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High Water at Salem in 1893 View of sternwheelers Al-
tona and Elwood of the Union Pacific at the foot of Trade
street December 2, 1893. Crest of the river was 27 feet.
Steamer Altona was once pride and joy of the Graham fleet.
The Elwood figured in a Portland boat and trolley disaster
that took seven lives a month earlier.
FLOOD OF 1893
Steamers Moored at Trade,
Portland Tragedy Recalled
By BEN MAXWELL
Although the Willamette reached a flood stage of 27 feet at
Ealem December 2, 1893, that crest was far below the destruc
tive level of 37.1 feet on February 5, 1890, the big flood year
within memory of men now living.
Even so, the Trade street Union Pacific steamboat dock was
almost inundated by the high-
water of 1893, and oldtimers,
whose memory went back to the
flood of floods in 1861, strolled
down to see the steamers Altona
and Elwood moored well up
Trade street where the paper
mill now stands.
H. D. Trover, a Salem photo
grapher who remained in busi
ness here until a few years ago,
lugged his heavy view camera
down to the scene and made an
8 by 10 inch glass negative that
is now property of the Oregon
State Archives.
Boats Long Since Gone
Trover's photograph on that
gray day of 56 years ago shows
the steamer Altona at the left
and the Elwood moored beside
her. . Both sternwheelers disap
peared from the river decades
ago.
The Altona, a 120 foot, shal
low draft boat, was laid down by
the Oregon City Transportation
company in 1890. She was re
built and slightly lengthened in
1899. Clyde Raabe, veteran Wil
lamette captain, once the Al
tona's master and now a Colum
bia river pilot, recalls that the
original pilot house on the Al
tona has survived nearly 60
years of usage and now serves
on the Claire, one of the two or
three sternwheelers surviving on
the Columbia and its tributaries.
When she made her maiden
run between Portland and Ore
gon City under Captain Arthur
W. Graham, June 2, 1890, the
Altona was rated "a handsome
little sternwheeler" by compet
ant observers. Her cabins were
exceptionally elegant and she
had a handy way of getting over
treacherous Clackamas rapids.
Trolley Plunged Into River
November 1, 1893 the Elwood
was associated with a disaster in
Portland harbor that gave her
wide publicity. As the steamer
approached the Madison street
bridge on that cold and foggy
morning she whistled for the
draw. Just as she was about to
enter Captain James Lee in the
pilot house heard and saw the
making of a terrifying catastrophe.
An Oak Grove trolley car, the
Inez, obviously out of control
and with sparks flying and
brakes squealing, was approach
ing the open draw. Passengers
froze in terror. Some blocked
passage for those crowding to
escape as the doomed trolley
skidded without sand in its boxes
over frosty rails. A flimsy wood
guard gate crashed into splinters.
For an instant the Inez teetered
on the brink and then plunged
through the open draw into 30
feet of murky Willamette water.
Steamer Elwood was missed
by less than a boat's length by
the run-away trolley.
Seven Perished
Captain Lee could not instant
ly stop the Elwood. And he knew
better than to reverse the stern
wheel and crush to death those
who might arise to the surface.
Life preservers and planks were
tossed to those struggling in the
swift, icy water. A boat was
launched to pick up survivors.
About 20 passengers were
aboard the Oak Grove trolley
when it passed beyond control
on frosty Madison bridge. Seven
are know to have perished in this
singular disaster involving a
steamboat and a trolley car.
Communist Front Again
After J. Edgar Hoover
By LYLE C. WILSON
Washington. Dec. 6 (U.R) A new campaign to drive FBI Di
rector J. Edgar Hoover from office is just around the corner
under leadership of a left-wing organization already suspect as
communist front.
It is known as the national lawyers guild. The guild was born
in convention here in 1937 wher.e-
Washington's political climate
was more favorable to commun
ists and their fellow travelers.
At a recent guild-sponsored
meeting in New York it was de
cided to open up against Hoover
with a demand for investigation
of the FBI. It was agreed to call
for a "citizens committee" to in
vestigate and to demand that
President Truman give the com
mittee broad powers by execu
tive order. They would include
full access to FBI files, the right
to subpoena and to question wit
nesses. Among Those Present
The United Press was inform
ed that among those present at
the discussion of this
were:
Clifford J. Durr, former fed
eral communications commis
sioner.
Lee Pressman, former general
counsel of the CIO who left that
office when union leadership
turned against communists and
fellow travelers.
Robert Silverstein, executive
secretary of the guild.
Carol King, a lawyer fre
quently active in party line
causes.
Maurice Braverman of Balti
more, Md.
They and their associates de
cided to base their campaign
against Hoover and the FBI on
an incident in Judith Coplon's
recent espionage trial here. The
trial judge compelled the FBI to
produce its files on Miss Coplon,
justice department employe
who got caught associating with
an alleged Russian agent. Much
of the file material was hearsay,
chit chat or anonymous. None of
it was fit for evidence in a court
of law.
Not Offered as Proof
The FBI was aware of that
and had not sought to offer the
material as proof of anything.
But the judge's action seeming
ly placed Hoover and his agency
in the position of sponsoring or
accepting as true this hodge
podge of material which it nei
ther sponsored nor vouched for.
The FBI, in fact, protested
aganst bringing the files into
court.
FBI procedure is to file away
whatever comes into its hands.
None of the Coplon stuff was
more vague or less worthy as
evidence, for instance, than an
anonymous letter which the FBI
Capital Journal, Salem, Ore., Tuesday, December 6, 1949 11
received many months ago and
kept, according to regulations,
as part of its file. That letter
proved to be the first tip on the
irregularities which ultimately
sent former air force Maj. Gen.
Bennett E. Meyers to jail.
Mrs. F.D.R. Awarded
Gold Key of Merit
New York, Dec. 6 U.R Mrs.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was
awarded a gold key of merit
last night as "women of the
years" by the Women's Fashion
division of the federation of
Jewish philanthropies of New
York.
The organization also gave
"women of the year" awards to
Mrs. Ogden Reid, president of
the New York Herald Tribune,
Actress Mary Martin, Metropol
itan opera soprano Helen Trau
bel, and Mrs. Gertrude Berg,
originator of "The Goldbergs"
radio program.
Five members of Michigan
State's 1949 baseball team have
signed professio n a 1 contracts
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MEMO
From
AND
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