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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 1906)
THE MORNING OREGONEAN,- FRIDAY , NO VE3IBER, 16, 1900. OREGON FLOODS ARE SUBS Lull in Rainstorm and Colder Weather Checks Rise of Streams. MUCH DAMAGE REPORTED Railroad, Telephone and Telegraph Companies and Lumbermen Heav iest Sufferers Several North ern Pacific Bridges Out. Streams throughout the state -which have been swollen by the recent rain storms and the Chinook wind In the mountains are thought to have reached their highest point. Some have com menced to fall and the Willamette was stationary last night. It is probable that the river at Portland will commence to fall today. Except along the Lower Co lumbia, the danger from high -water Is thought to be over in Oregon. The colder weather yesterday seems to have checked the melting of the snow In the mountains and with the lessening of the rainfall, the streams Immediately re sponded and the floods began to subside. Trains are again running over the O. R. & N. to the East. The Southern Pacific to the South remains clear, but the Northern racific is unable to operate trains between Portland and the Sound because of damage to the main line in many places. Trains which left Portland yesterday for Tacoma were turned back to Kelso because oZ the washing out of the steel bridge across the Cowlitz River at Olequa. No reports from the Sound can bo had, as the Northern Pacific tele graph wires are out of commission in that direction. A serious slide occurred on the main line of the O. R. & N. yesterday morning at Dodsons. AH passengers were brought down to Portland on the steamers Spen cer and Kellogg. A construction train was hurried from Portland and several steam shovels were put to work clearing the track. After working all day, under the personal direction of General Man ager O'Brien, who had hurried to the scene, trains were enabled to pass Dod sons last night. At 9 o'clock the follow ing message was received from Mr. O'Brien: Telegram From Mr. O'Brien. "Slide near Dodsons cleared away at 9 o'clock. Entire O. R. & N. main lines now open for traffic again." As soon as the line was cleared, six west-bound passenger trains, which were waiting at Dodsons, left that point for Portland and arrived here shortly after midnight. Two of these were Northern Pacific trains from the East and four were O. .R. & N. trains from Spokane and the East. A large quantity of Eastern mall arrived on these delayed trains. Service to the East over the O. R. & N. and Northern Pacific will be maintained as usual today, the Northern Pacific using the O. R. & N. tracks as far east as Wallula, switching over to Pasco and the Northern Pacific main line at that point. Two hundred and fifty belated North ern Pacific passengers reached Port land yesterday morning over the O. R. & N., having passed Dodson's be fore the slide occurr;d and were sent out over the Northern Pacific tracks to Tacoma. One of the two trains reached Kelso and the other Kalama, when they were ordered back to Port land because the Olequa bridge had gone out.. They reached the city last evening and were quartered at various hotels except those who had sleep ing car berths on the trains. To gether with the storm-bound Northern Pacific passengers who reached Port 'land early this morning, they will be kept here at the expense of the North ern Pacific until the tracks to the Souna are again in repair. This will probably be a matter of two or three days. Seattle Men Stranded Here. ' J. M. Frink, president of the Wash ington Iron Works at Seattle, who was candidate for Governor on the Repub lican ticket In Washington in 1900, and Paul C. Hedrlck, a Seattle newspaper man, were among the passengers who triod to reach Tacoma yesterday, but were turned back. They left Ellens burg Tuesday night for the Sound, but the trains were sent back to Spokane. Krom that point they were routed over the O. R. & N. tracks to Portland. At Kalama they were told that the flood in the Cowlitz River was the highest since 1894, when the stream tore out a mile of the Olequa trestle. Lioggers along the lower Columbia were found to be heavy losers because of broken log booms and lost logs. Millions of feet of logs and swingle bolts have been swept away, making the damage to millers and loggers heavy. Rewards of oO cents a log. were being offered yesterday at Kalama, said Mr. Hedrlck, by loggers and mill men for the recovery of their prop erty and launch owners were busy towing logs ashore and securing them. Two men with one launch were said to be making SjO a day in this work. Mr. Hedrlck said the wagon bridge across the Cowlitz River at Kelso had been carried out, entailing a loss of about J60.000. Although the O. R. & N. refused yesterday to accept perishable freight for the East, or at its Eastern termi nals for Portland, it is reported that the full