White River Valley Farmers Rise Against Federal Engineer
Local ranchers threaten to take matters into their own hands as a canal project triggers fears of catastrophic flooding.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Farmers in the White River valley are in open revolt against United States Engineer John Millis of Seattle. Millis has closed the gate to the East Waterway, a canal being constructed between the Sound and Lake Washington. The farmers claim that Millis had promised to leave the gate open to allow for gradual drainage, but instead has closed it for the winter, despite warnings from engineers that the pressure from dozens of incoming creeks could cause the gate to burst. Having grown tired of broken promises, the farmers have organized to appeal directly to the Secretary of War and are prepared to take legal or direct action to protect their land from another deluge.
“The farmers have grown tired of the promises of Major Millis and that they now propose to take the matter in their own hands.”
This event reflects the high-stakes conflict between federal infrastructure projects and local agricultural interests—a recurring dynamic in Washington's history of managing the state's intricate water systems.
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