The record-union., 1894-06-05
Special to the REcoRD-US1oS.
Abandoned

Special to the RECoRD-UNIoN.
PORTLAND orr, June 4.-Slowly, but
steadily, the waters continue to rise.
Since last night six inches have been
added to the depth. All the wires east
and north are still down and no news
can be obtained from the Upper Colum-
bia region or the Puget Sound country.
The only telegraphic communication
with the outside world is by way of San
Francisco.
From the mouth of the Willamette to
Cathlamet the lowlands are flooded. At
some places the housetops are barely VS.
ible. Houses floating are common
sight. The town of kalama is entirely
under water.
In this city many wharves along the
water front are swapping and cracking
in an ominous fashion. Should they give
way, serious damage will result. On
nearly all of them are valuable goods
which cannot be removed at present. The
gas company was compelled to cease op-
eratonS this morning.
Three days delayed mail arrived yes
terday over the Northern Pacific route.
This afternoon the Western Union Tel
egraph succeeded in restoring communl-
cation with Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane.
The river reached the 32-foot mark this
evening, and Is still rising. First street
is flooded from Salmon to the northern
boundary OF the city, and on Washington
street the water reaches TO Filth. North
OF Stark street the flood extends as lar
back as Tenth street.
Hundreds of persons whose places of
business are submerged have moved out
anu established new temporary places.
In the lower portions OF The city, where
a great many poor persons live, the con-
dition is deplorable. Great numbers have
been driven out by the invading waters,
and have taken temporary refuge wher-
ever shelter can be found. Much distress
already prevails, and should the floods
rise much higher and continue for any
length of time great deal OF suffering
will follow.
The towboat Maria, owned by Captain
+. b. Jones, keeled over on her starboard
side at her moorings between Pine and
Oak streets this morning. AT the time of
the collapse there were aboard and fast
asleep in their hunks Captain Wood, En-
gineer Walker and Richard Beckman.
These men were awakened by the sudden
cold bath, and they fioated out of the
windows. The Maria is now lying in
forty-five feet of water. The boat is val
ued at -, 00O
The Central wharf, 200 feet in length, at
the foot of Washington street, hoated out
of position to-day, but was kept from get
ting loose by heavy cables. A number of
other wharves are In a perilous condition
and may go out at any time.
The temperature has fallen ten degrees
at Baker City during the past twenty
four hours, from which 1t is surmised
that the temperature has fallen over the
country drained by the Columbia and its
tributaries, in which case there is the
possibility Of a cessation of the rise from
Wednesday morning,
A 2:45 this afternoon fire broke out in
the frame commission house of Noting
ham Il Co. on Washington street, be-
tween Front and the water front The
water prevented the department from
reaching the scene, and for time a seri-
Gus contiagration was threatened. After
some time barge with an engine on
board was taken 10 the scene, and this,
with an engine brought from the East
Side on the Stark-street ferry boat, soon
placed the fire under control. The dam
age is small.
The steamer Harvest Queen, while pre-
pairing to go TO the Cascades from Bonne-
Vile this morning, met with a mlShap.
AS she was attempting TO make landing
two miles above Bonneville she ran in
among clump of trees, and before lines
could be thrown out the powerful current
caught the steamer and swung her vio-
lently around, careened her over on her
side, where the boat now lies. No seri-
Gus damage resulted, and no one was in
jured.
MILES OF RAILWAY UNDER WATER.
TACOMA, June 4.-There is only one
way of getting east by rail from Puget
Sound. 1t is over the Northern Pacific
10 Spokane, and from there over the
Union Pacific branch line 10 Riparia,
transferring by boat across the Snake,
where the big steel bridge has been
washed away, thence resuming on the
same branch line to Umatilla, from which
place the main track of the Union Pa
cific is open. Assistant General Superin-
tendent Dickinson Of the \ Northern Pa
cific has returned from a trip over his
road. He says ninety-tive miles of the
Northern Pacific is under water between
Horse Plains, Mont, and Odin, Idaho,
fifteen miles west TO Hope. He adds that
business on that division will be sus-
pended till the water recedes. The
Northern Pacific is clear between here
and helso.
The Puyallup, Stuck and White Rivers
between Tacoma and Seattle are very
high, and still rising. The Stuck has
overfiown farms near Sumner, doing
considerable damage TO hop yards, and
waters are higher than they have been
for many years. Assistant General
ern Pacific says General Manager Case OF
the Great Northern rode with him from
Helena to Spokane Friday, and left
Spokane with blankets and a vallse full
OF food to look for his railway west OF
Spokane. Many miles OF the Great
Northern are washed out.
IN BRITISH COLUMBIA.
VANCOUVER (B. c. .),Sune4.-The Fraser
River rose four inches last night, and is
still rising. High water will not be
reached for another week. Vancouver is
almost shut OF from the rest Of the world,
except by the means of steamers. All
telegraph wires are down east, and the
Canadian Pacific Railroad has stopped
selling tickets, all trains being aban-
doned. Yesterday passengers were
brought down by steamer from Yale to
Westminster, thence by electric car to
Vancouver. Saturday and Sunday ali
telegraph wires were down.
At Westminster the water is over the
floors of buildings and wharves. and as
there will be very high tide to-lnorrow
II is expected that Front street will he
Hooded. All the mills along the water
front have been shut down for the last
week. Many houses and cabins in the
lower portion of the town are now float
ing.
4 report reached here this morning
that the dyke at Lulu Island had given
away. but it is not confirmed. If that be
the case the best agricultural district in
the whole Fraser Valley will be flooded.
Reports from the upper rivers state that
the water is still rising RAPIDLY On Juna