El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-05-07
& PASO VALLEY
WILL HAVE BIC
HEAD OF WATER
Reclamation Director Opt
mistic; Extensive Con
struction This Year.

Publications are good Tor plenty OF
water for irrigation all through the
west this spring. Heavy rains in Cole
RADIO and New Mexico ana much snow
in the mountains along the upper
reaches OF the Rio Graude all give
promise Of an ample water supply this
year for this part OF the country This
is the optimistic news brought TO farm
ers in the southwest by Francis H
Newell, a director of the reclamation
service and member Of the board OF
commissioners. who arrived IN II FaSO
Wednesday night. after IS hours travel
through the flooded districts OF Colora-
do and New Mexico.
Confers With Lawson.
His visit to Fl Paso is TO discuss
plans for starting construction on main
line canals in the upper valley He was
in conference Thursday morning with
]. ~ Lawson, project engineer at FL
Paso Of the reclamation service. SO far.
no definite decision as to the building
Of the first big canal in the district
northwest of FL Paso has been made.
Surveying crews have been laying out
tentative lines for months, but actual
construction work is being delayed by
failure of property owners TO furnish
the reclamation service with unclOuded
title TO the rightsofway along which
the irrigation laterals viii be dug.
To store Water by 1915.
We hope TO store water in the Ele-
phant Butte dam by the fall of 1915"
said Mr.. Newell Il have not visited
the works since December, but reports
coming in show that steady progress
is being made and the big project is
about three-fOurths completed There
are about 1000 men on the Job now.
To Visit PeeOs Valley.
4 expect to leave here tonight or
Friday for the Pecos river country.
where We have two small projects in
operation and are figuring on third.
The reservoirs at Carlsbad and HOndO,
y. VI. are fast becoming important fac
tors in the development Of the country.
A new dam is to be built on the Pecos
TO help the Panhandle farmers, who are
asking that their reservoir be con-
structed in New Mexico. We have not
Yet decided on a location for ii and the
New MeEicanS may not ike the idea Of
a reservOi' in their state to help Texas.
but, Of course, they would be benefited,
too.
His Plan For Canals.
MY idea concerning the construction
of canals in the FL Paso valley is TO
build them only fast enough TO keep a
little ahead OF the COuntry's develop
ment. BY this method, I believe we
would save money, as there would be
no bitches to maintain that were not
actually being used by a number of
farm owners In some sections miles
Of canals have been built and only a
few persons are using the water. As a
result, the government is maintaining
bitches that are really not necessary.
We are going TO spend about $500 600 in
canal and ditch construction work this
year in the Fl Paso valley.
Surprised ut FL PasO.
q am surprised to see that Il Paso
keeps its wonderful growth. in spite of
the trouble south of here In Colorado
they are having a little bit Of real war
Business is almost at a standstilI in Z
the state on account of the labor
The appearance Of govern |
uent troops on the scene was a great
relief TO the whole state.
There is a feeling in the northwest
that we ought to go into Mexico and
settle the trouble there. The farther /
you get away from the border. the more I
intense is the desire for Intervention (
Just a reversal Of the sentiment OF a
year ago"