, 1890-02-07
ON THE DECREASE.
The Great Oregon Flood Rap
idly Subsiding.
Travel Will be Interrupted
For Several Days,
The Railroad Track Entirely
0bliterated in Places.
LIN the Flood District.

PORTLAND, Ore. Feb. 6.-This morn
ing the rver is stationary a. this point
and it is thought there will be no further
rise. Reports from Corvallis and Oregon
City say it is falling one inch an hour
there.
TACOMA, Wash. Feb. 6.-The Will
iamette river is higher thar for twenty
ears past. Many bridges are threatened
and there has been great damage done in
the entire valley. The revenue cutter
Rush with northern mail from San Fran
cisco, was unable to cross the Columbia
river bar and came back to Tacoma and
has taken the mails back to San Fran
cisco.
CHICAGO, Feb. 6.-Advices via West
ern Union from the far Northwest indi
cate little improvement in the Geographic
situation. After the wires had been
broken down by snow slides on the regu-
lar route to Portland the company
managed to get a wire through to Tacoma
over the Cascade division of the Northern
Pacific and thence to Portland. This held
only a short time and reports this morn
ing are to the effect hat a heavy wind
storm on the Cascade division blew down
many large pine trees. breaking the wires.
The food in the Willamette river at Port
land carried away a cable laid across it.
making the break in the connection more
serious.
Water reached the highest point
% feet 4 inches at 6 O'Clock this morning.
Since then it has fallen four inches in the
channel. This was the highest water in
the history OF the city. The water falls
slowly in the streets and is not percep-
tibly lower but is running through the
streets with less rapid current and is free
from heavy driftwood in the channel.
The bridges are believed to be safe and
there is no evidence of any serious dam
age to buildings. The only loss in the
business district would be from the pres
ence OF water on the ground floors OF
buildings which Is trifing.
Reports from points on the Willamette
river indicate the river falling very rapid
ly. Detailed reports of the damage
above will be slow to come in on ac-
count of the interruption TO telegraphic
communication. The most serious loss
will be the destruction of bridges which
seem to have been swept away everywhere.
The largest towns in the valley are well
above high water and only small and un
important building have been carried
away. The interruption to travel still
continues but the Oregon Railroad &
Navigation company has established a
steamer service to Cascade Locks above
which trains are running.
Between Cascade Locks and here there
is a succession of landslides entirely Oh
literating the track in some places. The
Southern Pacific sent out a train on a
branch line west of there, but got no
farther than McMinneyille, fifty miles
from here. No trains have been sent out
on the main line The Northern Pacific
is running to Tacoma and is carrying
mails. 1t is expected the railroad block
ade to Cascade Locks will continue some
days, and that between here and San
Francisco for weeks, as the track and
roadway have been entirely destroyed for
a considerable distance.
Meagre advices from Ashland state the
Southern Pacific railroad bridge across
the Umpqua river has been washed out
and in Canyon creek the railroad track has
been virtually wiped out. Many smaller
railroad bridges between here and Ash
land lave been washed away and the
company does not attempt to send out
trains. On the west side of the Villa.
mette river trains are running as far as
McMinneville. The Union Pacific i:
biockaded by heavy slides between this
city and the Dalles and no trains are ex
pected to be running for several days.
Sixty houses have been swept away and
many persons driven from their homes,
though as far as known no lives were lost
Along the river bottoms considerable live
stock drowned and large quantities of
grain and hay were destroyed.
The damage in this city will not be SC
great as at first anticipated. The docks
and wharvcs while being summers ed have
all stood the strain of the current. anC
now as the water is decreasing it is
thought the damage is over. The Col
umbia river at Vancouver, Wash. is fall
ing. At Eugene, Ore, a large Wagon
bridge e over to-day, also a part OF 9
bridge near that CITY, causing a loss o
about $40, 900. A few small building
and large amounts of cord wood anc
fencing and other materials were washed
awav, and the aggregate losses will foo
up many thousand dollars. At Rose
burg. Ore, no trains have arrived sine,
Friday and a shortage of provisions is
feared unless communication is restored
soon. The bridge across Greek creel
and the wooden mills have been total,
destroyed by the food.