The Hillsboro argus. (Hillsboro, Or.) 1895-current, June 18, 1903, Image 1

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    The
JnlILLSBR
VOL. X.
IIILLSBOQO, OUEUON, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 1903.
EVENTS OF THE DAY
QATHLRLD FROM All PARTS OP THE
TWO HEMISPHERES.
Comprhtnlve Hcvlcw of the Import
nt Happenlnga of the Paat Week,
Preaentad In Condensed Form, Moat
Likely to Prove Interfiling to Our
Many Iteadcra.
Tim lluiignrUiiirt'i,lr haa retlgnad
and ajiew.caliinet willow formed.
Tli rtrw friilnr ol jKervIa la adorn of
an power aim lajuugjo name oil I jr.
Warrants have own Ueuel (or tlia ar
rant of two mora trauna Involved Id
tlit poetal fiaud.
Rioting itlvmllng" itreet tar atilk
t iHiliuniin, Iowa, has reaulUtd In tha
militia being called aout. -Froin'lient
members of (ha National
I.ivti HtiM-k Aaoclalion will try to liava
H't-lry llilchocck ousted.
A naval dnmunatralit n la being lialil
at I'lia Foo, t'dlna. br Japaneae and
iiritith fleet. A few 'American ships
am aim prnneut.
Tha Michigan foreat Area will cause
Ineatluiable damage unleae rain anon
fall).
Tha litmeUn war minister. General
KoruiuUln, la being extdiaively feted
at Tokia.
A dlnantniu firo la a Newcastle,
r'nn.,roal mine waa started by tlia ex
ploaiuo of gaaollne.
Tlia Chicago union waiter on atrike
partially a-iiowhHlgii a dalaat, and many
ara returning to work,
Tlia International 'Prensmen's Con
vention o iil at Ciuclnnatl wltli 300
delegates In attendance.
fly trying to fill a "coal oil atova while
It waa burning, a Hrouklyn boy and bia
later met wittHalal iiijurie.
Tha Umxlry worert' union, of Chica
go, by a mlertindum'viitp, just taken,
baa decided agalnat another atrika.
The atrika on tha Now York aubway
baa lieen aliaiidonwl and 0,(MK) mtnara
will apply for work unconditionally.
The rumor that Prealdmit Clowry, of
tha Weaern I'nlon telngraph com
pany, la to resign Is without founda
tion. A balloon with four aeronaut wa
carried out to aaa from Marwllli-i,
France. The (ate of the men la not
known.
Tha bricklayer' atrike In Omaha,
which tied up building operations for
four mouths, came to an end by the
union giving in.
Accused of attempting to extort
money from employes In a Newark, N.
J., bat factory, lavid Klchman haa
been fined IMM.ou by the ifatuiakert'
union.
Armed with rifle and ahotguna, the
farmera and rummer resident of Mount
Kiaro and Neratla, N. Y. are looking
(of the Imwudlary now iufeatlng thoie
part.
The nutlve chiefs of Samoa desirous
of lieing present at the St. Iuia eieo
aition, have sent petition to President
Kooaevalt to help American Hamoana to
be represented,
Chicago waiters are loaing ground In
their atrike.
Sir Thomaa Llpton'e fleet hl arrived
at Bandy Hook.
An American cititen waa killed by
Turka at Odessa.
Bulgarian are deserting many cities
In terror of Turka.
Cutting of levy at St. Loula at
moat canned ft lynching.
Burglar secured 18,000 worth of dia
mond) In a New York hotel.
F ve people wore burned to death in
a New York apartment houae fire.
A report that the. pope waa dead
cauaed Intense eiciteinent In Rome.
Two more bodies have been found at
ToDuka. This mukea a total of aeven
drowned.
The powers will demand the punish
ment ol the aiwassliis of the king and
queen of Her via.
The civil cor vice commission findi
that politic enter too much In the ap
Dolntmenta to the postal service at
Washington. The rolla have been
found to be packed at the bebext of po'
llticlani, and the service greatly dam
aged. An insane man attompted to assasa
nate Emperor Francis Joseph.
Russia') activity in Manchuria I)
overtaxing the patience of Japan.
A move waa mmle to create a republic
of Hervla, but it waa promptly smoth
ered.
Tho coming congress will be strongly
urged to make a reciprocity treaty with
Canada.
Arrival of troops caused striking
Arlaona miners to make peace with
their employers.
