The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1906-10-17
WILL WATER A
LARGE TRACT
COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN TO BLOOM
Hanford Irrigation & Power Com
pany. a Seattle Corporation. at
Head of the Scheme.

In the valley of the Columbia riv-
.er, in eastern Washington, there are
miles upon miles of level, arid lands
which, save for the infrequent ap-
pearance of nomadiac bands of In
-dians, have been the exclusive abode
for years of the jack rabbit, the coy
.ote and the horned toad. Within the
past two years trails have been worn
across these sandy wastes by gov
eminent engineers, by private en-
gineers and by surveyors in the en-
ploy of the transcontinental rail-
roads. But the real reclamation of
an empire that Is virgin and vast in
extent has remained for private capt.
tai to undertake.
Down below Priest rapids, where
the mighty Columbia-the Nile Of
the Pacific coast-makes a turn to
the west, there are series of level
benches of rich soil watered at the
base by the river. A good many years
ago cruisers for the Northern Pa
cific saw the chance for developing
power for irrigation works and for
RdUluS,
but the enterprise lay dormant until
a year ago, when the Hanford Irri-
CATION & Power company was or
ganjzed by Seattle capitalists and f.
nanced in this city. The company is
named after Judge C. H. Hanford,
of the United States district court,
who is one of it's directors.
Company Secures Rights.
For months after the reclamation
service planned to utilize the waste
waters of the Columbia below Priest
Rapids, engineers were rushed into
the field and plans drawn for vast
irrigation works. But nothing came
of all this and while the government
was figuring the Hanford company
perfected its enterprise and secured
valuable riparian rights which prom
Use to make successful one of the
largest private irrigation enterprises
in the state
A contract has been let by the
Hanford company to the Allis-Chal-
mers company of this city for the in
stallation of power generating
plant at Priest Rapids and for an
electric distributing system which
will form the means for irrigating
approximately $4,000 acres of land
between the rapids and the White
Bluffs country. Plans which have
been formed by the company include
the construction and operation of
an electric railroad connecting with
the Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul
railroad and with the projected Hill
railroad from Wenatchee along the
west bank of the Columbia river to
Pasco.
It, should be stated that there has
been a clear understanding, at last,
between the government and the pri-
vate irrigation companies of Wash
ington. Before this understanding
was reached, the private concerns la
bored under disadvantage. Men of
money who were willing to hazard
fortune in an enterprise calculated
to bring under cultivation large
areas of irrigaDle lands hesitated be-
fore the position of the government
was made clear. When the reclama-
ton service, after months of contro-
versy, finally determined to proceed
with the construction of the Teton,
Sunnyside and Leadbetter projects
in Yakima and Benton counties, no.
tice was served on private capital
that 1t would be safe to proceed with
those projects which the government
found too limited for it's scope Of
work.
Private Capital Has Sway.
The fight that irrigationists have
for the purpose of having the reclaim
80 sx,1k II
projects were properly within its
realm, and to leave to private capital
the task of undertaking the other en-
terprises. Irrigation authorities
have contended from the beginning
that the government should not in
terfere with irrigation projects which
were distinctly within the reach of
private capital. The approval of the
Tieton, Sunnyside and Leadbetter
projects paved the way for the Han
ford company to proceed with the
reclamation of nearly 10000 acres
Of very rich land in the Columbia
valley and thus the first fruits of the
fight of the irrigationists Of the state
is apparent.
It is said by men who have cruised
the Priest Rapids country that the
possible development of power from
the rapids is almost without limit.
The river has sharp fall for several
miles and Major Chittenden, United
States Army corps of engineers, es-
timated that at extreme low water
q pumping plant at the rapids would
develop 1916 horsepower.
For developing the power" Ma
jor Chittenden reported. two hydro
electric units are to be installed.
each to consist of three turbines and
one electric generator direct con-
nected to the same vertical shaft.
The turbines are designed to furnish
the necessary power with full gate
at an engineer-foot head. and will