The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1910-03-02

was again in evidence and the forces
came together in the stiffness of the
night. They met and made a COM
promise in the court house at Ephrata
The engineer for the Strahorn peo-
pie stated that the canal which they
will take out from the river will carry
the water eight miles, where q 72-foot
fall will be had, and plant installed
that will develop $4,000 horsepower of
electricity. BY this power water will
be pumped up onto the bench lands
above. where a vast acreage will be
irrigated. The canal will continue, af-
ter making it's 72-feet plunge through
the turbines. for nine miles on down
the river to Pasco and VIII enclose
within its embrace 10000 acres along
the Columbia river 1t was stated by
the engineer that the canal would
have a minimum of 20 feet depth and
that eventually locks would be put in
at the lower end of the first eight
miles and boats would be diverted
through 1t and back into the river at
the upper end of the rapids. This Will
solve the problem of navigation
through Priest rapids.
Fifty-nine condemnation suits We're
started in the courts at Ephrata also,
but about half of them We're compro-
missed, too, so that from all appear
ances the Strahorn interests will soon
have the uninterrupted right of way
up the river. These facts make it i'm
possible to doubt that the North Coast
railroad company means business. 50
| Enormous Plant Contemplated.
| The plant contemplated by the Stra-'
horn interests is an enormous one
Above Priest Rapids is natural site
for an intake, and from the head of
the falls the Columbia Valley Recla-
nation company, or the Strahorn in
terests, ask for right of way 1000
feet wide and eight miles in length
In this right of way the engineers have
the plans for canal with bottom
90 feet in width. In many places the
cut will be 60 feet in depth and at the
minimum stage the canal will carry 20
feet Of water, making it practically a
good sized river. At the end of the
eight mile canal it will have fall of
70 feet. This will generate $4,000
horsepower Of electrical energy. The
water will then be diverted into an
other canal which will run eight miles
before being returned to the river and
water in the neighborhood of 100000
acres of land. A portion of the cleo
trical power developed will be used in
pumping water onto the higher levels.
Locks Around Priest Rapids.
Another use for the employment of
the big canal around Priest Rapids
will be the transporting Of boats by a
system Of locks. Priest Rapids is the
greatest obstacle to the navigation of
the lower Columbia river. and the Of
ficers Of the Columbia Valley Recla-
nation company have in view the
elimination of this obstacle by means
of the big canal. The purchase of the
right of the Columbia Development
company by Strahorn and the outlay
of $4,000 in settlement of the rights
of this company means. that the COM
pany desires to save a litigation that
would last at least year and enable
the company to proceed with the work
Immediately. The company is sparing
no money in the settlement of the
rights of the settlers damaged by the
| canal One day this week in the court
at Ephrata Attorney Danson, repre-
senting the Strahorn interests made a
settlement with a young man who had
homesteaded land along the rapids for
$4,000. This was considered quite n
sum for the mans rights, but this
shows the desire on the part of me
company to affect speedy settlement
that work might be started on the
greatest irrigation project in the west.