The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1932-06-16
BIG BREAK is
REPAIRED AND
] WATER COMES
Deliveries Promised Friday;
Huge Job Rushed as Gov
eminent Man Takes Full
Charge of Job

Water was turned into the Col
mbia canal Wednesday morning,
isllowing the repairs made in the
lreak a week ago Friday morning.
some few deliveries are being
nade today, with the expectation
hat general deliveries may be
asde tomorrow-two weeks after
be break.
The break was in sandy hill
de several miles west of town
md was considered one of the
,orst the district has ever exper-
need. The bottom of the canal
i'ior q distance of $40 feet was torn
lat. while the side wall had a gap
ktween three and four hundred
bet long and forty feet deep wash
d out.
The work required the moving
Il between fifty and sixty thous-
md cubic yards of material, some
n which had to be handled three
md four times. The entire refill
las been made with puddled earth,
70 insure stability and the work
vas slowed up somewhat on this
rcount.
The bottom and sidewalks of the
rebuilt section have b e n clayed
md gravelled and is in first-class
shape.
For the past eight days work
has not ceased on the ditch, three
srews having been employed to get
the water back into the canal at
the earliest possible moment.
Pumps were installed and the
sidehill from which the material to
fill the huge gap was dampened
before the big power shovels and
draglines bit into it to dump into
the puddles in the bottom of the
hole. From here the dirt was drag
ged to build a well settled en-
bankment, upon which new ditch
was shaped. The work completed in
lie past week has been astounding
Z5 all who have viewed it.
Immediately following the break
the ditch officials apparently
failed to realize the enormity of
their task of repair. Teams an d
men were put upon the job, but by
Sunday morning it was decided to
call upon other experienced men.
Officials of the reclamation de-
partment consented to placing
B. E. Wilbert in charge of the re-
pairs, which the district directors
agreed to. Mr.. Wilbert took charge
Monday morning and by Tuesday
the work was well under way.
Assisting Mr.. Wilbert was ],
v. Brand, manager of the Kenne-
NICK system. Mr.. Wilbert's work,
Is well as that of Mr.. Brand, was
paid for by the Highlands district
md both men were interchangeable
on the job. Both men spent fiji
teen to eighteen hours a day on the
work, frequently missing their
meals. Mr.. Wilbert got but three
hours sleep for the first three
days, it is reported.
Tuesday afternoon Mr.. Wilbert
nported that his work would be
ufficiently completed that water
could be turned into the ditch by
midnight. Several citizens, much
Interested in seeing the water flow
lgain, went to the works to wit
hess the event. Trouble in the
gravel pit held up completion of
Tie job for couple of hours and
Twas between and a o'clock be-
iore the last shovelful was placed.
The directors, however, decided to
Fait until morning to let the water
\ = and it was after eight o'clock
Wednesday, before the temporary
Jam was taken out.
Owing to the extremely dry con-
dltion of the remainder of the
anal, only a small printing head
could be permitted to flow. Great
eare is being exercised in raising
ae head to prevent new break,
20 that the ditch level will not be
sufficiently high to make general
deliveries until some time tomor-
low. Some few places which get
Water from low weirs are being
Irrigated this afternoon, according
to Frank Maupin.