The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1894-06-15

and half way to the Third street corner
are the offices of the Northwest Fire
and Marine Insurance Company, their
costly furnishings heaped up in stacks
like flrewood, with the still water eddy
ing everywhere. Tons of pamphlets and
advertising matter lie splashed by the
river which has invaded everything. The
no less magnificent fittings of the Title
Guarantee and Trust Company's offices,
on the other side, are also all utterly
ruined. But 1t is at the Third street
corner Of the building, in the headquar-
ters Of the Oregon National bank, where
| the destruction reaches its climax. Here
are fittings that cost many thousands
Of dollars. Counter guards of hammer
ed copper and brass in exquisite designs,
filagree window work embossed with the
monogram Of the bank. massive Italian
marble supports surrounded by large
electric light chandeliers, heavy ma
hogany and oak desks and railings all
resting on solid marble bottoms, are
| soiled, cracked and stained beyond re-
demption. The tessellated pavement is
Black and discolored, handsome uphol-
stored lounging seats are turned green
and are rotting to pieces, and over all
are big piles of scantling and rough
lumber partly swimming in two feet of
water Passing further on through the
spacious corridor on raised planking we
come to the safe deposit offices of the
Northwest Loan and Trust Company.
This Office, furnished on the same scale
of costliness, is like all the others on |
the ground floor Of the building-a scene
Of desolation and destruction. The |
steel and copper cages of the deposit
vaults are tarnished to all the eolors of
the rainbow, and the marble slabs that
almost cover the walls show like signs
of discoloration, that months of scrub
bing will never erase. All the oak pan
cling on the main floor has lost its beau
ty and been turned to a dun yellow
tinge. By rigging a powerful engine
over the water outside, one elevator is
kept running. and this, as it rises, takes
with it a quantity Of water every trip,
dripping it cut in its passage to the top,
like shower bath. The bottoms of all
the elevators and the shafts themselves
being of hammered copper, show deface-
ment everywhere. Many small fish were
seen darting about in the corridors this
afternoon, and what has happened on
the ground floor of the chamber of
building has been the fate
OF every structure. large and small, inl
the very centre of the busiest portion of
Portland. The old Catholic brick church
on the corner across from the chamber
Of commerce shows water stains that
have penetrated through the brick a
good way above the highest mark actu-
ally reached by the food. At the Aims
worth National bank building, a block
down. the water is foot higher, and
die destruction Of property if anything
greater than at the chamber of COM
nerce. But these are only desultory
cases. Imagine then the conglomerated
mass of wreckage and the extent of the
havoc wrought, when there are 500 large
buildings, warehouses and stores in ex-
lctly the same predicament
Oak street, from thesold dilapldated
woodward at the water front along past
'he city Jail to Seventh street, is a
luge and deep morass, through which
he tops of store signs and barber's {
)oles are just dlscernable From the |
liver channel proper to the Jail there is |
lot even an elevated sidewalk" to OBJ
'truct the view, the water being too
leep to allow of thehr erection, nor have 5
hese breakneck eontrivances been
placed near the foot of Washington or
llong First or Second, for the same rea-
ION. I
All the old brick shacks inhabited by
he Chinese colony on Second street are, !
according to the views of contractors, 9
n some danger of falling The mortar !
them together is pretty well $
otted, even without the action Of the 9
vater to complete the breakdown, and
here is no doubt that the cellars of
hese buildings will remain wet and
'artly flooded for some months. s
Apman Wolfe's big store on the [
round floor of the Delum building, at 0
he corner Of Third and Washington, k
raised on planks foot above the o
evel Of the flooring, and the immense s
ellars underneath are loaded up to the r
treet level with many tons Of water. At
lids & Kings store, two blocks higher b
p Washington, big force pumps were d
ontinually at work all day today get
ing the water out of their cellars.
On all sides are advertisements Of T
malarial and high water specifics"
um boots and pumps. For the first C
AIMED there will soon be a big demand. o
.lready there has been a fall Of sew q
raj inches on the higher portions OF c.
ne streets, leaving thin sediment, :
'hich in itself is not very malodorous
he hot sun. however, which has poured
own since early morning has brought
p terrible and overpowering smell.
lore particularly in the vicinity Of
bird and Morrison streets, near the
'mporary heaquarters Of the Postal
telegraph Company. Here, on both
reefs named. are several large cellar
ratings opening onto the sidewalks,
nd It is through these that the air
being rapidly polluted. One Of the
iief topics concerning the flood today