Major W. 11. Gibbon, who is said to
ave tired the first shot of the Civil war
upon tort humter, Is dead.
The presidential elections In Santo
Domingo have been set (or June zu.
Foot and mouth disease prevail
among sheep Just brought to Liverpool
from Huenoa Ayres.
The Standard Oil Company has beon
foroed out of Rounianla by opposition
of the government.
The monks expelled from France will
come to Kentucky and endeavor to
tabllsh a monaatry.
A CITY OP OIUTH.
Orlm Daya ol Sorrow In Heppner- Death
Roll la HXi.
Heppner, June 17, via. Lexington.
Houana crushed and teli'eeupcd be
yond recognition, building twlated
from their foundations. deposited 111
street or on alien property, one
tourth, or one-half, or one mile away;
household goods alrewn In every dl
rectlon In reeking mud; tree two
feet In diameter uprooted and woven
In Impeded drift Into all kinds of
awful fantastic ahapes, bodies of men
and homos and rattle and pigs all
cast In Indiscriminate ruin auch Is
Id-ppncr of today.
All persona aay that the rrest of
the flood was upon the town wltblrt
hree or four minutes after the dan
ser was perceived. Most of the peopli
wme In their housea. Tim day belnr
Sunday, the hour being dinner time
and a heavy rain falling, all
cauaed them to pen themaelvee with
In doora. Most of the dwellings wen
near the bank of the etream. Tin
pople were therefore caught like rati
a trap, and ao audilen waa tin
warning Unit comparatively few
could reach places of safety. Tin
whole row of housea next the rreek
waa swept awar. Spectator of the
alamlty describe the structures as
fulling like card houses. The dwelling!
were tossed shout like bobbins, and
moat of them fell completely tc
ilecos. The town had perhaps over
50 housea, nearly 200 of which were
emollshed. The whole business part
f town would have been swept awsy
had not the I'alace hotel, a heavy
rick structure, diverted the current
louses on brick foundations fared
letter than others becsune the flood
ould not so easily wash under tliem.
dcntlflcalion of the dead baa been
easy.
Most of the bodlca show the effects
drowning rather than of vital In
ury, though all of them are more or
hi bruised. Only a few of those
vho escaped the flood were severely
n ii red.
An army of men and horses is sift
ng great wastes or Uetirls. Three
hundred bodies have been found and
here are men who say the work is
inly half begun. An army of women
ake charge of the bodies as they are
home out of the wreckage by the
straining arma of men. An arm, a
g, a toe, a flngrr. a lock of hair, a
lift of clothing these are harbingers
horror beneath the mud. Hnbles
nd little children lie there burled.
with many a gash or bruise on their
tender bodies. Korms of women fre-
uently come to light bereft of all
lothlng save where a corset shields
hem from the gaio of aniloua eearch-
ers. ( lothlng of men Is less frequent
ly torn away. The bodies are borne
to Roberta' hall to be washed and
lressed by women, to be shrouded In
oarse white cloth, and to be laid In
rough wood boxea, There la no time
for ceremony. It'a the grlra reality
death. And women who would
faint at scenes one-thousandth part as
wful obey the mandate of necessity
Ithout a flinch. The floor swims
with the half diluted mud that drips
from the victims, but the living pat
ter through It or sweep It out when
It geta too deep. The rough boxea go
the cemeteries, not alngly In
hearses, but many at a time, piled
high In wagons.
COAL OPERATORS OIVB IN.
Conciliation Board Muddle la Ended, and
There Will Be No Strike.
Scranton. Pa.. June 18 There will
be no strike in the anthracite region
growing out of the refusal of the op
eratora to recognise the credentials
of District Presidents Nichols. Fahey
and letery, elected by the joint elec
tive board of the United MineworK-
era aa the mlnera" representatives on
the board of conciliation.
The convention of the united Mlne-
workera today elected the three pres
Identa by districts aa their represent
atives, and the operators, through
President Bner. of the Reading Com
pany, announced that thla action was
satisfactory. There waa a burst of
loud and long applause when Presl
dent Mitchell announced that the op
erators, through President Baer, of
the Reading Company, had authorized
the statement that the action of tha
convention waa satisfactory.
The convention elected President
Mitchell aa the legal representative of
the mlnera at the head of the concil
latlon board. The operatora are unnn
lmously agreed on the acceptance of
the aolectod miners' representatives.
Strike Brings Troops Again.
