White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1931-04-30
Half Million In
Damages To Be
Asked In Suit
Pow or Companies Charged
With Conspiracy by
Landowners Here

Landowners Here
A suit charging conspiracy on the
part of the American Power & Light
company and other affiliated corpor-
ations to deprive land owners in the
Priest Rapids valley of their water
rights and asking for $532,150 in
damages was filed in federal court
in Yakima Tuesday by the Hanford
Irrigation and Power Company, rep
resenting forty-seven individual own
ers, according to news story pub
lished in Tuesday evenings Yakima
Republic. c. w. Fristoe of Prosser
and ]. L. Mitchell of Yakima are at
torneys for plaintiffs.
The defendants include the Ameri-
can Power & Light Company, The
Black Rock Power & Irrigation Conn.,
pany, Consumers Ditch Company, the
Electric Bonds & Shares Company,
the Washington Irrigation & Develop
ment Company, the Pacific Power &
Light Company and the Colorado
Title & Trust Company, all Of which,
it is claimed, are inter-related or SUBJ
sid;ary corporations to the American.
Continuing, the Republic article
says:
"The plaintiff corporation con-
structed the irrigation system in 1908
and to carry out it's program borrow
ed money from the American Power
& Light Company, giving a first
mortgage. The plaintiff also sold
large amount Of land, including that
owned by claimants in the present
action. The irrigation venture did not
prove the financial success anticipat-
ed, the complaint set IS forth, so an
action was begun and in March 1915
the property was sold by the receiver
to Henry K. T. Lyons.
"Power and light rights were con-
viewed by Lyons to the Black Rock
Power & Irrigation Co., the ditch
rights to the Consumers. Ditch Co.,
and the land rights to the Agathon
Land Co. Before the sale Of the prop
erty by the receiver to Lyons, acting
as agent for the American Power &
Light Company, the defendant cor
porations conspired to relieve the
Hanford company or it's successors
from delivering water to the land
for irrigation purposes, it is claimed.
"The defendant companies further
conspired to have the Black Rock
Power and Irrigation company bring
an action in Federal court for the
express purpose of relieving the COM
pany of the obligation to furnish
water for irrigation purposes, it is
because of the conspiracy and
concerted actions of the defendant
and Lyons, the failure to
deliver a sufficient amount of water
for irrigation and domestic purposes,
the constant decrease in acreage un-
der the ditch due to separation OF
water rights from the land, the un-
and unreliability Of service
rendered, the excessive and continued
increase in costs Of maintenance and
continued litigation, the atural growth
IF the Hanford and White Bluffs dis
trict has been greatly retarded, it is
alleged.
"A further result of the alleged
has been that the land
values have decreased and market
value of lands in the vicinity is about
nil, it is claimed Not only has the
credit of the settlers been destroyed,
,ut the sale of all improved property
has been destroyed by reason of the
conspiracy and continued litigation,
he complaint recites.
"Among those joining in the action
against the defendant corporations
IRE E. p Koontz, M. F. O'Brien, D. =.
Malone, Ed Peterson, Ida Krug, David
Hartman, George F. Wagner, Chas.
Mack, Grace E. Cox, Helen w. Sheble.
Yrs. Nina Heidemann, Carl Heide-
mann, Theodore A. Spratlen, John
Griffith, Leo w. Bell, Mrs. M. e.
ovens, E. w. Meard, w. S. Weber,
Bert Riegle, Elizabeth Grant, Mary
:. Fonda, Charles L. Stewart.
w. F. Roberts, C. A. Larson, Daisy
J. H. Gruetzmacher,
Mrs. Emma A. Root, C. Derigio. B.
,alvini, Mrs. j. M. Clark, Albert
Irell Genevieve Rienhart, ]. B. Har-
'ey, Mamie E. Syfford, William Kerr,
Tohn Loson, Mark Whelan, Mrs. Paul
kolar, Mrs. C. E. Briggs, Secondo
Jarsi, James Colsa, D. G. Buckholdt,
". F. Waldorf, Charles r. Pierson."
Up until Wednesday evening, no
UGH case had been filed, according
O word received from the federal