The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1907-05-21
GREAT ACTIVITY
AT PRIEST RAPIDS
Company Builds New Steamer to
Handle Traffic to Tract Oh
Columbia.


Columbia.
SEATTLE, May he. c. Han
ford, manager of the Hanford Irri-
cation and Power company, has just
returned from a trip to the $4,000
acres of his company now being
placed under irrigation between the
new town of Hanford and the Priest
rapids of the Columbia river. Mr..
Hanford stated that the dow line
ditch, Is miles in length, is nearing
completion, with ESQ men and 100
teams at work. The canal is eight
feet wide at the bottom and about %
feet at the top, with depth of six
feet. This canal was substantially
all built in the alluvial earth of the
country, being nearly all earth con-
struction, and it will water $4,000
acres, the larger portion OF which is
owned by the Hanford Irrigation and
Power company.
The nighttime ditch, next to come
under construction, viii water 5000
acres. The power machinery is
about done; the material for the
buildings to house the machinery
is fast arriving on the ground, bnt
construction will not begin on the
buildings until the coming autumn.
Upon the completion of the concrete
power house and pumping station
this fall the machinery will be in
stalled The construction of the pow
er canal at Priests Rhpids has been
under way for theAlast two months,
and material headwayyis being made
p in this work. The neWssteamer Yak
ina has just delivered a, steam shovel
and cars and track to- carry on this
work, which will be. completed some
time in October next. The Priest
Rapids Transportation company has
arranged schedule On it's line for
the steamer w. R. Todd, leaving
Kennewick Tuesday, Thursday and
Saturday mornings. This boat is
now successfully handling the heavy
transportation on the river, but the
transportation company, realizing the
increased traffic ahead of it, is build
ing a large and commodious passen-
ser boat, to be launched July next.
Many people are purchasing 10
acre tracts in this district. which will
undoubtedly be one of the largest
agricultural districts under irrigation
in the northwest. The town of Han
ford, just starting, in the centre of
the district. has a new hotel to be
opened June /. and number Of bus
mess establishments will be located
in the next few weeks.
Mr.. Hanford saw the camp Of the
engineering crews for the North
railroad on the banks Of the Colum-
bia river near the town Of Hanford.
It is near the lower end of the White
Bluffs and the construction of tracks
On the east side will be in draw
which comes down through the
bluffs for a number of miles east
of the Columbia river. The con-
struction west of the river will be
over a level country toward Kiona
and Yakima A number of miles of
the road are already graded in the
vicinity of Kiona, a construction
work is actually under way at var
ious points on the line of the new
road. A bill was passed by congress
last winter, authorizing the road to
bridge the Columbia near Hanford.
On the small farms along the river
in this district farm work is under
full Roadway and the promise is
bright for a good crop of the cele-
hrated grapes raised in this vicinity,
as well as other varieties of fruits.