Las Vegas age. [volume] (Las Vegas, Nev.) 1905-1947, 1920-07-17
VITAL CHANGES NOW
CONFRONT LAS VEGAS
Some Things That the Future
Promises and Duties We
Owe to Ourselves
LAS VEGAS-A COMING POWER
BY Rita Breeze

BY Rita Breeze
Considering the various phases
of the wave of genral prOsperi-
ty which is surging toward US, our
little city is undoubtedly on the verge
of leap forward in importance.
Next to the Panama Canal, the Co
dorado River project is probably the
most stupendous undertaking of the
kind the United States government
has yet assumed and Las Vegas is
the logical point of distribution for
the supplies, ETC., which will be need
ed for this section of the project.
This means that great warehouses
will be built here in which to store
provisions. machinery and general
equipment. When the dam is finish
ed, cheap electricity and other COM
mercial stimuli will readily open up
and develop the country, and this all
presages a rapid influx of population.
Another factor In the phase we
are entering Is the growth of long
staple cotton in this region. The
success of this venture Is now prac-
tically established, for, beside the two
large tracts which Charles Sprague
has planted, many of the farmers In
Las Vegas Valley have thrifty patch
es of this much covetd commodity
Among the latter Mr.. e. G. McGrif
shows one of the most successful of
these smaller experiments. His cot
ton is now in bloom and stands about
two feet high. By this fall, when
the crops are harvested and a COM
plete demonstration of the fact that
long staple cotton can be grown for
commercial purposes here, is COM
passed, land in Las Vegas Valley will
jump from it's present valuation Of
from ten to twenty-five dollars an
acre or two and three hundred dol
lars an acre, iasc as ~ has done In
Imperial Valley, and people will flock
to this desert as they do In a gold
rush.
Good roads In any country also
draw greater population and our
roads are being speedily put into
proper condition. Last Sunday, July
the twelfth, fifty touring cars passed
through the town. This increased
traffic points to the necessity for
more spacious accommodations for
these travellers, and when the new
one hundred room hotel which Is be-
ing considered, was proposed, the
suggestion came, as it were, in an
swer to the demand.
We are building into real city
and do not realize it. But one of the
chief requirements for any aggrega-
ton of human beings is an adequate
water supply.
During the recent fire which swept
away Mr.. Elwell's apartments, 1t was
stated that one reason for the low
pressure which prevented the extin-
gushing of the blaze was that five
hundred water faucets were running.
Well, If they were running they were
probably needed and some provision
should be made for this necessity.
Apparently there was only about ten
pounds of pressure from a one inch
nozzle to fight the Elwen fire with
when there should have been from
sixty to eighty pounds. The water
supply is simply inadequate.
Wooden pipes, through which our
water flows. deteriorate very rapidly
and those of our present system have
been in use about fifteen years, which
accounts for the fact that they are
beginning to break and food the
streets. Now should a collapse oc-
cur in a lateral main during fire, 1t
might cause huge collapse through
out the entire water system.
AS a remedy for this distribution
condition l would suggest that the
Railroad Company go as far out as
Eglington's if necessary, and pur-
chase a we'll, then put in reservoir.
lay high pressure line and system
of pressure mains from which fire
may be adequately fought and water
provided for irrigation. These pipes
should be of iron, laid at least four
feet below the surface throughout the
town and three and half feet below
the surface from the reservoir to the
town, in order to provide refrigera-
tion. By laying the pipes these
depths from the surface of the earth
the corroding action of the alka.--
substance in the soil would be avoid
ed. beside, such a provision would in
sure a longer life to the system and
consequently greater security.
Continued on page six)