El Paso International Daily Times (El Paso, Tex.), Vol. Fifteenth Year, No. 220, Ed. 1 Sunday, September 15, 1895 Page: 5 of 8
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finally eventuate in the total destruc-
tion of he agricultural interests of this
entire section.
In 1888 the river was absolutely
dry for over sixty days about August
and September, and in 1S89 it had no
flow whatever from the 5th of August
to the 20th of December, a period of
137 days. While this dearth of water
may not be wholly imputed to the ir-
rigating agencies and consumption of
water by the people of Colorado and
Xew Mexico—for it must be admitted
that these seasons were dry, with lit-
tle snow in the mountains—still there
can be no doubt that they have ma-
terially contributed to that end, and
will continue to do so in the future
in an increasing ratio as the number
of ditches multiply. It is stated by
Major Powell, director of the geolo-
gical survey, as a reasonable prob-
ability, that within a comparatively
short period, with the growing de-
velopment of agricultural interests in
and carry It for more than 3 miles
over Texan soil to irrigate their land
and for domestic purposes. The sit-
uation is further well described in an
able report submitted in the last Con-
gress by the Hon. M. Hitt, of the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs, as follows:
“It (Rio Grande) has shifted its chan-
nels so often and so far, in some cases
gradually, in others abruptly and by
cut-offs, that no man knows accurately
where the boundary is today. Some-
times the stream will suddenly cut
a new channel, abandoning the old
ones altogether and in a single day. by
a cut-off, a tract or “banco” of a hun-
dred acres will be found to be on the
other side of the river. These causes
have produced uncertainty as to the
boundary, and this encourages smug-
gling, which is always carried on more
or less on the border. When a man
smuggles from a “banco” it is almost
impossible to catch and convict him.
No surveys are made nor official re-
cords kept of the time and place of
cut-off changes, and no one can tell
with accuracy the extent of a cut-off.
The bed of the old channel is the
boundary, though it may be long since
dry. There are sometimes two or three
old beds, and it is hard to tell where is
the middle of the old bed contemplated
by the treaty.
“At the last term of the United States
district court at Brownsville, the most
noted case of smuggling was lost by
the Government for want of that accu-
rate knowledge that would satisfy the
court. * * * These buncos with
then- uncertain boundaries afforded re-
treats for smugglers, thieves, kidnap-
ers, murderers and every class of crim-
inals, as well as bases of supplies from
which to carry on their operations,
free from interference by either Gov-
ernment.”
He concludes his report with a rec-
ommendation from the committee in
favor of the creation of a boundary
commission, “in view of the protection
of the revenue, the provei.,:on of
crime, the maintenance of good order
and the preservation of international
harmony.”
"Article 5 of the convention of 18.8)
between the two countries provides
lhat rights of property in respect of
lauds which may have become sojwi-
lated through the creation of new
channels, shall not be affected there-
by, but such lands shall continue to
be under the jurisdiction of the coun-
try to which they previously be-
longed.”
It is easy to l»e perceived how se-
rious are the difficulties to both coun-
tries, in the adjustment of titles to
land, the prevention of smuggling and
the arrest and punishment of all kinds
of criminals on account of the con-
fusion of boundary and doubtful ju-
’ rlsdiction, which arise from the facts
stated.
But a further complication has
arisen in recent years, growing out of
the fact that in Colorado and New .