Penver. June 18. Acting on advices
from Washington. Qoneral Baldwin,
commanding the Department of ne
Colorado, United States Army, today
sent orders for one troop of the Third
Cavalry to proceed with all hiate
from Fort Apache. Arizona, to Nor-
end. Yesterday la was believed that
the itmr t of the atrike waa broKon
and Colonel Lebo, commanding me
Fourteenth Cavalry at Morencl, was
ordered to return his command to
Fort Grant and Huachuca. but devel
opments have shown the advisability
of keeping Federal troops on the Bpot.
Philippine Act Under Consideration
Washington. June 18. Secretary
Root haa decided that nothing fur
ther Bhall be done regarding the pro-
nosed on um act of the Fhllipn'ne
Commission until it Bhnll have had
the moat careful attention in wash
Incton. The commission has been In
formed bv cable and the opium mil.
which nassed Its second reading, will
remain in Its present condition until
the Secretary of War reaches a 'on
elusion. The bill prohibits the sale to
and uae of opium by all persona ex
cept Chinese,
Crowded Bridge Falls.
Eau Claire. Wis., June i8. A long
section of the MadiBon street bridge
approach went down under the weigl l
of a crowd of people tonight. Six per
sons were seriously Injured, and 25
or 80 othera were less Berlonaly In
jured. The accident occurred during
an illumination of the street carnival
booths along the main streets of the
city.
HAPPENINGS HERE IN OREGON
LANb LOOOCUS WANT RAIN.
Millions of Feat of Logs In tha Small
Streams.
Loggers In I.ane County are having
more difficulty this season than usual
trying to get loga down the mountain
streams. The spring has been ao dry
that millions of feet of logs that were
cut on tho streams tributary to the
McKenxle and the Willamette during
the winter have hung up and cannot
be driven out In the usual way. Us
ually In the month of April there are
ralna that raise these creeks ao that
the logs can be driven out. but this
year there have been no ralna of con
sequence and the streams bave not
had since February sufficient water to
run logs.
On !.oHt Creek, Wlnberry. Big and
Little Kail Creeks, the Hooth Kelly
Company has millions of feet of logs
that they are badly in need of at the
Springfield mill. For weeka they
kept men ready and had the loga In
the creek. Intending that the moment
the water waa sufficient they would
start them to deeper water. But the
ralna that were hoped for did not
come.
Finally giving up hope of running
the logs In the usual wsy, they began
onstructlng dama to aid the work by
artificial means. Thousanda of dol-
ara were emended In bulldinar flood
lama In these small atreama. These
ave been of some assistance, and the
logs are being slowly worked down to
wards the river, but It Is a alow and
xpenslve process. As yet It haa been
Impossible to supply the big mill at
Springfield with sufficient 'oga to keep
the sawa at work.
The logging business la very Im
portant In this county, and greater
thla year than ever before. There
are at the preaent time no lesa than
35,000,000 feet of logs In the water to
supply the various mills In the coun
ty. The Booth-Kelly Company alone
has 23,000,000 feet afloat, while others
have no less than 12.000.000 feet.
The mills all have greater difficulty
getting loga than they have getting
orders.
Official Count.
The official canvass of the vote for
congressman at theeleciton in the First
listrict on June 1, 1003, shows the
following result:
?2 r;
COl'STIES
E 1
1 85-3 5
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trt di 579
w l.i 'it ffi 1 i
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t tii 11 1W
1.7 lWi 1 .227
m 1,1 UV 171! I, it.
ai -ens tm av
al 8H.V 270
.trt 1 1M
lit I.W7; 1 1.SN
ei ie. ; ii
2M l.aui im i.-2ia
ins , Mr
7 67l W (UiK
H ' 47H 1-JS
lift 1.1174 lu B'.M
171 VM I.H K74
HenUtii
larkatnu ..
IN HI ,
urry
Uiualu......
aokwin
iMphtltS
11111 h ....
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ane
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rlon
Ik
Tillamook. ..
mthltiKUin..
wnhlll
TU1 14W 15,31.1 8,04-
Marion County Wool Pool Sold.
The wool pool of the Marlon Coun
ty Woolgrowers' Association waa sold
to the highest bidder In Salem, and
was bought by A. R. Jacobs, repre
senting the Oregon City Woolen Mills.
There were upwards of 100.000
pounds of wool in the pool, and the
price paid waa 16 centa per pound for
the coarse grade and 16 Va centa for
the medium and finer grades. The de
livery of the wool began at once
through the warehouse of W. M.
