The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1894-06-22
Mitchell Notes.

After a season of illness of two or
three weeks, which was more aggravat-
ing than serious, will once more give
you few notes of interest.
Many things of interest have come
and gone while was unable to commun-
icate them. Some you received indi-
rectly, which were very correctly given,
but half was not told
The. wreck of our little town, caused
by high waters, is thing untheught of
until it came upon u.s.. The grist mill
at the upper end of town Is incapacitated
for grinding by the fumes being en-
tirely demolished, but the mill itself
stands unharmed. After the water had
done its work of destruction at the mill,
in its mad fury it came on tearing it's
bank to pieces, until there were several
hundred feet of James Chamberlain's
lot coursing its way down stream, and
the lot is almost entirely spoiled and his
house left within a few feet of the bank.
But for the energy of some of our men
OF town and three or four sheep-shearers
who lent helping hand, it would have
been somewhere among the debris that
lay high in drifts in many places below
here. 0. S. Boardman is the next in
the streams way, and with an angry
toss of its waves, thick with mud, it
seemed to smile at the attem pt to change
its course from his lot, but with howl
almost as of demon, on it went uproot-
ing poplars that made the one bright
spot in town and served as landmark
miles away. His orchard was greatly
damaged. many trees being torn from
their roots and carried away. His gar
den also suffered serious damage. AL
Campbell and R. E. Misner being next
below, each had small barn, COW sheds
and chicken houses among the de-
stroyed. W. H. Sassers new building
is the next in the course of the stream.
and before the water went down their
back yard was almost entirely carried
away and a bank of twelve or fifteen
feet is left almost at their door.
Before the high water the channel of
the stream from bank to bank must
have been from 25 to so feet, and now
the banks are from 80 to 100 feet. The
entire school grounds are carried away, ;.
and, as has been reported, the school
house stands on end at the bottom of
the creek, but, as if satisfied with stand
ing the schoolhouse on end, the channel
soon changed, and now the house is
high and dry on a gravel bar.
There can hardly be an estimate of
the loss our town has sustained by high
water. Places that were bright and
green with luxurious growths and vege-
tation, neat orchards, or waving, bend
ing poplars, are now but an unsightly
waste, barren gravel bed. Many fears
are expressed that the work of destruc-
ton is not yet at an lend. Con-
tinual clouds hang over US and heavy
rainfalls and cloudbursts are a sdailv oc-
currence. As write the sky is heavily
overcast by very threatening clouds and
thunder is rumbling in the distance.
Three days in succession we have been
visited by heavy thunder showers, and
today another In prospect. Already the
ground is thoroughly water soaked. on
account of which hay and grain are not
doing well.
Mr.. Seigfort, the stage driver from
Canyon to this place, reports several
heavy rainfalls and waterspouts near
Canyon City that passed through many
places with damaging effect, covering
others with sand and gravel to the
depth OF several feet, tearing some to
pieces, and carrying houses and barns