Mexico a great number of irrigating j the region of the Upper Rio Grande,
ditches and canals have been lakeujtlie impounding, distribution and util-
from the upper Rio Grande and its tri-; ization of the waters of that river and
butaries, resulting to a great degree I its tributaries after the manner al-
in the absorption of the water before } ready, begun, there will be a wholly
it reaches the point of international inadequate, if not utter absence of
boundary. By reference to the fourth ; supply of water in the stream below,
biennial report (pages 287 to 325) Such continued and serious dearth
of the State engineer of Col j of water in the river has never been
orado for 1887-’8S it will be j known before by those inhabitants of
seen that more than three huu- j the valley who are and have been for
dred ditches have been taken out in j many years best acquainted with its
that State alone, while vast quantities history, and characteristics, and both
of water have lieen and are beingAmericans and Mexicans claim that
similarly appropriated in New Mexico. J the deprivation of their accustomed
The result has been a great depletion ; water s.mpiy is attributable to the ac-
of Jbe flow of the river iu the driest ,ti«>n of tin- people of the United States
part of the year, July and August, j in tlu* localities mentioned. They
when it is inost needed. This lias1 further insist that the llio Grande
been so great for the last three years ; is an international stream, belonging
In the above indicated middle third not to Chihuahua or other Mexican
of the river’s course, as to almost en-; States or to Texas and its people, but
tirely destroy the growing annuals, ; that an equal undivided one-half in-
tbe younger vines and fruit trees, and j terest in it, witb all its privileges, lie-
unless corrected in some way, will (longs to the United States of America
and the Republic of Mexico, and that
as such it is entitled to receive the
care and attention of the respective
Federal Governments.
The El Paso Valley extends from
the pass at El Paso ninety miles be-
low, and is from four to ten miles
wide. It contains about 200,000 acres
of magnificent lands, situated about
equally on the Mexican aud Texan
side of the river, that under proper
and possible conditions could be re-
duced to a fine state of cultivation.
There are now in this valley
about 50,000 people, nearly equal-
ly divided between the t-wo
countries. They at present „ cul-
tivate about 50,000 acres of land,
which in fertility is not surpassed on
the continent. Here are grown fruits
and vegetables of the rarest quality,
with cereals of nearly every kind. Per-
haps the best grape» *n the world are
produced here, and this vineyard-
dotted valley, under proper auspices,
ulated, their homes abandoned, and
their possessions useless unless some
relief can be afforded and some rem-
edy applied. Severe as these sacrifices
may be, it is to be seriously appre-
hended that they will not peaceable be
made.
If these be the facts, and such con-
ditions as above described exist, is
not the subject one that should chal-
lenge the thoughtful Inquiry of Con-
gress, and is it not worth the while
and within the proper functions of
our Government to take a step in time
for promoting some authoritative in-
vestigation of the matter through the
medium of international negotiation,
looking to an ultimate application of
any proper correctives? And is it not
obvious that the sooner this is done
’the better it will be for the interests
!of both Governments?
Confronted as they were with these
conditions, it was quite natural that
both Americans and Mexicans in the
ural adaptation at this point for Such
a purpose, both in the basin and rim
for a lake of such dimensions, and
the advantages afforded for the con-
struction of a dam, one end of which
to rest on the mountain wall on the
Mexican side, and the other on the
American side. The project was sub-
mitted by Major Mills to the Secretary
of Statp in December, 1888. By the
approval of the Secretary of War he
was detailed to make observations and
to act under the instructions and di-
rections of the Director of the Geo-
logical Survey at this poiut. lie has
made full and exhaustive examination
and submitted an elaborate report in
the premises. He was assisted in the
work by Senor Ygnaeio Gariias, an ac-
complished and distinguished Mexican
engineer, who was detailed by his gov-
ernment for that purpose, and whose
judgment fully approves the plan. The
Senate Committee on irrigation, ap-
pointed at the last Congress, eccom-
ty for personal observation of the con-
ditions which there obtained. Believ-
ing that anything salt* on the subject
by so eminent a man a > the ex-Speak-
er (Hon. J. G. Carlisle) ;an not fail to
be of interest, a portion of his latter is
here copied:
“I had an opportunity last summer,
while on a visit to Mexico, to inves-
tigate this matter to some extent, and
became satisfied that the situation on
that part of the river to which your
bill relates was such as to demand
the immediate and careful attention of
both countries. The diversion of the
water of the river In New Mexico and
Colorado for/ irrigation purposes has
practically destroyed, during a large
part of the year, a very considerable
section of it flowing between the two
countries, and thus deprived the peo-
ple on both banks of the use of the
stream for any purpose whatever. Be-
sides this the numerous changes that
occur in the channel render it diffi-
negotiations upon the Subject and
leave final action to be taken hereaf-
ter when the results of tne conference
have been communicated, I think it
ought to pass.”
The preliminary Investigation here-
tofore made by Major Mills and Mr.
