Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-10-31

MAIN NJ Oct 1s-In this dry country water
n has always been the most precious COMMONLY,
IL In the early days, to the wandering hunter ana
nrosnector if meant the difference between life and
death To the farmer today it means the dlnerence
between living and bankruptcy. The most sucoesslu
farmer in these irrigation valleys mas always
been the man who could make little water go a long
way. Now they have more water stored oehlhu the
New Elephant Butte dam than has ever peeh storeu
under the control of man in reservoir before
There are $4,000, 100000 gallons of it. When the
fortv-fvemile lake with 2OO-me shorene is full,
it will hold enough water to cover the state OF Deia
ware two feet deep These billions Of gallons are as
much under control the water in kitchen 1aucet
Their flow be turned and of like the water that
fills the garden hose
Here where water is the great essential often lack
ing to successful farming, sometimes even 10 NE
itself this immense quantity of captured and con-
troled water ought to result in immense changes
In the first place. the completion of the dam marks
the end of interstate international quarrels CEN
turtles There diplomatic problems as wen as
nrobems of engineering be solved in the construc
ton 1t was necessary to special national legis
laton TO satisfy the conflicting claims of New Mexico
and Texas to precious flow of the Rio Grande and
a special treaty with Old Mexico had to be ratified
and provision made for proper share of the stored
waters to go to Old Mexican farmers across the
boundary.
r. is the plan under which reclamation projects are
u,It that the farmers who the stored by
dam eventually pay for the building of that DAM In
the case of this dam at Elephant Butte certain
amount of water will be used by farmers IN Old
Texas could expected to for the entire cost
under such circumstances, congress had to appro-
pirate 100000 to apply on the cost OF the
tion work sum sufficient to cover the pro rata share
Of the odd Mexican lands which will benefit, Over
% 600 acres Old Mexican lands will be irrigated
with water from this American reservoir In spite of
our troubles with Mexico there has never been any
suggestion country might fail to carry out
ber agreement in the matter although flow of the
bio Crande is absolutely controlled at Elephant
Butte.
7oxas lands presented another technical
diplomatic problem. New MeXicans and Texans had
long been auarreling water rights. In fact this
subject has always fruitful of trouble in
the southwest where you cause your neighbor to
Ice his entire seasons crop If you happen to live
higher up the than he does simply by dropping
the little wooden "gate" that blocks the main ditch
and Tins keep the from reaching his land
New Mexico and Texas had never been able to agree
on the exact share of the river waters each was
entitled to. government engineer succeeded IN
adudicatng the point to the satisfaction of everybody
and they say it almost as big a contract as
building the dam.
Another complication Of the text of the
reclamation act itself. The act designed to
reclaim arid public lands There have never been any
nubc lands Texas-no land, that is, which belonged
70 the federal government This is due to the peculiar
circumstances which Texas entered the union.
The other western carved out of national
property. Texas entered as full-hedged common
wealth and one Of this the fact that she
was technically not entitled to the benefit of reclama-
tion projects she owned right to share of the
Rio Grande waters. Hence it became necessary to
pass special laws to meet the situation
Resides the $4,000 acres in Old Mexico the new
dam will furnish water for 10000 in New
Mexico and $4,000 in Texas total of $4,000
acres on American soil Taking the average size Of
the individual holding irrigated land forty
there is room 1000 families to find land and
under the dam
Very little of this 155,0O0-acre is open to
public entry, however This Rio Grande valley is
probably oldest cultivated valley in America. The