freight serrice- will be re sumed today. Reports received by the railroad officials were encouraging yesterday and indicated that danger in the Blue Mountains, as well as in Western Oregon, was about over. Marooned on an Island. A message from the mouth of the Cowlitz River " yesterday afternoon asked that a steamboat be dispatched at once to rescue a number of per sons who were marooned on an island which was threatened with inundation, and the steamer Georgie Burton was pent to the scene. The people on the island were rescued without difficulty. The greater portion of the local log ging fleet. Is at present engaged in round ing up the thousands of logs that have been liberated hy the freshet and are now floating down the Columbia. These logs may be seen in largo numbers all the way from Astoria to Vancouver, as well as on the Willamette, for all the small creeks have been swollen to good-sized rivers and all logs waiting to be towed to the various lumber mills have been t away. This will mean a heavy DM loss to the mill owners, for a large per centage of the drifting logs will never be recovered. Some little trouble was experienced by the local steam boat lines from accumu lations and drift wood along the shores, making the landings exceedingly difficult and often dangerous. The O. R. & N. Company's steamer Elmore was ordered out of the "bone yard" and taken to the Ash street dock, where she is being held in readiness to proceed up the Columbia River to Cas cade Locks for the purpose of transferr ing passengers in case the railroad bridges at Eagle and Herman creeks are washed away. rredlcts Lull in Storm. District Forecaster E. A. Beals. of the local branch of the U. S. Weather Bu reau, stated yesterday that the storm was not yet over, but that a lull could be expected today. . The rainfall, so far this month, has exceeded the usual average for the same period in any previous No vember and is almost equal .to the total precipitation for any previous month. The flood gauge in the Willamette River at 6 o'clock last evening registered 14 feet and remained at that figure throughout the night, indicating that the river is stationary, and promises to sub side. As a precautionary measure all the lo cal docks prepared to move freight and perishable material to the upper decks, which will be done if the river continues to rise. On account of the large number of drift ing logs in the Columbia, the steamers Lurllne and Undine have discontinued their night runs temporarily. They will resume them as soon as conditions war rant. The steamer Mascot left down on her regular run to the Lewis River yester day, and will continue to operate as usual. The Oregon City boats maintained their regular schedule. Because of the high water In the Colum- s4 m av "1 3:ii,'r' f3t- 'A n.OO SCENE ON TffK WI bia the Port of Portland dredge which is now being used by the Government In channel work, has been forced to suspend operations. The dredge is stationed at Slaughter's bar, near Rainier. The high water did not cause as much trouble as the logs and drift in the river. Telegraph and telephone comuntca tlon throughout the state was seriously interferred with yesterday as a result of the storms. It was impossible last night to reach the Sound, both tele graph companies and the telephone company being unable to get response from their operators beyond Kelso. The lines were clear to Spokane, Walla Walla, Pendleton. and the East, as well as throughout the Willamette Valley, with some few exceptions, and to Cali fornia. Great damage was done to the lines of the telegraph and telephone com panies. Repair crews have been sent out to patch up the damaged wires, but it will probably be some time be fore communication is restored in all directions. Not in years has there been- such widespread injury to the service. ' To add to the embarrassment of the Northern Pacific, about 1000 soldiers .and officers returning from the Philip pines are due in Portland today, routed over the Hill line by special train to North Dakota points. . They will be routed over the O. R. & N. in consequence of the floods on the Portland-Seattle line. COWLITZ DESTROYS HOMES t (Cntlnued from First Page.) go out today, says it was a terrifying Eight and that the crash of breaking timbers was terrific. The little steamer Chester, which was tied up below the bridge, had -a close call and barely man aged to evade the debris and run down the river to a place of safety on the opposite side of the river. Olequa Bridge May Be Intact. From Kelso it was reported -this morn ing that the Olequa bridge had gone out and when a portion of some bridge went by here this morning there was consider able excitement. Conductor Dutton, who made a special trip to the scene of the washout on an engine this afternoon, says the bridge appears to be intact, although there is a washout Just this side. No mail has been