The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1900-08-23
THE LOWER YAKIMA.

New York Capitalists Looking Up Their Irriga-
ton and Reality Investments With View
to Making Improvements and Resumine Ae-
tive Operations.
Frank Dudley, q prominent citizen Of
Niagara Falls, N. Y, was in the city
this week consulting with Attorney Frank
Rudkin regarding his investments In the
lower end of the county. Some years ago
Mr.. Dudley placed $4,000 in irrigation
schemes and lands in the vicinity Of
Kiona and Kennewick. He is practically
the owner of the irrigation canal that has
it's intake at the Yakima river six miles
above Kiona and owns thousand acres
of land wa.ered thereby. He is also i'm
terested directly or indirectly in other ir-
rigated and irrigation pro perties lower
down in the county.
number Of years ago New York capi-
talists, of whom Mr.. Dudley was one,
started in to build several lines of canal
and to acquire reality. One Of these ca
nails had it's intake IL miles above the
mouth Of the Yakima river and extending
through rich section OF the country to a
point opposite Wallula. 1t was built by
the Columbia & Yakima corporation,
which owned 1000 acres Of land under
the canal, the townsite of kennewick
and other properties which cost in the
neighborhood Of 100000. After this
canal was built the Dell Haven Irriga
ton district was formed and the canal
sold to the district which created bond
ed indebtedness of SEQ, 900, the bonds be.
ing taken by the Colum bia & Yakima
corporation, which built $4,000 hotel
at Kennewick.
A number of years passed and o in
terest was paid on the bonds and the
canal was not maintained excepting in q
very crude way. The bond holders fin
ally sent David Miller, of Lockport, N. Y.
formerly judge Of the supreme court of
that state, to Yakima to Investigate the
affairs and report on the same.
His statement was that there were
but eleven families in the district
and that the proportionste bond
ed Indebtedness of each of these
families would be $4,000. In the Ian.
guage OF the street this Twas corker,"
and for time the bond holders we're dis.
couraged. At the last session of the
Washington Legislature, however, q bill
was passed by which such irrigation
districts could be dissolved by paying the
warrant Indebtedness, which in this case
amounts to four or five thousand dollars.
On behalf of the bondholders Mr.. Dudley
has gone over the canal and finds the
property, including the fumes, in much
better condition than he had reason to
expect and his estimates are that $40 900
will place it In good operating condition.
The probabilities now are that the district
organization will be Dissolved at the COM
ing session OF the legislature, the corpora
ton regain possession of the canal and
make the necessary Improvements in
time to place the lands under it in condi-
ton for cultivation next season.
The New York capitslists,an corpora
tions interested in the lower end of the
county OWL, all told, eleven or twelve
thousand acres of land, and most of it is
of very choice character. The Columbia
& Yakima corporation have 5000 acres
under the Nelson Rich ditch, which has
its intake at Horn Rapids. Six miles of
this ditch is already in operation, but Mr..
Rich is under contract to enlarge it and
to extend it Tor distance of three miles.
The work is to be started within the next
month and to be finished by April 1st of
next year. With this and the work that
the New Workers are almost certain TO do,
after the receipt OF Mr.. Dudley's report,
the chances are very favorable for
greatly improved condition of affairs in
the lower country before another year ap.
proaches the end.
The Annual ronfevanrA