The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-11-25
WRECK AND RUIN.
Terrible Hardships Caused by Floods and
Storms In Washington.

Storms In Washington.
SEATTLE, Nov. 18.-Residents of
Seattle and vicinity, who by reason
of the floods and snow have been vir.
tually prisoners in the fastnesses OF
the Cascade mountains since Friday
last, are coming in, some on gravel
trains, some afoot and others by boat
They tell narrowing tales of suffering,
devastation and destruction. The
situation as described in these dis.
patches from day to day has not been
exaggerated in the least, if indeed the
fierceness and fury of the storm has
been fully portrayed. There has been
human suffering and no doubt Amany
miners and prospectors in the Cas-
cades have been either drowned or
have met death from snow slides.
Four prospectors, headed by Jos.
Nicholson, operating a claim on the
Snoqualime pass, arrived this after.
noon. One of the men is a raving
maniac by reason of the suffering and
hardships endured in their efforts to
get out of the mountains. Saturday
night to prevent being swept down
the mountains by snow slides they
lashed themselves to trees, where they
remained in the drenching rain for
six or eight hours. Meanwhile great
boulders of earth and huge sections of
snow kept sliding down into the can
yons and gulches below: Trees were
torn up by the roots and carried away
by the avalanche and the noise was
indsscribably horrifying. At day
break on Sunday the prospectors tore
away the lashings and began their
perilous journey out of the noun
tains. They followed Gold Greek to
Lake Keechsler, tramping through
snow four and FIVE feet deep, crossing
small streams on logs; finally finding
their way to the point where the
Northern Pacific crosses the Cascades
and thence proceeded down the rail-
road track to this city.
Two Seattle business men were
caught at Index Thursday. They were
three days walking 35 miles to Snoho-
mish, crossing small streams by means
of driftwood and the larger ones in
row boats. They report that the
Great Northern westbound overland
passenger train with Al passengers,
due here last Friday morning, is stall
ed between Wellington and Madison,
owing to great washout on both sides.
When last heard from IL first class
passengers on the train were supplied
with half rations from the dining car,
while the day coach and second class
passengers, including "a Chinese,
managed to procure scant food sup
plies from Wellington. The gentle
men giving this information say there
are 10 washouts on the Great North
ern between Index and Sultan, a dis
lance of four miles; that the upper
falls OF the Skihomish river two bridg-
es are gone, together with 1, 200 feet OF
track.
When the flood was at its height,
the Great Northern line between Mon
roe and Skihomish, a distance of sew.
en- miles, was inundated to depth of
from to Is feet. Today's advices,
however, are to the effect that the
waters of all rivers have receeded ex.
cept at Snohomish. In the flats and
bottoms, water covered thousands of
acres of rich farm land, leaving moth
ing but wreck and ruin behind. The
Great Northern is making no attempt
to run trains, save on the coast line
north of Stanwood. Large forces of
men are now at work on the coast
and main line, but there is little pros
pect of early resumption of trafic. On
Sunday three minutes after the North
ern Pacific passenger. train from Port
land had passed Ainslee half mile
OF track and roadbed near that place
slid into the Cowlitz river. The east
ern mails due here Saturday and Sun.
day were received today, but there
has been none from San Francisco and
the south since Saturday night. The
Northern Pacific by transferring is
now running overland trains east from
Tacoma and is also making steamer
connections from this city to Port
land.