The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-12-13
RIVERS ARE RAGING.
One-Haf the Country Pouring
Water on the Other Half.
wAsHouTs ON THE RAILROADS.
Narrow Gauge add Northern Paeihc
Tracks suHer-valieys Are Lakes
C. y. Blockade Raised.

Cedar river TOOK Its turn n gong IN the
rampage and tore away bridges and bald
ings and washed out :he roedbed OF the
Columbia 4 Puget Sound railrasd wher-
ever il hugged the bank TOO closely. The
valleys of White and Duxarnish rivers are
still sea OF fresh water, and Snohornish
has spread all over its delta Further
north little il any damage seems 10 have
been done
Cedar river rose with rush and came
roaring and tearing down, chatlng is
banks and removing all the distinctions
man had put in its way. IL washed out
the track Of the Columbia 4 Puget Sound
road at every point where IL swept around
bend, doing the most serious damage
between Elliott and Cedar Mountain.
where * left some 30 feet OF
track suspended in mid-air by the
hrshpIate.. Smaller wasEouts occurred
easttof Cedar Mountain. at the coal bunk
ers at tha; mine. and at two points be-
tween Elliott and Renton, but all OF these
were repaired in the course Of the day
The passenger train from Franklin had TO
make a transfer At the big washout and
arrived two hours late. and the one which
left here in the afternoon had to do the
same, while all eight traffic was suspended
until this evening. when the road is
expected to be in repair again. The
county bridge at Cedar Mountain was
swept away. so also were the west span
and approach of the new bridge at Rem
ton, and q house and barn at Cedar
Mountain were carried away. The food
was ended last night, unless further
storms should renew it, for the river had
fallen three feet from the highest point.
SULTAN, Dec. lL-fSpecial. Rains
have been falling almost necessarily from
Wednesday of last week until Sunday
noon. They were especially heavy ali day
Saturday aud Saturday night. with strong
winds from the north west. The ground
was soaked full, and all streams were
swollen so that by last night the Skyko-
mish and Sultan rivers were almost bank
full. The highest point reached was
within two feet of high water mark. Con-
siderable damage was done along the
banks of both rivers. The SKykomish is
gradually cutting q new channel along the
Great Northern railroad track. beginning
at the mill site of Moffatt & Stone and
joining the Sultan at Majors point. A
large amount of drift came down early
sunday morning and during the forenoon.
threatening damage TO the bridges. One
large spruce, with outspreading roots and
limbs. came along, striking the county
bridge over the Sultan and making the
long span sway as If 10 fall.
AT noon Sunday the temperature fell
and the prospect of food passed over.
Since then it has been sleeting some and
the foothills are covered with snow"
Reports from the Skagit and Nooksack
also tell of flooded iowiands with horses and
cattle standing in water up TO their bellies,
but no material damage has occurred so far
The former stream had fallen eighteen
inches on Monday night. out high warm
winds yesterday were expected to bring
down the snow and cause another rise.
Lake Washington has been filling up
like a great tank with many inlets and no
outlet to speak of. The parks a. the ter
minal of the street railways are all under
water. and Taylor's mill is flooded up to
the pulleys. so that it has been shut down
until the deluge subsidies.
Much damage has been done in the vi.
cinity of Tolt. As is detailed by the follow
ing message from there:
TOR. Dec. 12-tspecial. l-Incessant
heavy rains prevailed throughout the
valley from Friday until Sunday morning.
causing rapid rise IN the Snoqualmle
and tributaries. The Tolt. which has its
confluence with the main river just south
of c. NJ. Tempieton's farm, reached q
greater height than ever known. The road
from Stossei creek, nine miles from Tolt,
was badly washed out and the bridge. car
ried away. John0gilvie, who came down
on Monday, reports the road in q terrible
condition and that at least $500 would have
to be expended before team could be got
over it. In the vicinity of Tolt the Sno-
quamie has overlooked and is running
through the fields. At :. Morris, one
mile below, the county road was sub
merged 10 a depth of four feet and was i'm
her
the water was still higher and much of the
! road covered. At +. bagweIs boats had
/ TO be used TO get from one building to an
other. The water is. however receding
and it is thought all danger is past"
William Decatur. of Mount Vernon. ar
/ rived in the city yesterday and reports
! that some of the farms on the bottoms
near Mount Vernon are submerged. The
heavy rains in the hills formed torrents of
water which flowed into the bottoms and,
/ there being no natural drainage, ponds
/ covering acres of ground were formed.
I Mr., Decatur says that on the big farm of
+ Harry Mills, six miles south of Mount
! Vernon. horses and cows were seen stand
/ ing IN the water almost TO their bellies.
! The Skagit river Is not dangerously high
/ and no fear is entertained that il will again
/ overflow its banks
CoIFsy, Dee. 12.- Special. The flood
/ in the North falouse has subsidized and
/ water no longer covers the streets in Col
/ fax. The total loss here exceeds $40, 900
/ OF which William Codd. the sawmill man.
! loses one-hali BY saslogs floating of All
/ the damage 10 the railroad track here has
been repaired. Reports from E.berton are
/ that the water has gone down. leaving the
+ streets bare. The losses at that place will
| reach sa.ooo. Several county bridges have
( gone Out The county commissioners have
been called together To provide for their
I renewal
Judge sullivan has granted = ch ange of
/ venue ia the FL Hill murder case TO DAY.
/ ton, where 1t All De tried before Judge
+ Guernsey on March L.
! LIE lI