The ranch., June 15, 1907, Image 1

About The ranch. (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914

Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA

                
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VOL. XXIV. NO. 12.
GOVERNMENT'S TIETON CANAL PROJECT IN YAKIMA VALLEY
THE RANCH is enabled to give its
readers a comprehensive description
of the great Tieton canal project
undertaken by the federal government
for the watering of a very large area of
the finest lands in the far-famed
Yakima valley. Through the courtesy
of the Pacific Builder and Engineer, of
Seattle, we have secured the data given
below, and the illustrations showing
details of the construction have been
very kindly loaned us by the Builder
and Engineer.
The Tieton project has been in con
templation by the government for up
wards of three years, but until the fed
eral authorities secured absolute con
trol of the various private irrigation
works in the Yakima valley nothing
certain could be said as to its ultimate
outcome. Last fall the government
took over by purchase all the private
interests in canal construction in the
valley, and immediately work was
commenced on the most important of
the new works —the Tieton irrigation
project, "through this project the ir
rigation of 24,000 acres will be ac
complished, this body of soil lying
west and north of the city of North
Yakima. The water supply will be de
rived from the Tieton river at a point
about sixteen miles above the junction
of the Tieton with the Naches river.
The Tieton river drains nearly 300
square miles of mountainous country
on the eastern slope of the Cascade
mountains. Some of the highest peaks
of the range are included in its water-
shed, and its supply, especially during
the summer, is derived to a large ex
tent from the melting snows. The
summer flow of the river is, therefore,
generally well maintained, and it is
seldom that less than 350 second feet
of water is flowing in its bed even
during the driest months.
The lower part of the course of the
Tieton lies in a particularly bold and
rugged gorge or canyon, which in
some places is more than two miles
across, but which in general is less
than a mile in width. The sides of this
canyon are frequently precipitous but
always are steep and rugged, the aver
age slope of the sides seldom being
less than 60 vertical to 100 horizontal
which any one familiar with engineer
ing methods will appreciate is a par
ticularly steep slope for canal work.
In order to divert the water from the
Tieton river onto the irrigable lands
It has been found necessary by the gov
ernment to build a canal along the
southern wall of the canyon for a dis
tance of 12 or 13 miles. By this means
a gravity supply can be delivered at
the highest point of the irrigable lands
which in quality and quantity will be
ample for all purposes of irrigation
within the project. Unfortunately, the
natural obstacles in the way of build
ing a canal in the Tieton canyon are
=uch that the cost of the main canal
will be very high in proportion to the
general cost of the project and as com
pared with other works where cheap
canals are feasible. The construction
of this canal involves the cutting of
upwards of three miles of tunnel
through solid rock, and practically all
the rest of the canal work will consist
of a masonry section.
The plans for the diversion dam are
snown on drawing No. 2, the structure
itself consisting of a masonry spillway
founded on rock-fllled timber crib work,
the whole being 150 feet long, banked
WENATCHEE, WASHINGTON, JUNE 15, 1907.
at botli ends with masonry abutments.
The headgates of the canal are three
in number, of cast iron, operated by
means of steel stems and lifting de
vices, the whole supported by a mas
sive reinforced concrete structure.
The cross section of the canal is
best shown on drawing No. 3, which
shows both sections in earth, rock and
also the various tunnel sections it is
proposed to build. The general design
of this canal is a wide departure from
common practice, as the channel itself
will be formed of short sections of re
inforced masonry. These sections will
be two feet in length and" it is pro
posed to have them built in the bot
tom of the canyon and transported
thence to the site of the canal either by
means of cableways or inclined tracks.
After being hauled to position in the
canal each section will be carefully
placed in its exact position, thoroughly
bedded and back-filled and the joint
between it and the adjoining sections
made in cement. It has been estimated
that a stronger and probably cheaper
canal can be built by this means than
by any other method save a wooden
flume. In the long run a wooden flume
is not economical, although its first
cost would be less than a masonry
lined canal like the one under con
sideration. Experience has shown that
a wooden flume requires practically en
tire renewal once every twelve or fif
teen years, so that a permanent ma
sonry section in the long run offers
DRAWING NO. 2—SHOWING THE DIVERSION DAM OF THE TIETON PROJECT.
taeater economy than does the appar
ently cheaper wooden structure.
The tunnel through solid rock will
be generally lined with circular shapes
as shown on the cut No. 3. Very lit
tle earth canal will be used In the en
tire work, the total length being less
than one-half mile. The masonry lined
canal will be laid on a steep grade,
and velocity of water will run from
nine feet per second for the open canal
to twelve and one-half feet per second
for the tunnel work.
The construction of this canal will
be mostly undertaken by the govern
ment itself without the intervention
or assistance of any contractor, ex
cepting that the manufacture and
placing of the concrete shapes will be
performed by contract, which contract
has been aw rarded to Mr. T. Weisberg
er, of North Yakima. Both the gov
ernment and Mr. Weisberger are at
the present time organizing construc
tion work and are proposing to develop
for this purpose a considerable water
power in the Tieton river, no less than
300 horse power being required by the
government for driving the headings
in the long tunnel and upwards of 200
horse power being required by the con
tractor for motive power in his part
of the work. The government will
shortly install a powerful air com
pressor plant, belt connected with the
water wheels, to furnish air to' the
various tunnel headings. In addition,
it is expected that considerable elec
tric power will be generated and trans
mitted to more distant parts of the
work, as well as to be used for gen
eral motive power and hoisting in other
localities. Bids for supplying this ex
tensive plant are now being received,
and it is hoped during the next few
months the plant will be successfully
installed and placed in operation.
RELEASES LAND FROM RESERVE
Tracts of land aggregating nearly
one billion acres in the national forests
in Washington. Oregon, California and
Wyoming have just been released from
temporary withdrawal by the interior
department, at the request of the forest
sevice. This action has been taken in
order to readjust the boundaries of the
50c per Year; 5c the Copy.
national forests so as to include land
chiefly valuable for forest purposes. The
tracts just released in the states named
will be opened to settlement late In
July and to entry a month later. In
the last two months tracts aggregating
nearly three million acres have been
released at the request of the forest
service.
The releases which have just be?n
made include 133,120 acres of land
adjacent to the San Jacinto national
forest, San Diego county, California;
247,280 acres adjoining the Washington
national forest, Washington; 98,560
acres adjacent to the Mt. Rainier na
tional forest in Cowl.tz, Clarke ar.'l
Skamania counties, Washington; 28,440
acres from the Medicine Bow national
forest in Wyoming and Colorado, and
478,760 acres adjacent to the Cascades
and Heppner national forests in Mor
row Umatilla and Grant counties Ore
gon.
During the past winter and spring
the forest service has had a force of
men in the field readjusting bound
aries of the national forests and in
accordance with the policy of the forest
service all land which is suitable for
other purposes is now being excluded.
Scattered all through the national
forests are many agricultural lands,
most small and narrow and more or less
isolated so that their elimination is im
practicable. Settlement is encouraged
in these lands, which are open to home
steaders under the act of June 11, 1906.
This act provides for the homesteading
of agricultural land in the national
forests and is being generally taken
advantage of for that purpose. Stock
men and ranchers are not slow in
realizing the benefit of residence in
national forests and in many cases peti
tions have been recHved by the tonM
service for furfher extension of their