The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-06-25

Whistler said in his opinion and from
the observations which he made while
On the grounds the flood of Sunday
evening was not caused by a cloud
burst but by heavy rainfall over
and following Balm creek This was
one of the peculiarities and might not
happeL again in a thousand years
The storm seemed to center over that
little canyon and to add TO its de-
structive force as the water rushed
down the creek bed the storm trav-
eied with it. This brought great
food of water into Willow creek just
above Heppner with the sad result.
The rain fall was not extraordinary.
It has been equalled many times and
many places in the United States.
But it was the peculiar lay of the land
that caused the great food down Will
low creek The territory over which
this rainfall occurred is drained By
shall creeks and canyons cOnverging
lust above Heppner Here the flood
waters were turned into Willow creek
so RAPIDLY that the river bed was
overlooked. By erecting levees as
above proposed this volume Of water
would be confined between the banks
and even should it overflow the eX-
tent of damage would almost be nOta-
ing.
Mr.. Whistler says in regard to the
Heppner disaster. that while facts can
in no way detract from the awful de-
structon of lives and property, it IS
of interest to note that in no place
outside the creek banks was the water
more than six feet deep at its high
est and in no place where houses
stood over five feet deep. This seems
in view Of statements Of
reliable witnesses that it was from
20 feet to as high as 80 feet.
Careful cross sections at different
rcints in Heppner, Lexington. On
Balm creek and on Willow Green
above Balm Creek show - per cent
81 the flood to have come down Balm
Creek. The area Of rainfall seems
to have been a strip down Balm
Creek 10 II miles long and from
to four miles wide.
The amount of water passing
through Heppner is estimated to have
been about 100 acre feet or al
amour, equal TO : foot depth Of water
over 100 acres. This agrees favor
ably Withr the amount estimated 70
have come down Balm creek and.
with allowance for waters left II
the flats below Heppner, agrees Wei
W.Ch the estimated discharge at Lex
lnstOn, and at Heppner Junction.
Assuming that the section preclp--
tatiOn passed through Heppner. inc
total amounts to about 1000 acre lerl'
Taking the area of storm as /"
square miles (it can hardIy be iesSj
this amounts to ~ inches IN dtplA
over the whole area Of rainfall lA.'
though a very heavy precipitation =
by no means unprecedented III MOST
any region in the United States.
It seems that the high water anu
the resulting destructiveness was o"s
more to the fact that the storm lllo'5t
down Balm creek with the no" VI
water in the valley.
Excessive run-off in these regions
is due to the rugged character o. ~.
and to the almost ul'7'
lack of vegetation on the upIanuS.
1t is of interest to note that w =
the fall of over so feet to the n.t .
which Heppner has a channel ~ leT
wide on bottom. 100 feet wide on !og
and 10 feet deep would have carr
the maximum flood provided II WEI.
not damned by drift In any ga" "a,
with such a channel, the food "ou,r
probably have done very little II aN'
damage.