The Water Supply of the El Paso and Southwestern Railway from Carrizozo to Santa Rosa, N. Mex. | Page 2

to the Carrizozo plain, and crosses the latter northward
to Coyote, at Mile 156, on the railway, at an elevation of 5,810 ft.,
passing, on the way, 6 miles east of Carrizozo, to which a branch pipe
runs, Carrizozo being 5,430 ft. above sea level. There is a
2,500,000-gal. reservoir at Coyote, and a similar one at Carrizozo.
[Illustration: FIG 1. MAP OF LINES OF EL PASO &
SOUTHWESTERN SYSTEM]
This describes the gravity section of the line which brings the water
from the mountain stream to the railway. From Nogal Reservoir to the
latter, the capacity of the pipe is equal to the future daily requirements;
from the source of supply to the reservoir, the pipe has twice as great a
capacity, thereby storing surplus water. This section is 32 miles long,
with a 6-mile branch line.
The second, or pumping section, extends eastward along the railway,
rising from an elevation of 5,810 ft. at Coyote to 6,750 ft. on the
Corona summit, which is the water-shed line between the Rio Grande
on the west and the Rio Pecos on the east. At Coyote a pumping station
lifts the water to Luna Reservoir and the pumps at Mile 171, and the
latter lift it to the reservoir on Corona summit at Mile 192-1/2. This
section is 36-1/2 miles long.
The third, or gravity section, extends from the reservoir on the Corona
summit to the Rio Pecos at Mile 272, dropping from an elevation of
6,750 to 4,570 ft. in 80 miles. The pipe line extends to Pastura, 58-1/2
miles from Corona, as shown on Plate V.
Where the pipe line passes a water tank on the railway, a 4-in. branch
pipe is carried to the bottom of the tank and up to the top, where it is

capped by an automatic valve. A gate-valve is placed in the branch pipe
at its junction with the pipe line.
There are regulating, relief, check, blow-off, and air-valves,
air-chambers, and open stand-pipes on the line, too numerous to
mention in detail. They are designed to keep the wood pipe full,
regulate flow, prevent accumulation of pressure and water-hammer,
and remove sediment.
Water Pipe.--A study of the profile developed a system of hydraulic
grades, pipe diameters, and open stand-pipes limiting the pressure to
130 lb. per sq. in., except on 19 miles of the pump main between
Coyote and Corona where the estimated maximum pressure is 310 lb.
Investigation justified the assumption that wood pipe under a pressure
of 130 lb. would give satisfactory service for 25 years, on which basis
it would be less expensive than cast iron, and therefore it was used.
Cast iron was considered preferable to steel for pressures not exceeding
310 lb. on account of its greater durability.
Wood Pipe.--Machine-made, spirally-wound, wood-stave pipe, made in
sections from 8 to 12 ft. long, with the exterior surface covered with a
heavy coat of asphalt, was selected in preference to unprotected,
continuous, stave pipe. The diameters were not so great as to require
the latter.
The first 40 miles of wood pipe was furnished by the Wykoff Wood
Pipe Company, of Elmira, N.Y., and the Michigan Pipe Company, of
Bay City, Mich., delivered the remaining 76 miles.
The pipe is wound with flat steel bands of from 14 to 18 gauge and
from 1 to 2 in. wide. The machine winds at any desired pitch and
tension. At each end the spiral wind is doubled two turns, the second
lying over the first and developing a frictional resistance similar to that
of a double hitch of a rope around a post. The ends of the band are held
by screw nails or a forged clip, the latter being the better. It has two or
three spikes on the under side which seat into the stave, and two side
lugs on top which turn down over the band. The latter passes twice over

the seat on the clip, the first turn holding the clip to the stave, while the
second turn is held by the lugs which are hammered down over it. The
end of the band is then turned back over the clip and held down by a
staple.
The staves are double-tongued and grooved and from 1-3/8 to 2 in.
thick. The smaller thickness is sufficient. The exterior face of the staves
should be turned concentric with the axis of the pipe and form a circle,
so that the band will have perfect contact with the wood.
The joints are formed by turning a chamber in one end of the pipe and a
tenon on the other, or both ends are turned to a true exterior circle and
driven into a wood or steel sleeve. The chamber and tenon were used in
this work.
Finally, each piece of pipe is covered