Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-02-06
THE FLOOD AT POR
Highest water Since ,G1-EnormOus
BamnRe WrOughL.

PORTLAND Or, February 5.-The
Postal Telegraph and Cable company
furnishes the following information re-
earding the unprecedented floods in Ore
gon and Washington. The Willamette
river at this city is higher than it has
been since the great flood of 1861. The
rise is caused by, the unusually
heavy rains and melting snow
in the mountains. In this
city all the merchants along the water
front and for two streets back from the
river have been compelled to suspend
business and move their stock 10 higher
places. The water rose so rapidly that
many OF them were unable to move their
goods out, and in consequence heavy
damage will be the result. The only
means of travel on Front street, the
principal wholesale street of the city, is
by boats.
Throughout the Willamette valley
heavy losses are reported. Many bridges
have been washed away, and large
amount of grain stored in warehouses
along the river has been ruined. The
wagon bridge across the Willamette river
at Salem was swept away on Monday
night. The structure was about 1000
feet long. 1t cost in the ne1ghborhood of
$75, 900.
No less than ten million Aaw-logs have
been swept away by the Willamette and
Columbia rivers in the last few days,
Large quantities of sawed lumber and a
number of saw-mills on the river have
also been carried away.
The situation on the Southern Pacific
between here and California remains
virtually unchanged. All commdnica-
ton south and east of here has been cut
off for five days and no trains are ar7iv-
ing over the Southern Pacific or Union
Pacific. Train are running to Tacoma,
Washington, over the Northern Pacific,
but heavy storm in the Cascade mount
aims has cut off communication to the
East 1t iaimpossible to closely estimate
the damage at present, but it will prob
| ably reach half million dollars.
| The rain has ceased throughout the
Willamette valley, but the river at this
point is still on the rise, though reports
from the south az far as Corvallis state
that it began falling at noon and the
weather is cold and clear. The
water is rushing through Front
and First streets very rapidly,
and this makes navigation by
means of boats dangerous. Many of the
sidewalks are floating and several acci-
dents have occurred by pedestrians fall
ing through holes in the sidewalks The
Oregonian and Telegram we're compelled
to move their business Offices further
back from the river this evening. Rooms
which are on the second floor,
are reached by ooats. Great anxiety
has been felt for the two bridges which
span the river at this point. The Nor
rison-street wagon bridge is liable to be
swept away st any moment, and in case
this bridge goes, the Union Pacific rail-
road bridge is almost certain to
GO out. The river at present
is comparatively free from drift,
it having been carried down before
the water became go high. The Assc-
ciated Press reporter, in order to file his
dispatches, was compelled to wade
through water three feet deep.
A dispatch from McMinnvllle Oregon
states that the town of Wheatland has
been almost swept away; much stock
was drowned and large amount O.
grain destroy ed.