The Railroad That Became a Levee

Diking matters in Calispel Diking District No. 2, which apparently have been at a standstill for some time, are now taking definite shape, and the chances are that by the beginning of next spring the territory included in the district will be amply protected against the encroachments of the flood waters of the Pend Oreille.

There was filed at the last meeting of the county commissioners a petition of a number of freeholders, whose land was not included in the original boundaries of the district, asking that their holdings be included. The petition is signed by E. N. Jones and wife, Alfred O. Onesrud and wife, J. W. Cusick, Geo. H. Jones and wife, Panhandle Investment Co. and the Idaho & Washington Northern railroad.

The petition sets forth that the Idaho & Washington Northern railroad has agreed with the diking commissioners of Calispel Diking District No. 2 that if the district will construct at its own expense a concrete culvert along the channel of the Calispel river and passing through and under the railroad bridge of said company across the river, that the railroad company will replace its present bridge with a solid fill of earth and stone, which will operate as a dike against the flood waters of the Pend Oreille, which now flow up the channel of the Calispel river during high water and overflow the lands included in the diking district.

The whole of the embankment now formed by the construction of the Idaho Washington Northern railroad as it extends through sections 19, 30 and 31, in township 33 north, range 44, together with the aforesaid culvert with gates, will constitute the dike to protect all the lands within the district from the Pend Oreille overflow.

The northern terminus of the dike will be the north end of the Calispel bridge, and the southern terminus the point where the I. W. N. crosses the east line of section 31. All of said dike is already constructed, and the only expense to be assessed against the lands in the whole district is the construction of the culvert and gates in the Calispel river.

The county commissioners ordered a hearing held at Colville on Monday, August 22, at which time the county commissioners will be asked to establish and define the boundaries of Calispel Diking District No. 2, to ascertain the number of acres of land that will be benefited, and to order the construction of said improvement in all respects.

The boundaries of the district will be slightly enlarged by the acceptance of this petition, and the carrying out of the plan as presented in the petition will bring about the diking of the district at a minimum expense. The waters of the Calispel, which are at a normal stage by the time the Pend Oreille gets high, will then be pumped out, and a large area of valuable land reclaimed for agricultural purposes.