Hrown & Co., of this city. This la the
highest price, by 1 cent per pound,
that was ever received by the Marlon
Couuty woolgrowers.
Balaley-Elkhorn Power Plant.
The machinery for Balsley-Elkhom
power plant la most all at Baker
City and the work of installing It Is
being rushed as fast aa possible. A
Ipellne over a mile long will convey
the water from Rock Creek to the
power plant site some distance below
the mouth of the tunnel, on the Baker
City side of the mountain, where a
number of Pelton water wheels win
be used to generate electric power
for the stamp mill and the air com
pressors for driving the power drills
in the mire and tunnel.
Copper Property Sold.
Lon Simmons and William Myers
have sold their copper property on
Big Creek, Eastern Oregon, consist
ing of eight claims, to a syndicate
financed by Indiana capitalists for
1 7 5.000. Thla deal haa been pending
for some time, but waa Anally closed.
It la understood that the new owners
will begin the work of developing the
property at once. A considerable
sum of money is to be expended for
surface improvements.
Incendiaries Set Fire.
Fire destroyed the residence, barn
and blacksmith shop of the Warner.
Valley Stock Company In Warner
Valley one day last week, all the
household gooda and a large Btock of
supplies were lost. It waa undoubt
edly of Incendiary origin, as two aad-
Ucs and all the horses were taken out
of the barn. The parties who did It
are under suspicion, and will likely
be apprehended.
Trouble In Lake County.
A report cornea from Lakevlew that
squatters on land of the Warner Val
lev Stock Company have burned the
Buildings on the rancn u mues earn
of that place. The squatters refuse
to be dispossessed and state that they
will resist, by force or arma, tne or
der of the court awarding the land to
the Warner Valley Stock Company.
President Lee Is Re-Blected.
At the annual meeting of the board
of trustees of Albany College, Presi
dent Wallace Howe Lee, who haa been
connected with the college for many
years, waa unanimously re-elected
president of the institution. It Is
largely due to his management that
Albany College haa attained its pres
cnt high degree of efficiency.
IKItlOATION AT KALAMATH.
Dredger Machinery Arrives for Dredg
ing tbe Canal.
The machinery for the dredger of
the Little Klamath Ditch Company is
being put In place on a new boat.
38x68 feet, and will be ready for oper
ation In l-ower Klamath Lake In
three weeka. The machinery weighs
100,000 pounds, and 25 teams were re
quired to haul it from the railroad to
tbe lake last week.
The first work of tbe dredger will
be to dig a cut, four milea long, 30
feet wide and four feet deep, from the
lake to the bead of the company's
ditch, thus assuring an abundance of
water at all times of the year. Hltb
erto White 1-ake has been depended
on for supply, but baa been Insuffic
ient to accommodate the demand for
irrigation during the dry weather of
midsummer. The cut from the lake
will cost $1000. As soon aa that work la
finished, reclaiming of land around
Lower Klamath Lake will be under
taken, it la estimated that there are
fiO.000 acres contiguous to that body
of water, capable of reclamation by
the use of tbe dredger.
Comlag Event.
Annual meeting of Pioneers. Sons
and Daughters, Portland, June 17.
Western Oregon Division. Oregon
State Teachers' Association. Port
land. June 24-29.
Christian camp meeting. Turner.
June 19-28.
Sixth annual re union of Lane Coun
ty veterans, Eugene, June 16-18.
Carnivals Grants Pass. June 17 20:
Ashland, June 15-20; Roseburg, June
22-27; Cotuge Grove, June 24-27;
Salem. June 29-July 4; Albany. June
29 July 4.
Ninth annual regatta, Astoria, Au
ist 19 21.
Willamette Valley Chautauaua.
Gladstone, July 14 26.
Encampment of the Grand Army of
the Republic, Portland, June 24-27.
First Oregon Cavalry and First
Oregon Infantry re-unlon, Portland,
June 27.
Another Contract Finished.
Major W. C. Langfltt baa completed
an Inspection at the Cascade IxckB,
where the contract of H. W. Taylor
had Just been finished. Thla contract
Included the riprapplng bt the north
wall of the upper lock, at a cost of
$26,000. which haa taken about all
months to carry out A large number
of stone cutters and laborers were
employed. These locks, which have
cost the government $3,750,000, are
not yet finished, and an appropriation
of $150,000 will be necessary before
the final details will have been at
tended to. At the present stage of the
water the locks are out of commis
sion and boats will have to wait on
each aide until the freshet is over.
