White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1933-01-12
HOW IRRIGATION
CAME TO VALLEY
Continued from last week.


tain preferred claims, and the amount
in the outstanding bonds with inter-
est. There were no bidders at the first
sale, whereupon the court ordered the
sold for an amount TO pay
only the receivership costs.
At this point it is interesting to know
something about the wording OF the
decree under which the property was
ordered sold, particularly with respect
to the protection which the Court
gave to the Hanford water right own
ers. Contrary to general belief, the
Court at this time did not attempt to
define the rights of the Hanford wa
ter right owners, but ordered the pro-
perty sold subject to the existing rights,
whatever they might be. 1t will be of
interest to quote the paragraph, be-
cause, if the Court had defined the
rights at that time, no doubt much
subsequent litigation would have been
avoided. The decree reads as follows:
"Par. 1t is further Ordered, Adj
judged and Decreed, that all of the
property rights and assets, franchises
and rights in and to property of every
kind and description in which said
company has any interest. shall be
sold free and clear of every demand
and claim whatsoever of said defend
ants, or any of them and all persons
claiming or to claim, by, through, or
under them, or any of them, save and
except that the property and fran
chises described in subdivisions ID,
az, 90, (31a), 90, and d0) or par.
priest Rapids and Coyote plant
and lands and Priest Rapids Coyote
transmission line) of this decree shall
be sold subject to all the existing rights
of the owners of the hereinafter de-
scribed premises, their heirs, execu-
| tors, administrators and assignees under
either their contracts or deeds from
the Hanford Irrigation 81 Power Com
pany, or it's Receiver, but in accord
ance with and subject to the terms
and conditions of said contracts OF
deeds, it being the intention that sale
property, after the sale hereunder shall
+, be subject to said rights to the extent
that and as said rights may now exist
in or against said property in the
hands of the Hanford Irrigation &
Power Company, said premises being
particularly described as follows: III
then goes on to describe the Hanfore
water right lands)."
The property was finally brought ul
| for sale the second time to cover only
the cost of the receivership, when i
was sold to Henry K. T. Lyons of Den
YER, Colorado, for the sum of $4,000
which was sufficient to cover not onl.
receivership costs but the outstanding
bonds as we'll.
1t developed later that Mr.. Lyon
was representing the American Powe
& Light company interests, which com
pany still had hopes of working GU
the Hanford problem whereby tn
Priest Rapids lands could be used a
part of the large water power de
velopment then contemplated.
Commencing with the irrigation sea
son of 1915, and after he had acquire
the Hanford properties, Henry K.
Lyons operated them for about
month when, through H. Alexande
) Smith, an attorney of Colorado Spring
Colorado, three companies were organ
lied, the Black Rock Power g. Irri
CATION company, the Consumers Ditc
company, and the Agathon Land com
pany. The Priest Rapids power pre-
perties, the transmission lines frol
Priest Rapids to Hanford and tF
branch line to the Coyote pumpir
; station, the pumping plant and tt
electric distribution lines in the Weir
ity of Hanford, were decided to tt
> Black Rock company. The irrigatic
canal and laterals were transferred
the Consumers Ditch company and IL
unsold Hanford company lands, tt
mortgages, contracts and all other a
sets purchased at the receivership sa
by Mr.. Lyons, were turned over to tt
Agathon Land company.
The purpose of organizing the thr
companies was to divide the proper
in anticipation of reaching settl
y ment with the water right owne,
- whereby they would release any clair
they might have in the Priest Rapi
property in exchange for perpetu
contract, either for water pumped In
p the Hanford canal or for power wi
which to do the pumping. Offers we
- made to the water right owners t
y general plan being to turn over t
- unsold lands and contracts held by t
+ Agathon Land company, and giving t
water right owners the irrigation S,
tenn, the power system to be bound
20 perpetual contract to supply water
Ia power for pumping. None of these pls
q. (Please turn to page 81