The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1933-06-22
PEAK OF HIGH
WATERS PASSED
ON. COLUMBIA
Richland Flats Flooded as
Water Pours Thru Culvert;
Farmers Frantically Dig
Spuds as Water Spreads

with SLOW but steady drop or
flood waters, residents along the
banks of the Columbia and Yakima
rivers were today giving sighs of
relief after three weeks Of record
high waters threatening their
homes and property.
Over 1000 acres Of farm and
pasture lands on Claybelle flats
were flooded Saturday night aft
err the waters broke thru the main
Richland highway. The high road
banks had been acting as q dixie
to keep the waters of both the
swollen Yakima and Columbia
rivers from reaching the farm
community. Culverts had been
damned off and the break occur
red when the water had cut into
the road shoulder and broke thru
along side of one of the culverts
with a roar. All available county
road equipment and crews were
rushed to the scene and an effort
made to fill the gap with sand
bags, but the fill was not made un-
til the water had reached river
level on the flats and the rush-
ing current brought to stand
still. Sunday afternoon the break
had been sufficiently filled to al
low one way motor traffic.
Sunday morning early was a
scene of desperate work for Clay
belle residents at they rushed into
the task of removing their live
stock and poultry to higher
grounds, while the farm house,
wives removed household effects
and stored furnishings on the up
per floors of their homes. Farm
ers were soon working in water
waist deep and worked frantically
in an effort to dig new potatoes
and other early crops before they
were completely claimed by the
yellow tide of flood waters. On one
ranch it was observed that a wall
of water almost a foot high rolled
into a potato field right behind a
group who were picking up pota-
toes behind a digging machine,
while at still another place tenn
porary dixie was being thrown
a farm home to keep the waters
out. Many acres of pasture lands
represented what might be a pic
turesque lake If it had not been
for the top of an occasional fence
post or the upper branches of will
low trees waving from the ripping
crest.
Further down stream along the
Columbia other farm lands have
been covered and highway crew
has kept a constant vigil at the
KennewickIPasco highway bridge
span to keep drift wood from col
lecting around the bridge piers. A
good portion of the Benton Frank
lin fair grounds is under water and
the caretaker's family stationed
there, were forced to move from
their small home as the river
arose around the house.
1t has been estimated that 1000
acres Of lands have been flooded
by the swollen streams, and dam
age of $35, 900 will be suffered by
farmers and other property hold
ers.
However, the flood has not been
detriment to everyone as many
local folk have accumulated huge
piles of drift wood for winter
fuel. In many places wood has
been carried into the banks by
the swirling current and wood
catch booms have not been neces-
sary. Early this week newspaper
men were called uponfto believe or
not, a story of whole island be-
ing swept down the Columbia. At
ter investigation it was found that
a high bank further upstream had
been undermined and enough trees
and brush was clinging to the
earth to keep the mass afloat.
A couple of Garden Tracts res