The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-03-08
CONTINUED from page |. J

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of the railway company, and in some
places almost overhangs the track.
break in the bank or tume at such II
place would be a frightful calamity.
disastrous not only to the property of
the railway company. but perhaps en-
volving tremendous sacrifice of human
life. Such an accident would mean the
ruin of those owning and operating the
canal, and if operated under the district
system, the ruin of those owning lands
under it. The expense of maintaining
the work when completed will be out
of proportion to its original cost and in
come producing capacity. All people
Of experience who are familiar with
the country, advise against the con
struction of canal wholly on this side
of the river. The hills are too high to
surmount and their slopes are so steep
as to render impossible the excavation
of a canal ON their sides. Fluming must
thus be resOrted to, with consequent
heavy maintenance charges and renewal
expenses. Much has been said of the
work that has already been done ON
this line and the advantage of using it.
! A careful examination leads the com
mittee to believe that the extent of this
work has been greatly exaggerated,
and of that which has been done. little
is of value in it, present condition. The
excavations were not originally of
proper size. the gradient is too slight,
and even if these were not the facts,
the action of the elements has nearly or
quite rendered the work worthless in
many places.
| Neither of these routes being salts
factory, the committee sought for an
other that would present fewer difficult
ties of construction originally. and con-
sequently be more cheaply maintained
aiterward. and after much canvassing,
we have fixed upon and decided to rec
ommend the Buringame line. This is
Il line projected by Mr.. Burlingame. of
North Yakima. in 1892. The directors
of the irrigation district were about to
let to him Il contract to complete Il ca
nal for the district on this line, in the
summer of that year, but they were en-
Joined from doing so and nothin" was
ever done upon it since. Mr.. Burln-
game made careful survey of the river
at the time, down to the edge of the
valley, but unfortunately his papers
for our use: the salient features are
well known however.
The canal started from the right or
south bank of the river, at Il point
about one and one half miles above the
town of ClelIlum. 1t then runs on the
south and west side of the river at vary
ing distances from its bank for dist
ance of IA miles to a point on the Year
wood place where it will cross the river
by hume or pipe line on a bridge. The
The canal will follow in the valley
approximately the line of the so-called
Middle kittitas canal. 1t is thought
that it may be carried a little farther
up, but this is not certain and cannot
be definitely known until careful sur
vey is made. AT the point where the
river crossing is begun, Il branch canal
is contemplated which will supply to
the west side of the valley sufficient
water to cover that part of the region
not now under cultivation or but scant-
ly supplied with water This line Of
fers many advantages. 1t is easy of
construction, no serions engineering
difficulties stand in the way. The con
figuratiOn of the country on the right
bank of the river differs greatly from
that on the left bank. The latter is,
for many miles, one continuous steep
hillside, paralleled with and often over
hanging the bed of tho railroad. The
crossed on line bridges, carried on high
trestles. On the other side there are
no streams to cross with aqueducts, the
slopes of the hills in most cases are
gradual and the railroad track is wholly
avoided save at the crossing. The
water must be conducted across faces of
the steep hills on the left bank for miles
in fumes difficult to construct and ex-
pensive to keep in condition. while on
the right bank it will be possible in
most cases to eXcavate the canal on the
easy hillsides, and where this cannot
be done, support for the fumes can
readily be put into place.
The greatest and indeed the only
serious problem on this line is the Cross
ing of the river, and this affords fewer
difficulties than at first appeared The
crossing is at an ideal place and engin-
GERS tell us we will have no trouble in
doing the work in a permanent and
satisfactory form at a moderate eX-
pense.
Construction will be comparatively
cheap. Mr.. Burlingame offered to do
the work for 100000 in bonds of the