The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1894-06-20
FALL SLOW BUT SURE
The Water Is Receding From
Portland's Streets.
DANGER OF AN EPIDEMIC
In the Track of the Flood is a Col
lection of Filth Never Before
Seen in Big City.
DANGER OF AN EPIDEMIC
specIal correspondence Of AstorIan.

Special Correspondence Of Astorlan.
Portland, Or, June 17.-Pumps are
running day and night in the cellars OF
all the big buildings, and their powerful
beat can be heard in every part Of the
city from which the waters have re-
ceded. Since the river started to fall,
the total drop up to this Sunday even
ing at o'clock has been feet l-2
inches. Since yesterday morning the
fall has been slow and far less marked
than on the preceding days. The water
has gone down on washington street,
from Third to Second, leaving that block
in rather bad state Of dilapidatlon,
most noticeable in the road. where the
asphalt Is retted to pieces, especially
between the car tracks, which show
large holes all along their course The
four corners of Second and Washing
ton are occupied respectively by the
Commercial National bank, Vienna
Cafe, Union Pacific ticket Office and
Streibig e. Humasen, the druggists
They opened up the latter place ycster-
day, and the employees were disguised
with the chaos that was disclosed. 1t
looked as If the handsome furniture
and show cases had been saturated with
vitriol. The counters were peeled and
discolored out of all semblance to their
original condition. The Vienna cafe is
also pretty well demolished, and 1t will
take some weeks to straighten matters
out. In the Commercial National build
ing the havoc Is not so extensive, owing
to the use of several feet of steps be-
fore the ground floor is reached. Not
withstanding this, however the vaults
and lower part Of the furnishings are
considerably damaged, and will entail
an expenditure of several hundred dol
lars before they can be put into pre-
sentable condition.. The Union Pacific
ticket office has also the fortunate BEN
etit of a slight rise from the level Of
the street, although this has not saved
it from bad breaking up. Compared
with the Northern Pacific Office, on the
next corner, it has escaped very lightly.
Continuing in a boat the tour Of First
street, interrupted yesterday, at the in
tersection of Washington, the first mo-
ticeable destruction appears just oppo-
site the First National bank, where
there stands a row Of dismal wooden
shacks for space of about half a
block. These have been almost COM
pletely demolished. All their windows
are smashed, doors torn out OF their
hinges and roofs broken right away
from the walls. The big Red Front
clothing store opposite this is also In a
very dilapidated condition, thought,
fortunately, 1t was unoccupled when
the flood seized 1t, The water has
caused great cracks to appear all over
the woodwork in front of this place,
and has thrown the hardwood steps into
a seml-clrcular shape. The Hudson
sporting goods emporium, a few doors
farther on, is very badly damaged, and
a great portion Of It's valuable contents
have been more or less ruined. Ladd's
bank, on the next corner, Is one Of the
worst damaged buildings in this part Of
the city. It's doors and windows are
boarded up tighb with common deal,
battened across In all directions, and
giving the place a very dead appear
ance impossible to describe on paper.
The marks Of the water. like several
parallel lines of filth, lie thick all round
both front walls. The desks, counters,
cash stands and vaults are quite as
badly damaged as the furniture Of the
First National bank before described,
and Of the two. Ladd's is probably the
more costly, though less snowy. The
big square marble hagstones that line
the floor are warped very badly, show
ing large black spaces between many
of the squares which will necessitate
much labor before they can be laid in
their proper position again. The Postal
Company's main office looks
like waterlogged barn, while few
yards farther down on the same side
Of the street, stands the building Of the
Western Union Company, If anything
in worse shape still In the Western