The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1915-03-02

~ - vi wv
! last lap Of ila ~stupcadoua work foi
the restoration ~ tho ancient cult.
walton of the upper valley OF the Ric
Grnnde. The actual etorinK Of this
waters 81 the river behind the So
aoo. geo concrete dam which IL bcins
completed az Elephant Butte. New
Mcxico, has begun. This water Will
be available for next seasons crops.
But this h rot all The order has
tcen issued. and work - now In full
swing on the construction Of the
\ great canals aud bitches through
which the stored waters are to be de-
nvercd 70 the waiting lands below the
dam. ON this phase Of the work
alone. more than $500. Gee will be spent
between now and the irst Of June,
1915. and 100000 oo before Il Is com
pietcd.
Already. through munity
bitches built By organizations OF the
settlers IN the four divisions Of the
upper valley OF the Rio Grandc known
n the las Paiomas. the Rincon, the
Mesllla and the y Pnso valleys. some
| what more than half OF the lands Ill
timntely 20 be benefited oy this stu
paadoua project are under irrisatlon.
For unknown centuries a greater OF
less portion Of these valleys has been
70 irrigated. II was 50 when the first
S~paniards came. under Coronado,
wandering through here In 1870. II
had been 50. according 90 the tradi-
lions of the Pueblo Indians who then
inhabited this section. from time inn
memorial.
Disadvantages Eliminated.
These organizations OF the settlers.
like the ancient Pucblos. labored un-
der two tremendous Disadvantages
which the completion OF the Eie-
phant Butte project viii eliminate FOR
all time to come; their work was
brought to nanght every few years
by the pertinacity of the Rio Grande.
which dried incontlnently Ia its bed
ana left the futile Irrigation ehnals
to crack impotently In the sun: and
now and then. again, the waters OF
the river rose In roaring floods that
swept out their fraii dams ana nlled
the mouths OF their bitches with silt
and wrought wreck and ruin upon an
their lands.
no oreanizatIon Of local settlers has
HINNNM nANNMA fNANAEM w NNHtAHNA hN
Rio Grande. That remained for
Uncle Sam to do; and although he
had to construct M most gisantic
reclamation dam In the United
states. ne has done it-and done u
most cnectually.
The Elephant Butte dam will store
more than twice as much water as
can he stored behind the great itoose-
welt dam. II will store nfty per cent
more than can be stored back Of the
Assouan dam which The British gov
eminent built NJ such enormous cost
IN Egypt. II will create the LARGEST
artificial lake or It's kind In the world
IA lake with geo miles Of shore line
and an average depth of siN'y-tvc
feet. This lake will hold S62. 900 600
600 gallons Of wnter-Nntcr enough
To cover the whole state az Della
ware more than two feet deep
water enough To amply irrignte the
$50. 600 acres which u Is intended to
benefit FOR nearly three years u not
"A single drop should be added 90 u
In the meantime and not "a drop Of
rain should fan over the whole tract.
There is no possibility OF the crops
on these lands ever suffering for lack
Of moisture unless h farmer be-
comes too lndolcnt or o negligent 90
open his w~ater-gates and let u How
upon them. Il viii always be there
ready.
The land in these valleys mas an
average elevation approXimnting 1000
feet above the level Of the sea. The
air Is clear and pure and in~yigorating.
The elevation. coupled with the great
dryness Of the atmosphere che aver
age annual rainfall is only about y
inches) renders the climate peculiar
Iy healthfui. The sunshine In almost
perpetuai-the weather bureau rec
ording 500 sunshiny days nut Of 3Gb-
vet the temperature is never excessive
perhap largely because ~ the great
elevation.
The soil OF these valleys is deClar-
ed oy experts TO be the richest alluv-
lum In America. The combination
which now exists-rich alluyial sOii.
almost perpetual sunshine and mex
| haustiblc and always available supply
| Of pure water-renders this section
/ one ~ the most alurlng on earth 90
the intensive agricultural Practic-