received from either direction today, although a train from Portland reached Ostrander this after noon but was forced to return. The pas sengers on the belated train, while chaf ing considerably at the delay, are taking things philosophically, though they have kept the wires hot all day. The electric light plant is ruined and It will be a month or more before the city can have lights. The pumping station is also under water and considerably dam aged, and so the water supply is now cut off. as a main burst and let all the water out of the reservoir. Flood Stops Work on Dam. . ECHO. Or., Nov. 13. (Special.) All work on the Government intake dam on the Umatilla River has been stopped by the floods pouring over the. uncom pleted cement blocks. Delay in comple tion will be the chief loss. The river is falling. k Qulnny, Sprains and Swellings Cured. 'In November, 1901, I caught cold and had the quinsy. My throat was swollen so I could hardly breathe. I applied Cham belain's Pain Balm and it gave me relief in a short time. In two days I was all right," says Mrs. L. Cousins, Otterburn, .Mich. Chamberlain's Pain Balm is a liniment and is especially valuable for sprains and swellings. For sale by all druggists. rTTniini in rr k anptw.'-o.. iTiMm-nrni inii-tta-ia Y im-,fifffiir-Y';-ifrai"'-v ' '-ft "v't'-i Ht mi mm iTiriii iiTitii j-j'-'n'i -rfii niiiiiiiMiiii i- iiMtirniHii iiiiiiifriDiiii iiHiiuiiMii'i-iiir iiri'ua -"ifnlir lwii i i SNATCHED 1 PERIL OF FLOOD About 100 Residents of Sub merged Lexington Are Taken Off in Small Boats. GRADE PROTECTS KELSO Cowlitz Is Rising Fast and Families at Junction W'ith the Columbia Are Rescued by a Steamboat. I KELSO. Wash., Nov. 15. (Special.) Kelso in darkness, with the swirling river held In check by the railroad grade. Castle Rock under water and most of its people camping out on the uplands, Ostrander under water, Lex ington completely submerged, and every bridge out but one that in brief is the situation along the Cowlitz River tonight at 9 o'clock. Millions of dollars damage las been & H ys-a tr "' I.I.AM ETT E VIEW OF THE RfVER FROM done today, but so far as is known there has been no loss of life. But then the disaster has not reached its high tide, for the river is still rising at the rate of an inch an hour. At this poirft the river is 20 feet above low water mark and two feet above the town. A patrol is watching the waterfront closely, but it is not thought Kelso is in any danger of serious damage. In case the railroad grade should let the water through nothing more serious than wet feet for the entire popula tion would ensue. Rescued From the Flood. The greatest danger to life today has been at the little settlement of Lex ington and among the fishermen at the Junction of the Cowlitz and Co lumbia Rivers. Lexington was sub merged during the afternoon and there would have been loss of life had not the people from the surrounding coun try rallied to the rescue in small boats. About 100 people were taken off. Tonight Lexington is under seven feet of wu.ter, as near ascan be Judged. The steamboat- Georgia Burton "rescued the fishermen and their families who were in danger at the Junction of the Cowlitz and Columbia Rivers. There were abQut eight families, nearly . 30 people. They, had been living in houseboats for the most part and every, avenue of es cape had been shut off by the unexpected rising of the water. The steamer got there this afternoon and took off all of the imperiled people, according to advices received here this evening. Water Up to the Eaves. At Castle Rock the high ground back of the town provided a place of safety for all in danger there. Dee Blackwell, of Castle Rock, arrived in Kelso tonight, having walked down the railroad track from that place. He reports tha the lower portion of the town is under from seven to 10 feet of water and that many of the houses are submerged to the eaves. Word was received here tonight that the Ladu country southwest of Kelso is entirely under water and that the ranch ers are homeless. They were able to save their stock, however, driving them ahead of the flood into the hills. Damage to the lumber interests runs into the millions of dollars. It is known at this time that from along the Cowlitz above and below Kelso between 15,000 and 1S.O00 cords of shingle bolts and about 8.000,000 feet of Jogs have been swept to sea. The big boom at the mouth of the Cowlitz went out this morning. . Efforts to Save Lumber. Heroic efforts at rescuing lumber are being kept up. A million feet of lum ber and 400 cords of bolts were saved this afternoon by the Metcalf Shingle Company. A fleet of steamers is at work down the river rounding up the booms and it is reported that at Coal Creek Slough, near Stella, 2000 cords of bolts and about 4,000,000 feet of logs have been moored. . The steamer Dirigo is patrolling the Cowlitz in search of imperiled people. Whether