White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1932-12-29

in the Priest Rapids valley, particu-
larly as ii applies to the project now
owned and operated by the Priest
Rapids Irrigation District.
While the launching and operation
of the two pumping plants at White
Bluffs-the White Bluffs Land q 1rrl-
cation company and the White Bluffs
Irrigation company-had only an lndl-
rect bearing on the history of the
larger irrigation project, they were
closely identified with the early days
of White Bluffs and should be in
Guided in any history of the valley.
They will be covered in a later chap
ter.
1t was the intent of the directors of
the Hartford company first to construct
it's power plant, transmission line to
!Coyote Rapids, the pumping station
and irrigation canal, and, after the irri-
cation and power project was we'll UNI
der way, to extend electric lines to
towns as far away as Connell, Pasco,
Prosser and other points, enlarging
the Priest Rapids power plant as fast
as new power business developed.
Many tracts in the vicinity of Han
ford and White Bluffs were sold at
from 10000 to 100000 per acre with
water rights, and the settlers began
the clearing of their lands and the
construction of buildings. In those
days, with so much land cleared and
plowed but not yet under full irriga-
ton, it required only light wind to
stir up heavy clouds of dust and sand,
which greatly discomfitted the new
settlers. many of whom had never lived
in an arid country. If space permitted,
there are many stories that could be
related of the courage and stick to-it-
iveness of these early settlers and their
families.
The Hanford Company, in order to
interest its stockholders in acquiring
lands and developing them, had offered
to each stakeholder having ten or more
shares, the right to select ten acres of
land for each ten shares held by pay
ing $1,000 per acre for the land and $50
per acre for the water right. In all,
some 300 acres were sold to stock
holders of the Hanford Company, but
only small number were developed
by them, due to various reasons. Some
of the outstanding developments on
the part of the old Hanford Company
stockholders are the Hanford, the
deVeuve, the Bleakley ranches, and
| others.
! With the construction of the two
pumping plants at White Bluffs COM
pleted in 1909, water was turned onto
the lands and young orchards. The
Hanford Company had counted on de-
livery of water for the season Of 1908,
but was unable to carry out the plan,
due to heavy losses by seepage in the
section of the Hanford canal between
the pumping station and point west
of the Tanning ranch.
AS many orchards had been planted,
anticipating water in the summer OF
| 1908, there resulted much loss in young
trees and other crops. Certain of the
owners of young orchards under the
Hanford canal carried on through the
| 1908 irrigation season by watering
their trees from barrels, buckets and
tank wagons. Many of the settlers
threatened suit against the Hanford
Company, all of which were settled by
the company's paying the loss of trees
and crops.
With the power plant and pumping
station ready to operate, there was a
great deal of concern among the di-
| rectors of the company because the
| irrigation canal did not carry water.
J They had assumed that the project
would be completed by the spring of
1908 and had anticipated no difficulty
in the delivery of water that year.
The company had used most of the
money collected from the sale of COM
mon stock and bonds, as we'll as that
from payments for the purchase of
lands. 1t still owed sums on the pur-
chase price of it's power and pumping
machinery and to the contractor who
had constructed the power plant and
pumping station buildings. At the an
nual meeting of stockholders of the
Hanford company on September 81,
1908, it was determined that additional
capital was needed to meet unpaid
bills and for further construction Worl,
on the irrigation canal. Michael Earles
of Seattle, who through his Cascade
Construction Company had built the
power canal. the power plant building
and the pumping station, was small
stakeholder in the Hanford company
AS his construction company was the
principal creditor he took it upon him
self to reorganize the Hanford company
by increasing its capital stock from
S250,000 to S750,0 and by negotiating
for the sale of the remaining portion
of the per cent gold bonds of total
issue of 100000. Much of the increased
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