White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1928-07-20
POWER COMPANY OFFICIALS
VISIT PRIEST RAPIDS


Rapids has started rumors again that
| the development Of that site is i'm
minent. Sam Allard, operator of the
power plant there, says the party
came there and ate lt:Ieir lunch G.
the lawn, looked over the plant and
the location of the proposed dam
above the present plant and asked "a
few general questions. They offered
no reason for their visit and Nv
,Allard said he did not have any oc-
easion to inquire. the purpose Of the
inspection.
The party also drove to White
Bluffs and Hanford and left here in
, the evening for Wenatchee.
The visit may have been, as has
, been claimed, only an inspection tour
of power projects in the northwest,
both developed an uiadeveloped, but
there are many things tnat lead to
the belief that the building of the
, dam at Priest Rapids will not be
much longer dels-rd. Chief amor
these is the fact that the last ex-
tension of time under the law has
Seen granted to the present lessee,
The Washington Irrigation & De-
velopment company, and will expire
In March. 1929. Only an act of Con-
"ress could rive furthAf time in whic'-
to start development. In their present
frame of mind it lis exceedingly
doubtful that the members of Con-
gress could be inducel. to pass such
an act.
Regarding the visit Of the officials
in the west at this time the Spokes-
man. Review Of the 18th, says:
Frank Sillinan Jr., of New York,
vice president of the Electric Bond
and Share company arrived last
night by automobile from Wallace,
Idaho, on an inspection of the
properties of the Montana Power
company and the Washington
Water Power company Mrs. Sill
man had preceded him to the Dav-
enport, where the party will make
its headquarters wElile in this ter
ritory.
With Mr. sillinaan are &C. P. Bill
ings, of the general offices of the
Electric Bond and Share company
New York; and A. g. clogher 81
engineer for the company Mr.. and
MIR. Kerr is manager of the Mon
the party to Spokane. M. w. Biz
hett, vice president and general
manager; F. T. Post, General coun-
sci, and " H. Gresser, chief en-.
gineer, and Captain r. B. Childs, of
the commercial department, formed
a party of Washington Water Pow
er company officials, that Joined
Mr.. Silliman yesterday at Thomp-
son Falls, and will. accompany him
over the rest Of his, inspection tour.
This morning the sfa$tye will. visit
Priest Rapids on the Columbia, and
Wenatchee, where they will spend
the night. From there they will
go to Chelan, the Okanogan, Grant
county, Long Lake, Little Falls,
and other plants of the company
CAS- mean to be with you some
time on this visit, I would rather
be excused from makir~ any state
ments at this time" said Mr.. Silh-
man, when asked if further ac-
quisitions by the Electric Bond and
Share or the American Power and
Light comHany in the northwest
included the rumored purchase of
the Puget Sound Power and Light
company.
"When I was here last spring, I
told you that we would come back
for an extensive inspection of the
properties of the Washing
Water Power company. We are now
engaged on that job. and it will
require some time. This thing of
riding in an automobile all day and
part of the night is very tire
some. So far we have been much
pleased with what we have seen."
The members of Mr.. Sillimans party
said that if he were to make any
statements as to the Puget Sound
Power and Light company i,urnors
t'iy: he would deny them. A year
ago the name of the Electric Bond
and Share corrnapv w. linked with
the prospective development OF
Priest Rapids then talked of as an
early possibility. This is, the pro-
fect of the late Henry F. Pierce. and
he was reputed to have obtained
Electric Bond and Share support.
The visit there today bv tie New
York party was said to be for edu-
caticnal purposes to see wat the
site looked like. With the owner
ship of large group of power COM
panies in the northwest it has been
pointed out that the Priest Rapids
project could be used as a great
power reservoir for all of these
companies.