The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1909-03-03
WELL DIGGING OFFERS MEANS
All of Irrigated Districts Arc Driving
Wells for Domestic and Com
mercial Purposes.

since the recent difficulty of the Po-
mona Heights Irrigation Co. in pro-
curing water. The old Scudder out
fit, which was used by Mr.. Scudder
in drilling in the Mckee and after
wards sold and successfully used by
f. S. Hill, has passed into the hands
of the Bradshaw syndicate of Seattle,
which has a section of land in the
East Selah, and was day or two ago
removed there for operations. This
plant was also used by the Messrs.
Gano in their drilling operations and
SO far has a record of success.
Although the drilling in the Po-
mona Heights region is doubtless
more difficult than in other neighbor-
ing regions. because of the forma-
ton, and the cost, perhaps, CORES
pondingly higher, there appears to
be no reason, according to Messrs
Churchill & West, experienced drill
ers, why competent operators should
not procure plenty of water at no
great depth.
Henry Bros. have sent one driller
to a tract of their Tieton land and
propose to send another. One outfit
will work by the day and the other
by the foot. In this way the Henry
Bros. will determine the more econ
omical method of procuring water for
household and perhaps for irrigation
purposes. BY means of wells, it is
figured. sufficient water can be pro-
cured to give trees a start Of a year,
or perhaps two, over those which
must wait for the government water,
and the investment, it is considered,
is worth while Messrs. Churchill
& West and Jones are the drillers to
undertake the work. The former are
now working on well just below
the gap. Mrs. Frank Kuehn is now
working this plan on her homestead
in the Cowiche divide.
| While deep wells are not to be dis
couraged. in view Of the success of
those who have gone after flowing
water, shallow wells. with pumping
plants, will appeal to all corners of
small tracts. Messrs. Henry procured
an analysis of water from one of the
Mob Hill wells and it was hown to be
free from anything injurious to plants
distilled water. 1t thus becomes a
household necessity and repeated
demonstrations throughout the west
have shown the possibility of raising
water for irrigation from drilled
wells and, as a matter of fact, it has
been proven in many instances to be
more profitable than paying for a
water right in a ditch. 1t is believed
that in Pomona Heights, as in some
other sections, less than one-half inch
of water is sufficient for orchard
crops and this fact has very i'm
portant bearing on the pumping prop
osition.
| At his ranch in the Wenas John
Cleman is now sinking an eight-inch
hole which is already filled with wa
ter to the top, some 600 feet, but he
proposes to continue operations un-
til he egts a spputer. At his Mckee
ranch, at less than 500 feet, E. S.
Hill has flowing stream IL inches
wide by five and half inches deep.
Speaking of the conditions here,
Messrs. Churchill & West declared
that the pumping plant may be a
double blessing since the graduated
expense, depending upon the amount
of water used, is an incentive to the
farmer to be saving of the water,
thus improving the quality of his
fruits and insuring his land from ex-
cessive irrigation.
Until recently no drillers here have
had sufficient machinery or energy
to demonstrate that water lies only
a few feet beneath the surface. With
the gasoline engine and the electric
motor to the rescue the next few
years will doubtless see thousands
of acres OF the Yakima valley brought
under pumping plants and made to
blossom as the rose, or as the Yaki-
ma orchard
For the production of trees and
berries from 25 to As gallons of wa
ter per minute is probably sufficient
for the irrigation of 10 acres. OF
all the wells drilled in this valley by
the gentlemen above named but one
/ has a flow of less than that amount
and those drilled for irrigation pur-
poses far exceed that limit, the flow
in some cases being sufficient for a
| quarter section.
j The actual cost of pumping is cas-
fly figured by any person, the follow