The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-09-13
Gives High Line People Sixty
Days in Which to. Raise Twen-
ty-Six Million Dollars
SAYS WATER IS PLENTIFUL
BUT ACTION is ESSENTIAL
Cannot Ask People Of Kittitas to
Wait on Their Undertaking
Even If Thousands of Acres
Must Remain Unimproved

Sixty days in which to raise the
$26, 600, 900 necessary for the High
Line canal project is the limit of time
allowed the Valleys of the Yakima
Water Users association This time
limit was fixed Saturday by Secretary
OF the Interior Fisher after a confer
ence with the trustees of the associa-
ton in which the facts regarding the
project were presented.
I'VE are not at all discouraged"
said H. B. Scudder, vice president of
the Water Users association, speak
ing afterwards of the task put up to
him and his associates by Secretary
Fisher. Already we have taken
steps to meet the demand made of
us. OF course we understand what
Secretary Fisher meant He does not
expect us to come around in sixty
but he does expect us to get busy"
Khtstas Sets the Pace
"Kittitas," said Mr.. Fisher, in con-
versation with the high line trustees
here, has come to the front in the
way of organizat ton and has assured
me that 1t has the money in sight.
Can you meet it? There has never
been any QUESTION that there Is suf-
fcient water for both projects and
the Kittitas people are prepared to
use it. I must not be asked to hold
UP their undertaking while plans are
being made here for the Yakima end
of the work Under the showing made
to me. however, / see no reason why
the departm emit and the people of this
valley and those of Kittitas cannot
work together for immediate action.
1t is up to you gentlemen. | think
you should get busy at once and by
at once I mean now, this afternoon.
Sixty days are as good as ninety If
you start right in"
Conference Is Brief
Secretary Fishers conversation
with the Water Users association
took place at the rooms of the Com
mercial club here at 1880 o'clock
Saturday morning. Those who rep
resented the high line were Messrs.
Scudder, Johnson, Virgins. Price.
Hoasland, Tucker and Galloway. Mr..
Scudder presented the situation. The
high line survey. he said, indicates
that for the development of the coun-
try included, water is necessary from
the three lakes, Kachess, Keechelus
and Gle Elum. This water must be
brought through Dudley Canyon
where the physical conditions are
such that there is no room for two
canals. The present high line sur
vey of the Kittitas high line canal
provides for water from Kachess and
Keechelus only and not from Gle
Elum.
Big Physical Difficulty
On account of the elevation of
Lake Gle Elum 1.-THE present surveyed
canal of the kittitas High line is not
available TO carry water from that
lake. If the canal is lowered the
Kittitas High line project will lose
10000 acres. This loss of 10000
acres, MIR. scudder said, was only ap-
parent for two reasons one of them
being that the recla nation service has
discovered a new reservoir site in the
Teansway which will provide water
for the 10000 acres lost under the
other plan and for an additional TO-
900 acres. Moreover. under the con-
struction of the High Line canal as
whole it was intended to furnish
power, from d drop in the canal in
the Mckee. to raise water for the
acreage left out in the upper country.
Want Work as While
The government controls the stor-
age, Mr.. Scudder said, and should
make some effort to see that the work
of development is done as a whole,
for the good of the entire country,
to permanently exclude a portion of
the acreage from development. Mr..
Scudder's statement was supple
mented by communication from
Christian Anderson the engineer who
surveyed the High Line project. Mr..
Anderson pointed out that the storage
of the three lakes viii give total Of
77S,000 acre feet. In addition there
is 1874 900 acre feet stored in the
Dumping Lake, McAllister Meadows
and Pleasant valley areas and this is
reduced by $500 for the Cascade
canal The acreage to be watered he
figured al total of 457. eco divided as
follows Kittitss. $1,000; High Line,
200. 900; Tieton, $4,000; Sunnyside.
$1,000; Wapato, 10000. The Sun
nyside country is entitled to a natural
flow from the river for $1,000 acres
and the Wapato TO natural flow for
q. 900 acres. If the Benton unit is
watered by gravity from the Yakima
river it will reduce by 100, 00o acres
the area under the High line but il
watered by power as provided in the
High Line plans, with water from the
Columbia river. now wasted, it makes
available 100000 acres under the
High Line which otherwise would re-
main permanently idle. This use OF
the entire acreage and of the, at pres
emit waste flow of the Cclum ba
comes mighty close, MFR. Anderson
said. to conservation of the national
and natural resources
Secretary Talkative
Secretary Fisher. much to the sur
80, ..Ea l..