El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-05-26
SIR WILLIAM
WILLCOGKS To.
INSPECT DAM
World Authority on Irriga
ton and Drainage Arrives
For Two Days Visit.
GUEST OF HONOR
AT BANQUET TONIGHT

| q ANS monoc1e. riding trousers, cork
| - helmet and tweeds, sir William
Wiilcocks came to EI Paso Mon
I day night to spend two days in FL Paso
and the Rio Grande valley.
IS a conventional English nobleman.
Sir William IS rank failure. A faded
| blue sumner sui cf material Juee
called seersueker. panama hat in JUS
s"S9a0 season, SOft shirt with q
/ cACsiessly tied tie, C. pair of heavy
shoes and an UmOreila-an umbrella,
nj ~ yHu IN an Irrigation country
completed the Picture But beneath the
bread brim Of that panama are
shrewd pair Of eyes, a face tanned by
the desert sun Of Egypt and hair that
has grown gray in the service OF his
maJesty's government.
World Authority on Irrigation.
Sir William WiIlcocks Is recognized
&c a world authority on irrigation and
drainage. As the builder of the AS
suan dam 01 the Nile, Sir William
erected for himself a monument for
all time and Uue which has saved a
race from starvation and made the
peoples of the Nile valleys self sup
porting and prosperous.
You're one Of those newspaper
chaps, are you2' asked Sir William,
with considerable timioity.
You cannot expect me to talg about
something befoEe I have seen it. can
you2 Mercy, no. certainly not. Ny mind
Is a Zero-absOlute zero. 7 know moth
ing of your projects. Not a word for
the papers until have seen your lands
and your irrigation systems. Then,
maybe, nothing. do not talk for
publication. Oh. my no. not a word"
Gzest Of Secretary Lane.
The distinguished English engineer
Is the guest OF secretary Of interior,
Franklin X Lane, on a tour OF the
irrigation projects in the United States
After attending the drainage congress
IL Memphis. Tenn. ST william was
the guest Of secretary Lane in Wash
ingtOn and is now making a trip
through the west with William A.
Ryan. member Of the reclamation com
mission Tuesday morning he made
trip through the FL PasO valley with
Mr.. Ryan, project engineer L NJ Law
son and other reclamation officials.
Sir William is especially interested in
the drainage problem OF the United
States and will make recommendation
to the secretary Of the interior as TO
the best methods Of drainage lands
under irrigation by the government
projects.
Drainage Big Problem.
The proper drainage Of the Rio
Grande valley is one OF the big prob
lens Of the reclamation engineers in
charge Of the Elephant Butte project
and Sir Williams recomm endatiOns are
expected to be Of the greatest assist
a-ce in solving these drainage prob
lens in the local valleys. He viii also
visit the San Luis valley of Colorado.
where 100000 acres have been aban-
dOned because of excess irrigation
which caused the aIkali TO come 20 the
surface and made the land useless.
This land is one Of the big problems
OF irrigation engineers and Sir VIII
lams recommendation regarding this
valley are expected TO be of the great
est value in retaining this land.
To Visit Elephant Butte.
Wednesday the party of which Sir
William Wflcocks. IS the. guest OF
honor, will go 10 the Elephant Butte
dam in automobiles and will spend
a day or more at the big project which
viii rival the Assuan dam when IL is
completed En- route to the dam the
party viii make stops along the road
In the Mesilla valley and the upper
valleys in order to permit Sir VIII
liam TO inspect the soil, irrigation and
drainage system and to study the lands
70 be irrigated under the Elephant
Butte dam.
From Elephant Butte. Mr.. Ryan and
the English nobleman viii go to PhOe-
nix, Ariz., visit the Roosevelt dam.
the Laguna dam near Yuma. and from
there TO Los Angeles. On the return
trip they will visit the Grand Canyon
Of the Colorado and the San Luis val /
ley Of Colorado The trip is to be made |
in a month and Sir William will re-
turn 10 England after reaching Wash 1
ingtOn-
The English engineer will be accom-
panied TO the dam by r. ". Hanna,
supervising engineer IN charge OF the
district; D. ". Murphy, drainage en-
gineer; I. N Lawson. project engineer /
and members Of the Water Users as
ISOLATION board.
Dinner For Guest.
This evening a dinner will be given |
at the Paso del Norte IN his honor,
which the following guests will at 4
tend: Sir William Willcocks, W.. A. I
Ryan, Gen. John J. Pershine, Gen.
George Bell, jF.. L. c. Hill l. N. Law /
son, H c. Myles, L. s. Stewart. J. 4. /
Robert Krakauer, H. D. Slater /
mos MrNarr TVfwrhaaFa- T0rTa~-