The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1905-04-01
A Questionable Irritation Project.

An irrigation enterprise which has
recently been launched, and which is
being promoted by liberal advertising
in the leading daily papers of the
northwest, is the Snake River Irriga-
ton company, claiming to be putting
under subsection 5000 acres at the
confluence of the Snake and Columbia
rivers. The attention of the publisher
of The Ranch has been called to this
company just as we go to press, and
although admitting that at this writ
ing full information as to their plans
is not at hand, we believe it is the
duty of The Ranch to warn it's readers
against investing in lands of such an
irriga ton company whose project is
still in the initiative stage.
The publisher of The Ranch does
not set himself up to be an infallible
authority on irrigation matters, but by
reason of long residence in irrigation
district and thorough familiarity with
the important irrigation works which
have been inaugurated in the north
west believes his position is correct
when he states that the Snake River
Irrigation company is premature in
putting it's lands on the market before
it actually has it's pumping plant in
operation and has shown same to be
an entire success, capable of deliver
ing the water continuously and in the
quantity promised.
We do not wish to say at this time
that this company will not be able to
do all it claims. But the fact is that
for more than a quarter of century
many able minds have been engaged
on the problem of lifting water from
the lower Snake and Columbia rivers
in sufficient quantities to irrigate the
fertile bench lands adjoining. The
experiment has been tried over and
over, and has always heretofore re-
suited in failure. If this company can
do what no one else has been able to
do, we say more power to them, for it
would mean the opening up of large
areas of as fine agricultural land as
can be found anywhere on earth.
But suppose they fail? What would
happen to the hundreds of investors
deluded into putting their money into
farm and home sites? The land with
out water is worthless and every dol
lar invested would be lost. To be
able to furnish as large an area as
five thousand acres with water at this
liberal rate will be an extraordinary
achievement, particularly when it is
understood that there is a consider
able variation in the height of the
river at Five Mile Rapids, the point
where their plant will be stationed.
This rise and fall of the river has here
tofore been the most serious difficulty,
AMI it remains to be seen whether this
company will succeed where all
previous efforts in this direction have
failed.
The Ranch does not say that this
company is not perfectly honest in it's
intentions. But why this sensational
advertising campaign and forced boom
ing of the proposition being carried
on by extremely active real estate
agents in Seattle, Spokane, Portland
and other points, working with might
and main to induce people to invest at
from forty to sixty dollars per acre?
True, the land would be worth the
price with an assured water supply,
but is of practically no value what
ever without it. What is all this hurry
about, anyway? Does the company
need the funds to build this pumping
plant? If so, it is a precarious venture,
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