The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1916-09-22
ELEPHANT BUTTE DAM COMPLETE
WILL DEDICATE GREATEST lRRt.
oAxIoN DAM,
President Wilson TO otieiate al
oedieatory Ceremonies at
Elephant Butte.

As a preliminary event to the EleV-
enth international Soil Products E1-
position and the annual session u the
international Dry. Farming aud lrT,-
CATION Congresses at El Paso, Texas,
In October, the greatest dam In the
world, %impounding the largest artiii.
cial body Of water in the world, will
be dedicated at Elephant Butte, New
Mexico, by President Woodrow vii
son.
The date Tor the dedication OF this
dam Is set for October a. This event
will be Immediately follow ed 10y th"
opening Of the Soil. Products kNposi-
ton at III Paso. where It is expected
that the president will also speak.
The products now growing through.
out the Rio Grande Valley below the
dam will be thoroughly represented
at the Exposition. where they may be
compared with similar products grown
in many parts Of the world.
Delegates to the Congresses and Wis
itors to the Exposition will have ample
opportunity Of visiting and Inspecting
this great struciuTs, as well a. lHe
va { and fertile valley which Inc
water it lmpounds is designed 10 irrl'
gate.
The dlm"n ions Of this dam, the
quantity ul water it Will inbound
and the area which will mn,lly be
irrigated from It,, are set toth IN
st]upondyus figures NeycrttcIe-s a
full understanding and appreciation o.
this immense proposition, which ap
pears TO have been so capably de
signed and executed, is not possible
without a personal inspection
The dam is 1900 feet long at the
top: the height from tie deepest ex
cavation is 3O4 8 feet; The width OF
thickness of the roadway at the top II
16 feet; the structure contains Gle'
900 cubic yards Of masonry.
The reservoir. when fun, will con
tain 2.642. 292 acre-feet of water. Th.i
is 49, gS 900. 600 cubic feet, or sb2'
200. OOO. 900 gallons. 1t would cove
to a depth OF one foot an area Of AIS
square miles. The depth OF waite
near the dam will be 1872 feet. aver
age depth over Inc entire reservoir, b
feet. the average width Of the reset
yuir will BE- ~ miles It's maximum
length Al miles; shore line 200 mile'
and area Of water surface 1900 acrea
The total cost OF this dam and aC
con panyiug work viii he in the neigl
borhuud Of ten million dollars. Al
nual PAYMENTS to the government vi
finally reimburse it for this eNpeu.
Modern dam designing and cot
]structiuu has reached such a stage
! scientific perfection that one a
. TWO at the most, will be able to abb
lutely control the entire operation
: this one. including sac exact ToeU'
! ton Of the amount Of water release
] and the application whore needed
II the hydro.clectric power d%e,tlgp'
e which may reach $4,000 ~horse-pow'
, or more Thus enc mans hand. on
yalyrMierl or switch, can Wtihhu
from or supply to W hundred mil
= OF a great and fertile valley. the III
=: giving water to transform II from
; desert into a panoraIna Of gree
fields. orchards. gardens and prosp,
Gus homes: food a dozen towns vi
electric light, OF cast them AT Do
darkness; apply the energy TO oEe1a
a thousand industrial plants, or ST.
every wheel: make the river iii
self by lbs bootstraps, by usinE I
energy developed b. the rush of vat
to the lower valley To raise 9th
water from the reservoir over I
mountains, and out onto the We
mesa.