Improvements at the Penitentiary.
Governor Chamberlain has decided
to have an addition built on the
south end of the dining room and
kitchen at the penitentiary for the
purpose of providing a place to con
duct executions. The addition will
be constructed of brick, and will be
two stories high. The Improvement
will be made as outlined some time
ago by Superintendent James. Work
will soon be commenced on the con
struction of a sewer to connect the
prison with the new state sewer built
year ago to a point west of the
asylum. This will give the prison
better drainage.
Rainier Wants to Build Road.
The Rainier City Council has ap
propriated $800, providing a like
amount should be raised among pri
vate citizens, for the purpose of open
ing the road from Rainier to Oak
Creek, on the Nehalem.
Second Dividend Declared.
Receiver Claud Gatch has declared
a second dividend or 10 per cent on
claims against the defunct bank of
Gilbert Bros, Salem. The cash
hand amounts to $10,900.
on
PORTLAND MARKETS.
Wheat Walla Walla, 7074c; val
ley, 77c.
Barley Feed, $20.00 per ton; brew
ing, $21.
Flour Best grades, $3.95' 4.30;
graham, $3.45(3.85.
Millstuffs Bran, $23 per ton; mid
dlings, $27; shorts, $23; chop, $18.
Oats-No. 1 white, $1.10 LIS;
gray, $1 05 per cental.
Hay Timothy, $2021; clover,
nominal; cheat, $15$ 16 per ton.
Potatoes Best Burpanks, 5076c
per sack; ordinary, 354te per cental,
ir rowers' prices; Merced sweets, $3
3.50 per cental.
Poultry Chickens, mixed, ll12c;
young, 1314c; hens, 12c; turkeys,
live, lfi17c; dressed, 208Z2c; duuks,
7.00i7.60 per dozen; geeee, $8.00
6.50.
Cheese Full cream, twins, 15K
10c; Young America, 1615)ic; fact
ory prices, lls'c lese.
Butter Fancy creamery, 2026c
per pound; extras, 22j; dairy, 20
2u'c; store, loc18.
Eggs 17 20c per dozen.
Hops Choice, 1820o per pound.
Wool Valley ,12 i17o ;Eastern Or
egon, 8 14c; mohair, 3537Ko.
Beet uroes, cowa, 3i4c, per
pound; steers, 094c; dressed, 8jo.
Veal-7)s8c.
Mutton Gross, (3.50 per pound;
dressed, cuo.
Lambs Gross, 4c per pound;
dre sew, 7Hc.
Hogs Gross, 66o per pound;
dressed, 7(Se.
CHINA STILL HOLDING OCT.
Russian Demands In Mancharia Have Not
Yet Bsea QranUd.
Toklo, June 16. Tbe Malnlchl pub
lishes a dispatch giving tbe alleged
history of tbe Manchurlan secret tre
aty on the authority of a Minister who
said that China bad refused to com
ply with the Russian demands, and
that Planchoa, acting Russian Minist
er, had wired to Europe that China had
accepted. After the powers protested,
China sent another refusal to Russia
whose government paid no attention
ine Kusslana bave not withdrawn
tbelr demands, which presumably are
still lying on the table of the Chinese
Foreign Minister.
Tbe Minister state that the secret
treaty will probably be signed private
ly, and it la Imperative that Japan
should protest and assist China In re
slating the Russian demands.
The Aaahl'a Tien-Tain correspond
ent, under date of May 21, says Russia
haa assembled 7000 troops at Liaoyan.
with a view to carrying out maneu
vera en a large scale In that quarter In
a few day.
Tbe Corean government on May 23
Instructed the Governor of WIJu to ar
rest Coreana who have sold their land
and house either to Russians or Chi
nese, and warned him that he will be
held responsible for the execution of
thl order.
Preds reports Of the Droceerilniri of
the Diet now sitting show that the
government has encountered nma tir.
Acuity In supplying tbe recent de-
manda for Information of a ronftlHar.
able section of the members In regard
iu nuBsiau action in Manchuria. The
main question of Russian demanrla U
awaiting the arrival of M. Lessar, Rus
sian Minister to Pekin, from St. Pet
ersburg. The Chinese riots In Kwanesl Prow.