any rescues have been made by the boat today is not known, but it has been running for this purpose be tween Kelso and Rainier and Rainier and Stella. Bridge Is Carried Out. The big bridge between this place and Catlin went out this morning at 8 o'clock with a crash. It had been piling high with debris all night and it was known it could not withstand the terrific strain. There is one bridge left and that is the big steel structure at Toutle, four miles north of Castle Rock, which is re ported intact tonight. The population of Castle Rock is about 1200, of Kelso 1700, of Ostrander 200 and of Lexington 100. Daylight is being anxiously awaited all over the region and not until tomorrow will the full extent of the damage be known. THE DALLES IS ; IN DARKNESS. High Water In White River Compels Close-Down of Electrlc,Plant. THE DALLES, 'Or., Nov. 15. (Special.) For 24 hours The Dalles has been without electric lights, her streets in darkness and her business houses depend ent upon electric power ffhut down. High water In the White River has put the electric light plant .out of commission for the time being. As the river is subsid ing somewhat tonight, it is hoped by the company that power can- be turned on tomorrow night. A high wind, reaching the velocity of 35 miles, has prevailed here . since last night and has disabled telephone and telegraph service east and west and south of this city. Along the river front considerable damage was done to small craft early this morning by the high wind and rapidly rising waters of the Columbia. The steamer Spencer had a narrow es cape while on her trip through Three Mile Rapids today from being blown on to the rocks. Scow men and wood deal ers are hustling their' wood off the river banks, the water having raised something over "nine feet since Monday. WRECKAGE IN COLUMBIA. Evidence of Damage by Storm In the CoKvIitz Valley. RAINIER, Or., Nov. 15. As a result of the storm of last night, which almost reached the proportions of a hurricane at times, the Columbia River at this place presents a scene that shows evidence of the fury of the elements as they swept along the territory through which It 4M X LI THE EAST APPROACH OF THE BCRNSIDE flows. As far as the eye can reach in either direction of the stream at this place the vast body of water is covered with wreckage of every description. Logs and shingle bolts, lumber, fences and por tions of what appear to be barns or small outhouses, are in the mass of debris that is rushing seaward. Much damage has been wrought along the banks of the river. A wooden bridge from some point on the Cowlitz passed down the river this morning. The boom at the mouth of the Cowlitz, broke, and a good portion of the logs floated away. Many fishing dories were torn from their fastenings along the river at va rious points. Several river steamers were forced to spend considerable time, at Rainier, leaving, only when the storm abated at intervals, so as to allow of their making the. attempt in safety. IS HIGHEST STAGE OF THE RIVER FOR SEVERAL- YEARS. Town of Trout Lake Flooded and Wind Storm Creates Havoc .In Lumber Camps. HOOD RIVER, Or., Nov. 15. (Special.) The biggest flood that has been known in the Hood River since 1896 has been raging for the past 24 hours. As a result of the high water the lighting service of the city has been affected and the town has been in partial darkness for two nights. Candles and lamps have had to be resorted to and it is possible that the light, service may be shut off al together. ' Work on the new railroad bridge of the O. R. & N. has had to be suspended and the machinery hoisted to a place of safety. No trains have reached here from Portland today owing to trouble be low Hood River and a number of O. R. & N. and Northern Pacific trains bound for that city got no farther than Cascacl9 Locks. A flood in the White Salmon River has washed 1.000,000 feet of logs down stream, where they have become Jammed and threaten to break loose and go out into the Columbia, as the Menominee Lumber Company which owns them was caught unawares and had not yet placed its log boom for the Winter run. The company has been trying to get a pile driver from Cascade Locks to replace it, but the same trouble is said to exist there and It cannot be secured. The dams of the electric light company and Oregon Lumber Company are being watched closely to prevent a possible dis aster and camps and moveable property have been moved away from the river. A terrific wind and rain storm which came up late last night caused havoc and threatened loss of life at the lumber towns of Dee and Green Point by blowing over tents and falling trees. The terror stricken inmates fled half elothed out into the storm to avoid 'being crushed to death. The storm has gendered many country roads impassable on account of the trees which extend across them. At Trout Lake the town is flooded