Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-05-16
I. uero srR.T ~ EASTERN WASH.
IxGTOS.
lrxon ths Walla waIla rnion.

fr,om the Walla Waila Union!
pa.ween Upper Dry Creek ard the
60; there i. g high ridge Of prairie
land all in cultivation: sessrai deep,
,, I.ns and narrow guIches cut np the
.sar af the ridge. Through these
~iches trickle little rIyGletS OF water,
save in mid sumner veen their rocky
s, ars dry. Near the head Of one OF
tssss eulche5 about - miles north east
~ Waiia Wsila lives Josepa A. Logs
Jou. below him Wm. Br2 atom, Geo T.
1.vis. Vim. Pitcher and others. L4ss
Monday night a sewers thundeF storm
,,s..sd the valley. Il Was particularly
;n,ense on the mountain sides. On tie
,,doe vs have described the thunder
ssorno vas accompanied by hail, which
sslI to the depgh of several inches.
Ih,at 10 O'Clock at ni2lt wnile the
storm was raging With tue greatest
Sayca,,ess The inmates Of the farm hous-
- vero awakened by great roaring.
Mr.. Logsdon's family rushed to tie
doors and windows 10 behold by the aid
of ..sh of lightning which iitunled
ths sceae for second, the narrow val
isr covered with r0saing waters which
s1rged 40 inst the foundations of tile
hou,e making the binding saske. The
,nsh of waters issted fw minutes aud
then as quickly subsided.
Ths family of Wm. Brunton, consist
inc Of his wife and six children, aud 4
hired g.rl. Is years Of age, named Della
Iarpenl, who We're occupying his resi-
dsncs. which is situated III the angle
formed by the Junction of large guieh
and small one, were awakened by the
storm, and alarmed by the rushing wat
ers and tie beating against the hon8e
of rails and logs, rushed out OF bed and
down stairs IN their night clothes, with
ont a light. They all cpngre2ated ia
The kitchen, where tho water reached
heiQft OF eighteen inches. Suddenly
the floor gave way and Charles Brlnton.
AGED nin years and ave months. disap-
usared. Tbs rest managed To get out
of doors onto Il narrow porch, ahous a
foot aud half high, and endeavored to
make their way to the high ground.
They were ali swept from their feet bY
the force OF the current into the
branches and against the trunk OF a
large gear tree, twenty feet from the
house, 10 which all elung. except Miss
Largent. uutl the water suosided, Il
length of time which seemed hours 10
them, but could in reality have been
but very few minutes. They then
made their way to the woodshed, where
they haddled together in their wet
uiQht clothes almost frozen until help
came.
Al The farm of Geo. 4. Lewis rushing
waters awakened hisn and he stepped
ont ia time to see his stable washed
- ~, ~.
horses ard yeariing colt, lot of har
ness 10 bushels Of barley, etc. Find
ing the danger past he went up stream TO
learn the effect of the food aud was soon
attracted by the cries of help from the
Bmuton5. II was no. long afterwards
before u party started in search of the
missing girl aud boy. Their nude bodies
we're found n few yards apart, about
two miles below the residence of Mr..
Bruaton in piles Of debris and brush.
Their bodies were not much bruised.
slightly about ihe heads. and no bones
appeared TO ba broken. They were
carefully conveyed TO the residence OF
Mr. Lo2sden and prepared for burial by
loving hands. The editor Of the Usioa
visited the sceuc of tue disaster Tuesday
afternoon. He judged from the appear
ance of tue gulch that body OF water
about forty feet wide and ten or more
feet deep bad rushed down Il during the
night. filling the green valley with de-
struction's spliuters. Thorn, cotton
wood, birch aud fruit trees. three, four.
and sons six inches In diameter, had
been doubled 10 the ground and weight
cd down With large rocks, rails, parts Of
log stables. etc.
At William Pilcher's place, where the
creek forks, there was a large pile of
rails, logs, lumber. brush. wagons, dead
horses etc. Part of this pile was
brought down the small gulch on the
left. Mr.. Pitcher lost his smoke house
and contonts and part OF his orchard
was destroyed. The remnants Of the
stable, etc.. belonging 10 Mr. Lewis bore
evidence of the strength Of the flood.
At Mr.. Bruntou'a the pranary, log
stru ,iure about i6x20 fest in size, and
containing 500 bushels of wheat, had
been moved bodily 10 feet, and . large
share of the contents elrried away.
The residence, the outbnildin2s, orchard
and fences looked very dilapidated. AT
Mr.. Logsdpn's hog pen and half doz
en- hogs had been carried away together
with lot Of farming tools. The or
chard was damaged and the ground
torn up. The fencing was carried away
in many places along tho tack of the
torrent. No one, of course, saw the be-
ginning OF the flood, bat it is very evil
dent that surcharged cloud had come
In contact with the high ridge and dis
charged its contents in mass, creating
resistless forrest. II is the first one
OF any importance that has occurred
since this valley was psopled by the
whites.
Another cloud burst ahou. n mile
westerly Of Rrunton's, about the same
hour. which carried away considerable
fencing belonging to Eli Rose and Hen
~ Hastings. About the same time still
another cloud-burst occurred near tho
head of Lyon gulch. about five miles
westerly OF Brunton's, which flooded the
residences OF Thomas Lyons and James
6rimes, carried away some OF their
fencing. aud after tearing down several
rods of fence near the fine farm house
OF Newton Aldrich, emptied into Dry
creek above his barn. The torrent car
yicd away the bridge over Dry creek ut
Dixie, and tore great holes in the road
neu Pitchers. Tho financial loss will
reach several thousand dollars. From
what We heard during our visit. We be-
came convinced that the loss of life
woaid have been greater had II not been
for the presence Of msnd and exertions
OF Edwin Brunton. n boy fifteen years
Of age. Mrs. Brnnton held on to a
babe, month old, during all the terror
md excitement OF the night, saving /.
from drowning and preventing 1t frcm
-xst n