Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1915-08-06
HEARING SET
FOR OCTOBER
Monday Was Last Day for Filing OBJ
jections to Assessment of Drain
age District No. S
HOPE TO OVERCOME OBJECTIONS
Officials of District Believe Plans to
Reclaim Will Be Successful

trict No. 5 were filed with District
Judge Flynn at Standpoint who an
nounced that the date for the final
hearing would be set sometime during
the first week in October the hearing
to be held in Boundary county and
to be one of the first cases to come
before the District Court.
A number of property owners of
Drainage District No. 5 filed objec-
tons and several were present at the
convening of court, thinking that Mon
day was the day for the hearing
whereas it was merely the last day
for the filing of objections.
Charles H. leighton, attorney for
the district, stated today that he be-
lieved the drainage commissioners
would be able to overcome the objec-
tons which have been raised, mas
much as the commissioners have acted
so far entirely upon the advice and
under the direction of Drainage En-
gineer Otto A. Weile, of Spokane, a
recognized drainage authority.
w. B. Hawkins, f. +. Elliott and
Mrs. E.. H. Wells are the commission
ers of Drainage District No. 5. In
speaking of the plans of the commits
sioners for the drainage of the dis
trict, Commissioner Hawkins had the
following to say today to the Herald
representative:
This district in Kootenai valley was
organized in 1911. The property
owners at that time were all in favor
of the reclamation project. Charles
G. Reeder, f. f. Elliott and W. b.
Hawkins were elected commissioners
and there were no objections by the
owners of the land in this district at
that time and the commissioners pro-
ceeded by organizing the board, choos-
ing a chairm-a and secretary, and
engaging an engineer to survey and
report on the feasibility and practic-
ability of our project.
This project contemplated first clos
ing the inlets, four in number; a sys-
tenn of drainage bitches to drain the
water to a central point and installing
power pump to raise the water out
of the bitches into the river when the
water was high, but with fioodgate
at this point to allow the water to go
off by gravity when below Is feet; TO
raise the bank to the uniform Level
of 80 feet, which requires about six
miles of levee or dyke. This dyke
would not exceed Az feet and rating
down to less than two feet.
After we had worked at this pro
ject and issued our warrants to the
amount of possibly $4,000, the law un
der which we were working was de
clared unconstitutional This put +;
stop to our work and at the sitting
of the legislature in 1918, new Law
A was passed and the commissioner
{ started again to do the work. TIL
aw was contested and was not de
'la~ed valid until the fall of 1914
. to late to do any work. In the sprin,
of 1915, the United States government
: ont t othe district a corps of en-
: gineers to go over the overflow land
: of the Kootenai valley and repor
Won the possibility of it's being re
claimed by widening the narrows u
in British Columbia, which is the out
d let of Kootenai river as it flows gu
of Kootenai lake.
r This, it was hoped, would simplif
= the drainage project. But in a tai
>, Il with Mr.. Jones, chief er
d gineer, he admitted the fact that eve
n if his corps of engineers reporte
favorably, all the work contemplate
to reclaim District No. would hav
= he done. except possibly the dyke
d This dyke, in project of this mas
" nitude, would be a small matter
d comparison to the other work ths
l. would have TO be done. The inlet
a would necessarily have to be stoppe'
s. the bitches would have to be mad
)e the pumping Plant would have to |
2, installed.
l. This project of re-claiming tt
l. Kootenai fats is very similar to Il
As reclamation of the lower Mississippi
< bottom, which was done successful
lie more than fifty years ago and Il
id owners of the land along the Missi
S. sippi made fortunes in raising cotto
Of | just want to say at this tin
L. that the Lord helps the man wi
r. helps himself. Let us proceed wi
lie the work Of Drainage District No.
at this time and firmly believe tn