out, the residents having been forced to aban don their houses and go to higher ground for safety. Two men who arrived from there tonight report that the water is up to the second story windows of the houses and that Trout Creek, which or dinarily is but a 100 feet wide, has be come a raging torrent a quarter of a mile in width. Thousands of feet of logs have gone down the Columbia River today which came out of the Klickitat River, having been swept away by the flood. The loss is estimated at 300,000 feet, YAKIMA VALLEY IS Hundreds of Families Are Driv en From Their Homes in the Lowlands. TENTING ON HIGH PLACES North Yakima Is Isolated and the Further Rise of the River Is Threatening Still Greater Damage. NORTH YAKIMA, Wash., Nov. 15. (Special.) After falling slightly during last evening and night, the Yakima and Naches Rivers began to rice again this morning and the damage to property of all kinds is growing worse. All com munication with the outside by rail is cut off. Every county bridge in the val ley Is under water and the city is iso lated from the surrounding country. The fears of the people tonight are that BRIDGE LOOKING NORTH. ; the Naches River may change its course and come down the old river-bed to the west of the city. If this happens the damage will be inestimable, as the'best fruit "orchards and some of the finest homes in the valley lie in Its course. Hundreds of families were washed out today along the lowlands, many houses being completely . submerged . and tents are going up on the higher places as tem porary homes of the refugees. There have been no deaths as the result of the flood, but there have been several nar row escapee from drowning. Two men in driving across the Nelson briuge at Painted Rocks, - five miles to the north east of here, were caught in the flood. One horee was drowned and one of the men was saved only by the efforts of his companion, who used a lasso to get him out of the stream. Course of Stream Changed. The half mile of Jetty and cribbing along the Naches River westward from the Northern Pacific railway bridges broke at 11 A. M. today and the course of the channel of the stream changed. The main current was thrown against the cribbing and soon, washed it away. This threw a good part of the force of (he stream against the southern fill of the approach to the railway bridge and the fill went down in a short time. This evening about 150 feet had washed, out. and before morning much more of it will go. The Northern Pacific tracks at Parker Siding on the reservation are under water and the bridge over the old reservation irrigation ditch went down tnis morning. North Yakima is now completely isolated. .superintendent Beamer, of this division of the Northern Pacific, made a trip through the Yakima canyon between here and Ellensburg today. He said the ap proaches to all five of the steel bridges on the road had washed away and that the roadbed was washed away for miles. Train No. 16, that left Ellensburg for SpoKane, reached here at 6:30 this morn ing and is still here It will not get through till after the river goes down. Miles of Track Washed Out. The Northern Pacific between here and the mountains has several miles of track washed out and all of its bridges have been rendered useless. It is feared some of Them may go down. ne damage to property in the Yakima valley cannot now be estimated, but it is believed that it will run to over $200,000. The county, if it does not lose any of its bridges, will sustain about $10,000 losses on its dam aged roads and approaches to bridges. The North "Vakima & Valley ' Railway When You Take Cold One way is to pay no attention to it; at least, not until it de velops into pneumonia, or bronchitis, or pleurisy. An other way is to ask your doc tor about Ayer's Cherry Pec toral. If he says, "The best thing for colds," then take it. Do as he says, anyway. Wo piiMlsh til formulas of All our preparation. J. C. Ayor Co., Xiowoll, Hi OVERFLOWED HUH . w w .. THE BEST NATURAL PURGATIVE WATER la Bilious Attacks and Disorders of the Liver. A WINEGLASSFUL A DOSE. ALSO SPARKLING APENTA (NATURAL APENTA CARBONATED), IN SPLITS ONLY. A Refreshing tad Pleasant Aperient for Morninf Use. Sole Exporters: THE APOLI.INARIS CO., Ltd., London. up the Naches is damaged .to such an extent that it will be put out of business for weeks. The bridge across the Naches has moved out of line eight inches, and may go down at any time. The -Northwest Light & Water Company will be losers to the extent of about $30,000. The Cascade Lumber Company cannot es timate its damage at present, but its losses will be large. This company ex pects to lose Its big uam in the Yakima six miles north of here. No rain has fallen in the Valley since last night, the weather is cool and it is believed the waters will begin to subside before morning. D. Cheney, supervising engineer, and Joseph Jacobs, consulting