The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1900-01-25
THE YAKIMA HERALD.
THURSDAY, JAN. 25. 1900.
JOSEPH S. ALLEN.
The Sunnyside Canal Receiver Writes an Able
Essay on the Great Irrigation Scheme.

at their annual meeting, Dec. 20. The
paper gave such general satisfaction that
THE HERALD has been requested to pub
lsh it for larger circle than for which
it was originally intended.
Rev. s. j. Harrison, President of the
Sunnyside Cooperative Association.
DEAR SIR: I regret that unavoidable
engagements prevent me from attending
the anniversary exercises of your society.
1t would have afforded me great pleasure
to have addressed your people on the
the theme you have SO kindly assigned
to me, namely, 1.-THE Sunnyside Canal
and Its Patrons.' At this time, and
within the limits Of letter, can do but
scant justice to such an interesting sub.
ject.
congratulate your association and the
people of the Sunnyside upon this occa-
sion, and express my confident hope that
the day marks the first year post in
long career of usefulness. This useful.
ness foresee will be not only along the
lines OF better mutual understanding
and helpfulness among your own men,
bers, but on the broader lines of endur
ing good for the entire Sunnyside coun-
try. The scheme of watering the Sum
nyside valley and redeeming it from the
condition of wilderness to that of
land OF homes and wealth producers was
begun as early as 1899. II was bold
and brilliant scheme. Standing today
where we can see the baroness of the
native wilderness and the wonderful
fruitfulness of the redeemed farms in
such striking contrast, we can easily ap.
undertaking. Nature has rarely endowed
any land with better soil, more health
full and propitious climate and grander
water supply than is found in our coun
try. But these things, without the hand
and brain OF man to develop them, are
useless gifts.
The first steps toward the accomplish
ment OF this undertaking were taken by
Walter N. Granger, Esq, the present
general manager, in 1889. Mr.. Granger
took options on the holdings of the n. p.
railroad in the valley and formed COM
pany for the purpose OF constructing an
irrigating canal. And it is but justice
to say that the development of the un-
dertaking to the present point owes more
to his professional intelligence and prac-
teal experience than to any other source
-Four successive corporations have been
formed to carry on the work; the Yak
ina Investment Company being the last
and being successor to the property OF
the others. The Northern Pacific Rail-
road Company has from the beginning
been an influential factor. The late Paul
Shulze, the western land agent OF the
Northern Pacific, was president of the
Yakima Investment Company at the
time of his death. Thlrty-one thousand
acres Of land purchased from the North
ern Pacific Railroad Company as above
stated was the financial basis of the un-
dertaking. The California Safe Deposit
and Trust Company, Of San Francisco,
advanced the purchase price and later
becametrustee of the bonds issued by
the Yakima Investment Company.
The canal was originally projected to
extend to Prosser and to cover ,6S 900
acres of land The failure to secure
necessary funds compelled the company
| to stop construction of the man canal at
the forty-second mile, water being fur
nisned beyond that point by two large
laterals or branches known as the Rocky
Ford and Snlpes Mountain laterals. Any
one who ls acquainted with the nature
OF the soil and the topography OF The
country over which the canal is built will
know that the construction was most diff
ticult and expensive work, recurring en-
gineering skill of a high order. The
work was done under the engineering
direction OF William Ham Hall, then of
| San Francisco, an engineer of national
repute. The work was completed to the
thirtieth mile in August OF 1892, and
was completed to the iortv-secono mile
in the spring OF 1893.
The Sunnyside canal is the largest ir-
rigating canal in the northwest, The
main canal is 62 feet wide al the top and
80 feet wide at the bottom, and eight feet
deep, with carrying capacity of 700
cubic feet of water per second of time.
The company has water appropriation
Of 1000 cubic feet of water per second.
being the first large appropriation from