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The Water Power of Texas. 
5 
vey has maintained a ganging station at the flume since September, 1898. 
The flume is three miles below the dam and six miles above Pecos. The 
minimum flow of the river at the flume is twenty second-feet, as several 
measurements have indicated. Measurements taken on three separate 
days in April, 1900, gave the following measurements: 
April 22. 
April 26. 
April 30. 
Flow of river 
21 second-feet... . 
20 second-feet 
21 second feet. 
Flow of flume 
115 second-feeti.... 
118 second-feet 
106 second-feet. 
Flow of west val- 
ley ditch 
12 second-feet 
10 second-feet 
18 second-feet. 
Total 
148 second-feet 
148 second-feet 
145 second-feet. 
The minimum flows during 1901 occurred on July 10th and July 21st, 
when the total discharge was found to be 158 and 161 second-feet, 
respectively. The maximum flow occurred on November 4th, when the 
discharge was found to be 3230 second-feet. 
These are the lowest measurements ever recorded of the river below the 
Margueritta dam. There is at the dam a minimum flow of a little less 
than 150 second-feet, and it would not be safe to calculate on more than 
this. Between Pecos and Great Falls there are no tributary streams and 
this low flow of twent}* second-feet would cut little figure for water 
power or irrigation purposes. There are two other dams across the Pecos 
in the vicinity of the Great Falls. These belong to the Pecos Irrigation 
Company and the Grand Falls Irrigation Company, whose ditches are 
respectively on the west and east sides of the river. The efficiency of 
these two plants has fallen lamentably short of anticipations, chiefly on 
account of the use of the water in New Mexico and at Barstow, Texas. 
From the Texas State line to a point near old Fort Lancaster, in 
Crockett county, the river flows through a rich alluvial soil. It takes the 
premium for being in details the most sinuous river in Texas, and it 
would show up favorably in this respect in an international contest. 
There is hardly a mile of it above Pecos that the river does not flow in all 
directions. 
Near Fort Lancaster it enters the canyon that gradually deepens until 
the river reaches the Rio Grande. The only use of the water so far has 
been for stock. At High Bridge, at the crossing of the Southern Pacific 
Railroad, the low water level is 321 feet below the top of the rails on the 
bridge. The flow of the river at this place was measured by J. D. Dillard 
during 4900 for the Boundary Commission. The lowest flow during 
1900 was 260 second-feet. During 1901, the lowest flow occurred on 
July 9th, when a discharge of 162 cubic feet per second was found at a 
gauge height of .80. The maximum flow occurred on November 17th 
and was found to be 2635 second-feet. 