engineer, of the Reclamation Service, had a narrow escape this afternoon on the Union Gap bridge below here. They were on their way to headgate of the' Sunny side Canal, and when on the eastern approach of the bridge it began to go down and they had to run for their lives. They Jumped a space of four feet over the raging waters, with a dozen other men who were working on it to keep the logs away from the piers. The reclamation office here started out a searching party this afternoon to hunt for their chiefs, and there was great excitement over the reports that they had fallen into the river, until a telegram came late this evening that they had reported the headgate of the they had reported at the headgate of the canal. Tncre is danger -of the head gates going out, and if they do there will be thousands of acres of land in the lower valley inundated and much property lost. INTAKE IS IN DANGER. Fertile Lands of Sunnj-slde Would Then Be Flooded. PROSSER, Wash., Nov. 13. (Spe cial.) The Yakima River is a raging torrent, being the highest in history, and there is grave danger of heavy loss of life at the intake of Sunny side canal, between Toppenish and North Yakima. Forty men, under En gineer Jacobs, of - the United States Reclamation Service, have been work ing for hours, trying to save the in take by piling bags of sand and throw ing dirt around the masonry. Telephone wires to North Yakima are down, but the Washington Irriga tion Company's office at Zillah gives this news: "Water was 134 feet at the irtake this evening, the highest previous record being 12 feet 3 inches in 1S96. The wind is rising rapidly. If the intake goes out the entire irri gated country around Zillah, Sunny side, Granger and throughout the ter ritory of Sunnyslde canal will be flooded, causing loss of many thou sands of dollars." The scene of disaster cannot be reached tonight. Train No. 1"), which man can wear Kirschbaum suit and al ways feel right about it. It is distinctly good form and good fashion. It has none of the ill-advised frills that make the or dinary ready-made suit advertise its ready-made-ness. . We don't know from what stand point you look at the clothes question whether you buy on some maker's name or some dealer's say-so wc do know that as soon as you are a good enough judge of style and material you will ask for Kirschbaum clothes and insist on having them. Ask for Kirschbaum Clothes (Warranted) Good stores Every where to m -.n - -xr ,r l i .... m leaves here at 10:50 P. M., will- only go through to Toppenish. Train No. 16 has been hold all day between Top penish and North Yakima on account of the bridge going out and the river cutting away a portion of the road bed, which workmen are endeavoring to save. The big wagon bridge across the river at Union Gap, four miles east of North Yakima, has gone out, also the wagon bridge at Mabton. The river here is rising very fast and the town is in darkness, as the electric plant can hardly be operated. Tnere is danger of the flumes of both com panies going out, which would leave the town without water in the midst of the flood. A message from Zillah says cries of men xurrounded by water are heard. The night is very dark and they can not be seen, while the wind has been high, making great waves in the river, and there is danger of relief parties drowning in the work of rescue. The wind has abated as this is being writ ten and it is hoped conditions at the place where the men are surrounded hy flood are better. Relief parties are braving every danger in the work and it is hoped loss of life may bo averted, but property damage will be heavy. HIGHEST WATER KNOWN. Wenatchee Valley Is Flooded by Columbia and Wenatchee Rivers. WENATCHEE, Wash., Nov. 15. (Spe cial.) The flood still rages unabated. Added to the destruction of the rain and water, the wind is blowing. The damage done by the flood between Cashmere and Wenatchee, In the Wenatchee Valley, can not be estimated at the present time, but it will be heavy. The Wenatchee and the Columbia Rivers are higher than they have ever been before. The former Is eight Inches higher than its former rec ord. At 10 o'clock this morning three bridges had been washed out. The wagon bridge at Monitor, the bridge at Cashmere and the Great Northern bridge between Cash mere and Livingston have been washed out. This makes traffic impossible out of this district to the We.st. Part of the town of Cashmere Is now underwater. The schoolhouse at Monitor Is momentarily expected to be swept away. Water has covered portions of many ranches along the Wenatchee River. In many places the ' banks of the river have caved in. bearing large parts . of ranches with them. T. P. Johnson, Insurance Man. NEW YORK. Nov. 13. Theodore P. Johnson, Vice-President of the Atlantic Mutual Marine Insurance Company, died today. a $61113 h. 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