The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1906-10-17

have a considerable surplus at great
err heads and a slight deficiency at
very small heads, which, however,
occur only at rare intervals during
extraordinary high water and last
but short time"
Droutlls Do Not Bother.
Major Chittenden further in his
report stated that the company has
strong element of certainty in the
fact that it can always depend upon
having the water at the head of the
on. mo drouth will ever be great
enough to result in shortage of
water at the power house," said
Major Chittenden in the report men
toned Further Major Chittenden
states:
"The theoretical horse power of
the waterfall at Priest Rapids, be-
tween the head of the third rapid
and the foot of the first, is probably
not less than 100000, year in and
year out. In addition, therefore, to
the definite proposition at present at
hand, there is the possibility of in
definite expansion with the ultimate
result many times more important
than that now Immediately in view.
Priest Rapids have a fall of sew
enty-eight feet in a distance of six
miles, the greatest fall being in the
last mile and half. Just above the
last fall in these rapids is a chain of
low rock islands, extending for a
mile parallel to the west shore of The
- u &c
tant. These islands form an ideal in
take for the power canal.
There are no bitches taken from
the Columbia in this state. owing to
the great difficulty in protecting the
intake from the extremes of high
water. The Hanford company has
secured the right to use these islands
for it's intake, and it is estimated that
10000 horse power can be immedi-
ately developed.
This power will furnish the mo-
tive power for pumping plants to be
operated by electricity at various
points along the river below the rap
ids, the lands to be watered being
situated in Benton county. The COM
pany has secured all the Northern
Pacific lands in the district and near
ly ten thousand acres of state lands,
as we'll as much private property. 1t
is expected that water will be deliv-
cred on these lands by May 1. The
power plant is co be installed this
winter, during the low stage of the
river. This work also includes the
dam across the river, permission for
the construction of which has been
granted by the war department.
Named for Judge Hanford, a new
town will be laid out on the banks of
the Columbia river, to and from
which electric railroads will run con-
Meeting with the Hill system down
the west bank of the Columbia, as
we'll as the St. Paul road. There is
a possibility that the electric railroad
system will be extended to Pasco.
where the Northern Pacific main
junction point in central Washington
is located.
Experts in irrigation state that the
low-lying Columbia river lands are
among the finest in the state when
watered, inasmuch as the elevation
fore longer, and the soil unexcelled.
NcuHcWiCh liuiL SiOWcAS nave uclu-
onstrated the profits in early fruit
raising as compared with the Yaki-
ma and Wenatchee valleys. The
Kennewick strawberry is in the
Sound markets long before the
Walla Walla or Hood River berry is
heard from. Spokane and the cities
of Idaho and Montana have taken
the first strawberry crop of the Ken
newick district, owing to the high
prices that are paid further east for
fine fruits that do not come In COM
petition with the California products.
The reclamation of the Columbia
River valley lands by private corpor-
atoms will to a certain extent solve
the problem of the independent fruit
supply for the Sound cities as
against California competition.
John H. McGraw is president of
the Hanford Irrigation & Power
company, and the other officers are
James A. Kerr, vice president: C. j.
Smith. treasurer. and Manly B.
Haynes, secretary. These and the