East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1907-08-29

City councilmen now have under
year, the proposition of constructing a
dyke along the river at the head of
yakima avenue, says the yakima Re-
public. During the last heavy floods
the river changed its course at this
point and the water swept over the
land doing great damage to property.
The same trouble will occur again
when the river reaches the same
height and the absence of dyke
practically renders worthless some of
the most valuable garden and orchard
land near the city.
1t will be remembered that when
the floods occurred the wooden sewer
pipe Of the city, which lies along
Yakima avenue to the river, was torn
up by the water and 1t still lies, In
small sections, scattered for a mile
or so over the country. No effort has
been made to collect the scattered
sections, and the last section of pipe
left in position by the floods appar-
emily acts as a drain for the city,
pouring water into a swamp by the
new bridge at the end OF the avenue.
This section lying just east of the
avenue proper and along the river
banks appears to have been very
much neglected by the authorities. 1t
is naturally an attractive and valua-
BILE section, but 1t seems to have be-
come a dumping ground for rubbish.
Lying Just outside the city limits the
town will naturally grow eastward
to the river and something should be
done, from an aesthetic as well as a
sanitary standpoint, to clean the place
up and protect it from the inroads of
the river.
The valuable orchard of Thompson
& Stein, at the head of the avenue,
has been well protected by dyke put
in by the owners. This dyke adjoins
the city and private property to the
north along which the dyke must be
constructed. The cost of the work
would be inconsiderable and the own
ers of property affected have made,
1t is understood, generous offer to
the city in respect to the cost of the
undertaking. There are in all about
1900 feet of dyking required, and Mr..
Thompson, who built his dyke by day
labor and under his own direction,
estimates the cost at less than 81 per
foot.
The city council last spring practi-
cally let a contract for the construc-
ton of the dyke but for some reason
the work never was done. The grad
ing of Yakima avenue, from Ninth
street east also was promised the
residents of this section, but except
for a bridge over the swamp caused
by the drainage Of the broken sewer
pipe the city has not carried out its
undertaking.
The dyke constructed by Thompson
& Stein to protect their 35-acre or
chard is built with rocks, sand and
willow twigs and the manner In which
1t held up against the big floods of
last season shows that its construction
is correct. The firm secured advice
from the engineers of the reclamation
service before building the dyke The
principal point in the construction
work is that the willow twigs are laid
head downwards and the little
branches take root and, growing In
between the stones and stringers
maks a strong defense against all at
| tack by the water.
| That there is considerable land
available for the finest gardens and
orchards in this section is clear tc
any person who visits it, but natural
ly nobody will plant trees with no as
surance that the river will not raise
and sweep them all out Mr.. Thomp
son, who has a splendid crop of pears
and apples this year, expresses th'
opinion that the land there is bette
than Mob Hill for orchards and al
inspection of his trees, and especial!
of an 1S-months-old orchard adjoin
ing the old orchard seems to confirm
the statement.