Evening star., 1915-06-21
Inland SEA TO |RR|CATE
DESERT Of NEW MEXICO
Elephant Butte Dam Will Max,
Lake Forty-Five Miles Long.
Covering 10000 Acres.

The United States gov ernment through
the reclamation service. is JusI compl-'
ing The largest lake n the world. auc
he water, now turned IN, is rapdlN RS.
ing while The top OF tie nasonfN i.
being gotten into place.
his pool is large enough TO fuat ,h.
seacfaff of the world and swallow Il
some tiny duchN of Europe IN the bar
gam, IN fact the little Italian repu1iit
OF san Matno would he lost in It's cara
| 'ious bosom. as This Rio Grande r,,eI
reservoir viii i" reritable inland sea.
ms lake is formed by the t.Lephaui
Butte dam on the Rio Gr.inie river
WHICH flows through New Mexico from
hofth I" south Ahout the center or ~.
state and just 80 miles north ~ W
pouhdarN line of Mexico tiis huge d..tU
is located on a bend IN the rive; u,ar
mn whose outlines give the mann,
The lake. Wen iilled, viii bc 10. S.
I .ne w ih'ies long ana The watey viii :.
fo,oo" acres OF land Ih,, MidIn %; ia.
| masonry Al the Top OF the .iii m is cIebl, r
'feef While II Is iust .uu feet long q,
IS -" ieet wide al its base and .,un 10,
hiSl There are a"o.pvh cubic Gtr,i- n
masonry used in its ,.anSirtl..l. ... ~
the amount OF water 1t holds il In. ~
quantity Of S62.ooo.u0" gallons .nutf ,t
10 cover l.l2s square miles OF land v,fh
water a foot deep.
Will Irrigate $50, 900 Acres.
IL VIII furnish water FOR irricaltnc
10000 acres Of ground bringing in,,1
cultivation as much land as there Is
already in some Of our smallest states
The cost of this great work to Civ.
desert moistuE.a is $4,000. .000
The country in which this colossal POND
is located is arid the lack of rain making
of IT a desert. But The finishing ri The
lake will turn this immense waste OF
burning sand, now practically useless
into fertile farminc land. With the
fine climate Of eternal sunshine and The
naturally rich ground the valley of the
Rio Grande will be transformed within
| a few years into blooming garden. from
which several crops can be gathered each
year from the same plot. Every kind
of fruit and flower will flourish in thi.
soil. that what was an ARID
plain. whose sandy hillocks grew nothing
but sagebrush. Will be a truck garden
which can supply the tables of fourth
OF the Union. Great canning industries
will spring up to utilize the vegetables,
and New Mexico. which regarded her
| deserts as curse. will know them as
la blessing when watered by the great
irrigation pond of Elephant Butte.
Home of the Zunis.
The valley of the Rio Grande, which
is being reclaimed by this project. was
explored 400 years ago by the Spanish
adventurer. Coronado. This soldier OF
fortune with a small force of Spanish
troopers came north from Mexico into
this strange country, which was then
known New Spain. He was in search
of the tabled Seven Cities and OF gold.
But he found only the peaceful agricul-
tural Zuni Indians. whom he brought
under the rule of his king. No glit-
tering sands rewarded his toll
The simple Zunis lived in queer
houses, one story above another. with
no door on the ground-access was had
by climbing a ladder to the roof, then
descending inside through hole in the
top of each room. Ruins OF these an
cient people are common all over the
valley, the most curious being the
homes cut high in cliffs in which tho
prehistoric natives dwelt to secure
themselves against the incursions OF
the enemy. Descendants of these same
people are today living in manner als
most as primitive as their ancestors
but all OF this old life will give way beA
fore the rush which will come in a few
months with the finishing OF the dam