Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1911-10-14
DRAINAGE ON
PEND O'REILLE
Prof. Elliott Gives Out Some Interesting
Facts on the Drainage Of the
Pend D'0reille River.
FIRST CROP PAYS ASSESSMENT
The Soil Bears No Comparison to the
Kootenai Valley.

e. K. Elliott, chairman of the
Board of Drainage Commissioners
for Dist. No. 5, made trip to Sand
point and Spokane this week in the
interest of the drainage work. Prof.
Elliott is deeply interested in the
organization of the new district No.
6. for whichsthe petition for organi-
cation is now before the County
Commissioners, and spent some
time in getting the matter properly
before the board. While on this
trip he also stopped at Newport
and went down the Pend d'Oreille
to Cusick to look over the drainage
projects which have just been COM
plotted near that town. In speaking
of his tip Prof. Elliott was very
enthusiastic over the results which
have been secured in these drain
age districts, and believes equally
as good can be secured here in the
Kootenai Valley.
1.-THE work on the Pend o'Reille,'
stated Mr.. Elliott was really
started by the building of the Idaho
q Washington Northern r. r.
which follows the river bank. The
railroad grade was placed about
two feet higher than the high
water overflow mark and in itself
constitutes a dixie between the
overlooked lands and the river. A
few farmers in the neighborhood Of
the station called Locke went ir
together and built an expensive
dixie, which inclosed only sbon;
1000 acres. 1t cost them $40 pei
acre, but the good results we're i'm
mediate and most satisfactory
Metcalf brothers, who owned land
in the district, grew over l4,00C
bushels of oats on their holdings
this year, which enabled them Il
pay their share of the cost of tn,
dixie with the one crop alone.
adjoining this small project il
is tract of $500 which was organ
lied into drainage district two
years ago. They built two diket
about four miles apart, running
from the railroad back to the foot
hills. One of these followed thu
bank of Tacoma creek, and thu
other started at the mouth OF tn
Calispel river. These dikes wer
difficult to construct and are from
to II or more feet high. South of tn
Calispel river is still larger tract
amounting to some 1000 acres
which it was thought could not b.
reclaimed on account of the diff
Guilty of taking care of the overflow
of the river when the Pend o'Reill
was at flood stage and backing a.
the water in the smaller stream
This entire area was reclaimed il
the simplest possible manner.
"The 1. & Wn. K. r. offered t
fill in their trestle across the mout
of the Calispel, provided the Ian
owners would put in proper cor
crete gates and dams and provid
suita bic pumping plant to lift th
water when the floods were high i
the larger river. Many ridicule
the plan but second drainage dis
trict was formed and the engineer
succeeded in carry ing it out to pei
lection On account of delay i
construction the high water ha
risen go high before the pump
could be put into action that ii
water covered the concrete toundI
ton, and threatened to undermir
the plant. The dam, too, had bee
built during freezing weather. an
leaked badly and the entire syste'
was in an incomplete state. !
spite of all these difficulties Il
pumps, which have capacity