Garfias, representing both eouutries,
leads to the conclusion and lias dem-
onstrated, so far as their concurrent
judgment is concerned, that it Is possi-
ble. by the construction of the dam
before described, to solve both the wa-
ter and boundary problem. The pro-
posed dam, it Is affirmed, can be built
upon solid bed-rock abutting on the
solid rock walls on the bluffs of the
Pass, with a length of about 450 feet.
It can be - constructed upon the ap-
proved principles of modern masonry
dams. The plan used in the prelimi-
nary survey was from the profile rec-
ommended by Mr. Alphonse Fteley for
adoption in the building of the great
Quaker Bridge Dam in the Croton
Vk4- • r.Wri-'''.
•** 'S'
[MAP of SITE
fOU s _
PROPOSED-RESERVOIR
>*-**«■ VALLEY 4k
Rio Grande Del Nopxe
ABOVE ~~y
El Paso Texas 7
1 i
\
can nowhere be equaled. Of many
products the climate and soil afford
more than one crop per year: there
are numerous valuable farms and gar-
dens, and the people have been here-
tofore prosperous. There are towns
on either side of the river some of
which are centuries old. It would not
be extravagant to say that this valley
and these people represent values ag-
gregating 825,000,000.
These people claim vested rights in
water of the Rio Grande antedating
even the written history of the eoun
try, of which they insist they are lin-
ing unjustly deprived by those seek-
ing to form uew communities above
them. They look with dismay on the
manifest and “consequent ruin,” de-
scibed by General Stanley, which in-
evitably awaits them if not already j
upon them, unless some solution of the j
water question can be found and the 1
“water famine” averted. Their values
will be dissipated, their valley depop- j
El Paso Valley should take a lively
interest in the discussion and discov-
ery of some feasible aud practicable
remedy for and solution of their trou-
bles. Much was thought, said, and
written about it. Finally, Major An-
son Mills, of the Tenth Cavalry, U.
S. Army, who had lived along the Rio
Grande before and since the war, and
was familiar with the people aud his-
tory of that part of the country, as
well as the characteristics of the river,
conceived tlie idea of impounding the
torrential flow of tire river in the Pass
just above El Paso, where the chan-
nel is narrow aud passes between the
mountain walls on either side, and
over a solid rock bottom, by moans
of the construction of a darn about d0
panied by Major Powell, of the Geo-
logical Survey, visited the locality last
September, and also made considera-
ble examination concerning the mat-
ter. Major Powell pronounces the plan
feasible, and stated lie fore your com-
mittee that the only remedy to be
found was in such a storage of the
water, expresing at the same time
the apprehensions before mentioned
with reference to the possible future
consumption of the water near the
sources of the river. The Select Com-
mittee on Irrigation and Reclamation
of Arid bands in the Senate have at
this session considered and favorably
reported a measure substantially the
same as that here presented.
The following extract from a recent
feet high. In this way it is maintain- J letter addressed to the writer of this
cd that a vast lake or reservoir, 15 -report by the Hon. John G. Carlisle,
miles long by 7 miles wide, with 1m- contains an admirable statement of
mense storage capacity, can be ere-, the situation. He was at El Paso
2ited. ! during the long period of drouth men-
There is certainly a wonderful nat- [ tioned, and was afforded an opportuni-
cult, if not impossible, to determine
precisely where the boundary line be-
tween the two countries is located.
This is a source of constant irrita-
tion, aud unless some remedy can be
devised may ultimately produce se-
rious disagreement between the two
governments.
“The subject is an International one
in both its aspects. Whether the peo-
ple of Mexico can be lawfully deprived
of the waters of the Rio Grande as
they would, if not diverted, naturally
flow from that part of the stream
within the United States, may be a
disputed question; but there certainly
is a moral obligation upon our part
to co-operate with the government,of
that country in such measures as may
be necessary to prevent injury in the
future. Of course the question of
boundary is one which equally con-
cerns both governments and must be
settled, if at all, by their joint action.