Ince have developed in violence, and It
ia unofficially reported that the French
Consul at Tonklng haa represented to
the Pekln Government that unless
the Insurgents are auppressed French
troops will be sent across the frontier
to quell the disturbance.
IMPORTANT USD RULI.NQ.
When Land Is Noa Mineral Even Though
It ton tains Minerals.
Washington, June 14. In a recent
contest arising In the State of Wash
ington, the Secretary of the Interior
holds that when the field note and
surveyor's returns make no notation
whatever of minerals In public lands
that have been surveyed, such lands
aVe considered and treated as given a
non-mineral classification by the sur
veyor. Furthe, that lands classified as
non-mineral at the time of the Govern
ment survey are of the class of lands
subject to selection in lieu of lands
relinquished within forest reserves,
and the character of the lands so class
ified and selected will not be Investi
gated on a protest presented after the
survey and selection, and alleging the
present mineral character of the lands.
The importance of this decision Is
manifest. In the case at issue the
Northern Pacific Railway Company
relinquished a tract in the Rainier
Forest Reserve and selected In lieu
thereof a tract of equal area In Mon
tana. One year after the filing of this
lieu selection a coal declaratory state
ment wa8 offered by an individual for
the tract selected, and was rejected
because of the prior selection by the
railroad company. Investigation of
the records disclosed the fact that
while adjoining lands had been re
ported by the surveyors as containing
coal deposits, no such reference
was made to the tract in controversy.
Therefore, the Secretary held the land
to be classified as non-mineral. The
man filing the coal declaratory state
ment went so far as to allege
that the land he sought would
produce coal in commercial quan
tities. His allegations, however, were
overruled, as the prior selection
by the railroad company could not be
aneciea Dy a nung macte one year
later. Hence the lieu selection was
approved, notwithstanding the appar
ent mineral character of the lands
Had the lands been originally classi
fied as coal lands, the railroad selec
tion would have been rejected.
Civil Commissioner Is Appointed.
Washington, June 16. Alvord Coo
ley, of Westchester, N. Y., has been
appointed Civil Commissioner by Pres
ident Koosevelt to succeed James R.
Garfield, appointed Commissioner of
Corporation. Senator Piatt, of New
York, took lunch with the President
today, remaining at the White House
until nearly 3 o'clock. After his con
ference with the President he an
nounced Mr. Cooley's appointment.
He did not indicate that Mr. Coolej;
was his selection for the place. In
deed, It Is said that the appointment
was decided on some time ago.
Finds a Prehistoric City.
Chicago, June 16. A dispatch to the
Inter-Ocean from the City of Mexico
says: "The ruins of a large city have
been discovered in a remote part of the
State of Puebla, by Francisco Rodri
guez, an archaeologist, who has just
made a report of his find to the gov
ernment authorities here. The city
contains large pyramids and exten
sive fortifications. It is situated in
the midst of a dense forest, and a
large amount of excavation will be
necessary to learn its true extent and
Importance.
Consul Nearly Aasasslnated.
Havana, June t6. While the Italian
consul nere, viagio lornieiu, was
seated In his office yesterday after
noon, a young Italian sailor enetred
and inquired whether he was the Con
sul. On receiving an affirmative re
ply, he whipped out a revolver and
fired. The bullet grazed the Consul's
head. The sailor was overpowered
and arrested. He gave the name of
Pietro Alliney.
FATAL FLOOD
Eastern Oregon Cloud
burst Kills Many.
NO WARNING GIVEN
HEPPNER RECEIVES THE FULL FORCE
OF THE DELUGE
Ion and Lexington Suffer Lea Death
List Will Reach Fully 300Safety Lay
Only In Flight-Dead Are Buried In
Hastily Coastrected Coffins-Absence
of Oonhla Notable.
lone. Or., June 16. A cloud which
burst on the hills a mile south of Hepp
ner at about 5:30 o'clock Sunday after
noon let loose a hungry flood of water,
which swept down the hillside In a
wall 30 feet high and 200 yards wide.
Reaching the bottom of. the canyon,
the liquid avalanche reared its mighty
front over the doomed town, and car
ried to destruction nearly every build
ing and human being that lay in its
path, leaving a waste of desolation to
mark it trail. The destroying torrent
raced down the narow gorge of Willow
Creek, inundating aa it reached them
the settlements of Lexington, lone and
Douglas, but lessening in fury and In
volume as the thirsty alkali soil or the
valley drank up the water like a
sponge. Behind It lay nearly 300
dead, drowned like rata in a trap. The
suddenness of the catastrophe gave
tbe victims no warning, overwhelming
them for the main part as they sat
within their homes..
