The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1894-06-13

an Astorian reporter yesterday, "and
came along at a pretty stiff pace with
the current past the tops Of several
hundred railway cars and the remains
of dozen train signals, till found my
self a little the other side of st. Helens.
what Is left Of the town, ! ran along
side dwelling house gaily racing down
the river tilted slightly ON one side 1t
apparel to be a story and half cot
tage. The blinds were all drawn tight.
so / could see nothing inside and 1t
was too risky for me to get very close
to 1t. An hour after my Whitehall had
left st. Helens 1t came on to rain and
blow. had to guess the channel, for
there were dozen of them, and the
drizzle made 10 impossible for me to see
very far ahead Before / could check
my boat nearly ran into big barn or
woodshed that was careenlng over like
a spinning top every three minutes,
making little whirlpools at each turn. l
got out of this difficulty handlly and
continued on my course till l neared
Kalama- 1 knew It was Kalama by in
stinct, for there was nothing else to
tell me was at that once bustling set
tlement. The water covered everything,
and not soul was about. A few miles
below Kalama, in 20 feet Of water, I
caught up to a church with splre
about 40 feet high, and one of its big
stained glass windows still bidding de-
fiance to wind and wave. 1t was quite
as large as the Presbyterian church in
this city, and good deal handsomer.
Being well into the centre current l
soon left it behind, and 1t has probably
before this been demolished by contact
with rocks or logs After had noticed
the church and had quit speculating
where it had come from, l got into a
miscellaneous collection of wash-tubs
bureau drawers, logs and thousands of
feet of sawn timber, 12x12, and dozens
of other Sizes in a huddled up mass
that can hardly describe. 1t looked as
If a dozen monster saw mills had been
picked up bodily, turned over and
spilled into the river In one big heap.
The firewood passed would easily have
supplied all Astoria for year
and more, and off Westport the
wreckage got thicker and thicker. The
logs were some of the finest ever saw
go, 70 and so feet long. scantling Of all
shapes and sizes, and cut floor timber
in hundreds of little heaps. Just this
side of Westport l tried to strike
through the blind channel, and before I
had gone very far bumped square into
what 1 trought was a snag. Immedi-
ately l was greeted with chorus of
from dozens of fowls. 1t was
a chicken coop with the top roost load
ed with birds. 1t was more than my
safety was worth to reach over and
grab them, and l had to let them go.
Then l came on another assortment OF
wash tubs. The woods were full Of
them. BY 'the woods / mean "the
place where the woods used to grow"
for all you can see now are the tops OF
trees. An hour after getting through
what had once christened Wash Tub
Lake." 1 ran up alongside a two-story
house. The blinds were up and l could
see white curtains neatly tied at each
side Of the windows. Backing my boat
up with a good deal Of difficulty, got
Just glance inside. The room l looked
into was a bedroom neatly furnished.
The bed was made, pillows at the head
Of 1t, and a snowy counterpane over all
There was carpet on the floor, and
noticed several pictures and some to-
bacco advertisements on the walls. You
can just bet wanted to get inside, for
might just as well have had the con-
tents of the house as anybody, but the
risk was too great. and / had to leave
the prize for somebody else. My next
adventure was a tussle with whirl-
pool which swept the boat round three
times and landed 1t in the top Of a pear
tree This was sufficient TO show me
hat was on ranch Of some kind. and
ooking round / saw, about so yards off,
! barn, outhouse and residence thrown
.ogsther, with furniture OF all descrip-
Ions floating alongside them.
After getting out Of the pear tree
Without mlshap and sIghing over the
'ate Of the poor devil whose ranch had
lust landed on, got away and reached
nome on Sunday afternoon. with min
sled feelings, the principal Of which was
| holy horror Of high water and inunda-
ions that will stick to me as long as I
lave got brains to remember that hud-
He'd up mixture OF mud, food and
louses called Portland
Then Dench went home to supper.
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