“As your bill proposes only to open
River, New York, designed to lie 270
feet high and 1,350 feet long, and is
“Practical Profile No. 2” of “Weg-
man’s Design Construction of Mason-
ry Dams,” which is understood to lie
the, best aud latest authority on that
subject.
It gives a historical description of
some forty of the principal dams con-
structed throughout the world in the
last three hundred years. It describes
the “Almanza Dam” in the Province
of Albacete, Spain, which has success-
fully impounded water for three cen-
turies. This is 07 feet high aud 292
feet long. Another is the * Alicante
Dam,” also in Spain, which is 134 feet
high and 190 feet long, which has had
a safe and succesful existence for
about the same length of time. Most
of the other dams described in this
work are on a grander scale, but of
more recent construction. TLe opin-
ion seems to be sustained that mason-.
i
1
ry dams, if properly constructed, ftm
be rendered absolutely sale and per-
manent.
The proposed reservoir or lake, It 10
maintained, can be supplied with a
“By-Wash” or “Waste-Weir,” 200 feet
wide by 5 feet deep —that is, with
its crest 5 feet below the crest of
the dam—and through and over one of
the solid-rock walls or banks of the
river, having an easy outward slope
for the pasage of the waste waters
in their descent to the channel of the
river below, avoiding the shock or
■tremor of a perpendicular fall, inju-
rious to masonry work. It is esti-
mated that such a sized weir will pass
all the waters in excess of the storage
capacity between its crest and that
of the dam proper, possible to come
from any extended flood in the river.
To maintain a constant and uniform
channel of the river below, when the
surface of the lake may be below the
crest of the By-Wash, U Is stated that
six 48-inch cast-iron pipes may be
placed through the masonry of the
dam near its base, three on each side
of the- river, and that each of these
pipes can be provided with valve gates,
so arranged that one person cau easily
adjust one or all of them, to permit
just the desired amount of water to
pass through them from the lake. By
this means it is claimed that there can
be maintained a small stream of clear
water, unburdened by silt, equal to the
mean annual flow constantly each day
In the year—the bed and channel of
which could be permanently directed
and controlled in such a manner as to
fix and determine a boundary line of a
living and permanent stream between
the two countries, for two hundred
miles below El Paso to the point where
a sufficient water supply is afforded
by confluents of the Rio Grande.
It Is not Intended in this report to
discuss the scientific details of the
proposition, but simply to submit a
general and substantial statement. It
may be said, however, that no essen-
tial feature of the project was over-
looked or left unconsidered by the
parties who made the preliminary in-
vestigation. The amount of silt and
its effects on the reservoir, the lia-
bility to evaporation, tbe exeut of
percolation, tlie structural security ©f
the dam, and all cognate questions
were made subjects of careful and in-
telligent inquiry. Connected necessa-
rily with the measure for ihe rectifica-
tion and establishment of the boun-
dary line, is the benefit to be afforded
to our own and the Mexican people
in the use of the waters to lie stored
for the purpose of irrigation, aud
restoration, as far as the same could
be accomplished, of those ancient ant!
valuable rights of which they are be-
ing deprived by reason of the facts
mentioned.
It Is believed, from statements made
by prominent Mexican citizens and
the profound interest known to be
felt and taken by them in this matter,
that snch a movement as is here pro-
posed on 'our part will not only re-
ceive their grateful acknowledgment
and cordial approval, but that it will
be earnestly indorsed by the author-
ities of their government, and that
they will readily be disposed to par-
ticipate in the expense involved,
should the negotiations contemplated
result iu any practical execution.
Whatever project may lie finally con-
sidered the proper one for the set-
tlement of the troubles described,
whether the place suggested shall ulti-
mately be adopted, the bill reported
will open lae way for a thorough
international conference and compre-
hensive consultation concerning the
whole matter, the results of which
can not be in any sense injurious, bet
on the contrary give promise of soma
satisfactory adjustment cl difficulties
and complications rnanifi sffiy oerious
and worthy of earnest ®>t side ratios.
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El Paso International Daily Times (El Paso, Tex.), Vol. Fifteenth Year, No. 220, Ed. 1 Sunday, September 15, 1895, newspaper, September 15, 1895; El Paso, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth541675/m1/5/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Library Consortium.