Immediately after the fatal flood
had wiped the major portion of Hep-
pner out of existence, swift couriers
on horseback sped to warn the resi
dents of the valley toward the Colum
bia of the coming peril. Leslie Mat
lock, son of an ex-sheriff of Morrow
County, rode a wild ride for 18 miles
ahead of the raging waters. His horse
dropped dead, but he secured another,
and again another, covering tbe 65
miles to Arlington in seven hours. To -this
Paul Revere of Oregon ia undoubt
edly due the fact that the ranchers of
the Willow Creek country below Hep
pner lost so little stock and property.
Tbe Palace Hotel waa the first build
ing to stem the tide, and all the guests
were saved; but houses below the Pa
lace Hotel were thrown out Info the
street, overturned and wrecked.
Perhaps the greatest loss occurred
at the Heppner Hotel. Thla house,
which was run under the management
of Jones & Asbaugh. was carried
away. It la supposed that there were
about 50 guests in this hotel, all of
whom are reported to be lost The
proprietors themselves were saved.
but their families are among the dead.
The entire residence portion of Hep
pner was destroyed, but the business
houses, being on higher ground, and
being generally built of brick and
stone, were not so badly damaged.
The schoolhouse and courthouse.
which stand on a sidehill, were saved,
but two churches, the Methodist and
Presbyterian, were completely wreck
ed. Around the depot the receding
flood left great heaps of driftwood
piled as high and higher than the roof
and the rescuing parties were forced
to demolish these pyramids of timber
In order to extricate the corpses
which were tangled in the brush. Un
doubtedly many of the drowned bod
ies were carried by the rushing waters
down the valley. It is reported that
three bodies were found near Lexing
ton, nine miles below Heppner, but
there were no fatalities in Lexington.
No systematic effort has been made to
find the dead, who are undoubtedly
strewn along the canyon. Every avail
able man from a radius of 65 miles
has been pressed into service at Hep
pner itself. Gangs of men are at
work clearing away the piles of debris,
rocks and timber, which lie piled in
Heppner's streets, and taking out the
corpses which are thus concealed.
About 100 persons have been buried
In Heppner's graveyard today. Owing
to the entire absence of proper facili
ties for caring for the dead, the vic
tims of the flood were, for the most
part, interred In common crates. The
ghouls who are usually found, like hu
man vultures, rifling the pockets of
the dead In such great disasters as the
one which has stricken Heppner, are
nthis case, fortunately absent, and
the vigilance committees and patrols
which were so necessary at Johnstown
and Galveston floods, seem to be un
necessary In Oregon.
A relief train sent from The Dalles
reached lone last night and will pro
ceed to Heppner as soon as possible.
A wrecking train, with gangs of men
to repair both the tracks and telegraph
wires left last night. It is expected
that communication with Lexington.
17 miles from Heppner, will be restor
ed early this morning.
Court street, at Heppner, on the
bank of the stream, la swept clean as
a gravel bar from end to end. Not
even the foundations of a long line of
beautiful residences are left.
Every business house, except the ho
tel, Fair store and Odd Fellow'a build
ing, along the side of the street on
which the bank stands are wrecks. A
large building is jammed into the drug
store and several other structures are
in the middle of the same street. Resi
dences are turned over or torn to piec
es. Mud, slime and misery are every
where. The water was 15 feet high In Hep
pner's streets and rose over the new
courthouse wall. It came down Palm
Fork, chiefly, but was a torrent on all
hillsides. Enormous piles of rock and
gravel tiave been washed down the
canyon five miles up on Butter creek.
The flood came almost instantly and
lasted one hour. The people thought
It was only, a repetition of the cloud-
United "States or japan, wnicn ouiia-
slon Is considered discourteous to tha
two powers concerned. The Japanese
negotiations have been suspended and
are at a deadlock.
Route to Crow's Nest Pass.
Butte, Mont., June 17. Official word
has been recived in this city to the
effect that the cut-off from Columbia
Falls or Kallspel, on the Great North
ern, to Jocko, on the Northern Pacific,
is to be built at once. Work will be
commenced within 60 day. The new
line will open up the richest country
In the state of Montana and furnish
a direct route from the Crow' Neat
coal fields to the Butte and Anaconda
mines and smelters.
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