The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-17

Portland, Ore, Nov. 16.-The damage
by wind and high water as a result of
the storm which has been raging in
this vicinity for the past four days, is
widespread. The property loss already
amounts TO thousands of dollars and is
likely to be much greater, as all the
up-country streams are steadily rising.
Front street in this city is partly
flooded and considerable damage has
been done to goods in storage and
wholesale houses.
In the Willamette valley snow has
been falling heavily for the past six
hours and still continues. Below Port
land the Columbia river has spread far
beyond it's banks and is sweeping
everything before it. All overland
trains are greatly delayed by wash
outs. which are reported to be general
throughout this section.
Seattle, Nov 16.-The storm which
has swept northwestern Washington
and British Columbia for the past 4S
hours is the most severe in the history
of the country. 1t is estimated that
the damage TO railroads alone in west
and the loss to private property will
be fully as great. While atmospheric
conditions have improved slightly. the
railroad situation is worse than ever.
The city is absolutely shut off from
communication by rail with the outside
world and from midnight last night
until about o'clock this afternoon all
the telegraph lines We're paralyzed.
The Northern Pacific overland ex-
press which left Tacoma last night en-
countered a huge landslide near Aston.
on the eastern slope of the Cascades.
and returned to Tacoma this afternoon.
a few miles beyond Aston the Yakima
river bridge is washed away. The dam
age beyond that point is not known.
communication being interrupted.
The Portland branch of the Northern
Pacific is likewise disabled by a big
landslide in Cowlitz valley, 50 miles
south of Tacoma.
The Great Northern railway is the
heaviest sufferer and all its lines on
this side of the Cascades are in a de-
plorable condition. From SnowhomisI,
to Skyhonish, in the Cascade mount
aims, a distance of 50 miles. the road
will practically have to be rebuilt. as
the roadbed has been nearly all swept
away and the bridges washed out.
AT Index the big railroad bridge was
swept from its piers and carried down
the Skyhomish river for a distance of
half mile.
AT Snowhomish City the river is
higher than ever known before, being
from six to ten miles wide in places.
The water is over a foot deep in the
Great Northern depot, which stands
eight feet above the level of the track.
ert-erc'ty end toC3y steamers have
been cruising about over farm lands,
L-c4-l1S - l4HcAers aLd sock
Mount Vernon. n Skagit county. is
in sad plight, the Skae.t river being
unprecedentedly high ard the dykes
are about to give away.
Avon, a village near by. is under
wafer and the Beaver and Olympia.
marshes are inundated In many of
the farnlhouses the water is several
fest deep.
The Snowhomish river at Everett
is seven mics wide and the Seattle
& IrIlernational railroad bridge has
been Rendered unsafe by ule great Jam
of driftwood
Near Lowell the river is two feet
above high wacer mark and the rail-
road track has been washed away for
miles. Three feet of water is stand
ing in the Everett and Monte Cristo
tunnel for the entire length of ZOO feet.
New Whatcon is shut out from
entirely. no trains hav-
ing arrived or departed from there
for four days.
The NcOsak river has overlooked its
banks, flooding hundreds of acres of
ranging property
in EEltish Columbia the Canadian
Pacific fer distance OF 100 miles east
Of Vancouver, has been seriously
damaged Many bridges are washed
out and ted,graplhic communication
with the east has been interrupted for
Sc hours.
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