The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-11-17

his efli~ient corps OF assistants. the CONF
pany will not be able 10 get a train
through from Portland Tor perhaps two
days.
The hard rains Of the past few days.
together with q Chinook wind which
melted the eighteen inches OF snow on the
mountains as il steam heat had been APP
piled. have swollen all the streams OF the
Cowlstx and Chenalis valleys into double
and triple their normal size. Small riyu-
lets have BEEN changed into raging rivers
and torrents Of water have leaned the
boundaries Of banks and filled einbank-
menss and have spread over the entirs
country between olequa ard Kalama. Not
more than once IN the past forty years.
according TO the proyeroiai oldest inhab-
liant OF the Cowiitx country. mas the river
been rs high. The stream has been turned
into whirlpool. and Overlapping Its his
tortc confines. has swept over and under
the tracks and entertainments OF the
Northern Pacific railway. doing damage
that win require the expenditure Of thou
sands OF dollars 10 repair.
Over Ian feet OF the Cowiits al. be-
tween Ainsiie and Sopenah. aave been
washed out Formerly the track rested
on long trcsiie. but II was gradually
fsiled In with earth. making q solid road
bed. at the cost OF = large amount OF
money. The last Was finished a year ago.
The bank IL badly DANA xed and ten OF the
eenfs have been entirely washed away.
Breaking out short distance above the
Northern Pacific bridge at oIequa, the
river made new channel for itself over
the fertile meadows and swept every thing
before 1t on It's mad rush toward the sea.
A. this paint the damage 10 the Nor thern
Pacific Is greatest. for here u the Cow
litx iii. which has been washed away for
q distance OF 1900 feet West OF the track
the hizh water has plowed a way through
the meadows. and on the other side the
river proper IL far out OF It's banks and Is
surgsng toward the Columbia at terrific
rate.
ON account OF the high water at tho
White river bridge the line TO Seattle IS
crippled and all traffic brought 20 a stand
sttai washouis and a broken bridge over
tho Yakima have paraiyzsd travel east OF
here. These things ali coming together
have had fhe effect OF isola;ing Tacoma
and Seattle from connection with each
ether or with the East over the Northern
Pacific. From all the indications tonight
II viii be perhaps forty-elghs hours before
the company succeeds ia getting train
through on It's way TO 81. Paul.
The extent % tho damage was not
known at midnight last night. nj which
time IL was hoped that the overland train
No :. leaving Portland al O'Clock, would
make It's way 20 this city. The train left
Portland as usual, but was caught be-
tween two washoats between Ainssle and
oleQaa. where IL has siaee remained The
company dispatched the regular No. :.
which untsl Saturday connected With the
stub train from Spokane TO Portland. a..
- this morning. This train reached VIM
lock az 2 o'clock This morning, and there
the passengers on the Portland train were
transferred to IL. They had spent the
night and part OF the day tied up by the
vasheus. but the company did everything
possible TO make their forced insrtson-
useut as besranie as possible The pas
seuxers on No. were forced TO turn
around and return on the train 70 this
city arriving here al o'clock tonight