wate.
privileges.
The dam and irrigation plant ia
constructed out of the $40. 900. 900
revolving f,ind Of the federal govern
ment. and 10 the biggest unit Of the
great chain Of irrigation projects fos-
tered III the west. by the. United
States government.