The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1909-03-03
POMONA flights OWNERS
VIE CONTEST FOR WATER
ASSISTANCE For CLARK 0'BRyAN
Irrigation Promoter and Judge
Graves Express Belief That Ap-
preparation Is Coco.

That neither the North Yakima e
East Selah Irrigation Co. nor the
property owners of Pomona Heights
will drop the plan to irrigate that
fine body of land in the East Selah
valley and that they will contest with
the United States reclamation SER
vice as to rights of the Bryant APP
preparation, was made certain by a
meeting at the farmers room in the
court house on Tuesday afternoon.
While the meeting was not all
harmony, the final ending of the gath
ering was the appointment of COM
mittee to assist President O'Bryan
in every way possible and to repre-
sent the property owners. This was
done after President Clark O'Bryan
of the North Yakima & East Sclah
Irrigation Co. and Judge Carroll b.
Graves, his attorney, had given eX-
tended explanations to the property
owners and the irrigation man had
been in a lively tilt of words with
Charles Bryant, who originally own
ed the water right and sold il to the
canal company.
When the meeting was called to
order about 80 property owners from
Pomona were present and Amos
Thrall was selected as chairman. He
announced that the gathering was
to hear from President OBryan and
the latter would tell about the pres
ent situation of the water rights and
the canal
extended account of the history of
the company, and went into details
regarding the troubles with the rec
lamation service over the Bryant
water right. He told of his visit to
Washington, d. c., and of interviews
with Engineer Henney of Portland,
Director Newell and Secretary Gar
field. He also said that the govern
ment had promised to start suit
that would settle the water right
question, but that Attorney William
son, after O'Bryan's return from
Washington, had announced that no
.uit would he started
President O'Bryan asked that the
property owners cooperate with him
in the settlement of the water right,
either through "a compromise OF
agreement with the reclamation ser
vice or through litigation. Several
of the leading property owners as
sured the irrigation man of theil
support, and the general sentiment
of the meeting seemed to be along
this line Chairman Thrall anc
Charles Bryant, the latter having
sold out his interest in the company
| to O'Bryan, asked some questions
but President O'Bryan asked thai
i, they be put in writing so that they
could be answered fully and not mis-
construed.
The principal desire of the proper
! ty owners appeared to be to secure
some adjustment so that payments
would not be necessary on the con
tract until there had been water with
which to raise crops. A promise was
made to this effect.
Judge Graves showed the legaI
status of the situation and showed
| how much easier the appeal would
be to the head officials if there was
a showing of generous cooperation
of the property owners, who want &c
develop the land, and the irrigation
company, which wants to get the wa
ter right. 1t was along this line that
the compromise was finally effected
| by which the property owners nam
ed the committee to confer with
President O'Bryan and his attorneys
and to seek to lift any cloud from
the water right.
President O'Bryan and Attorney
Graves both stated that they believ'
ed the water right good one and
that the company was really financed
and could go ahead with all construc-
ton work as soon as the appropria-
ton had been cleared of any cloud. u