The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-11-16
SEATTLE ISOLATED.
Storms and Floods Stop All
Railway Traffic in
Washington.

SEATTLE, Wash, Nov i6, 1S96.-Seat-
tie is completely cut off from communica-
ton by rail with the outside world, On
the two trans-contsnental lines running
into this city not a train. freight or pas
senger. has departed within "a hours.
This remarkable state of affairs 5 due
to foods and storms. It has rained al
most necessarily for ten days Rivers
and small streams are swollen beyond
their banks and in many cases the water
is still rising.
Reports from the southern part Of the
State are that the Cowlitz River has risen
above the highest water mark in its his
tory and that Castle Rock, a town OF
500 inhabitants in Cowlftz county, is en-
tirely covered by water from one TO
three feet deep. A strong currant has set
in there and many houses are being
washed from their foundations. Chehalia
reports the storm the worst of the sea-
son in that locality. Electric light wires
are down. trees uprooted and fences and
small buildings blown down.
The storm here yesterday was the
worst since last winter. EARLY in the af-
ternoon heavy snow storm set in and
by ten O'clock four inches fell, two re-
naming on the ground
The Puyallup River, which is the out
let of all the creeks and small streams of
this section, has risen two feet and yester-
Cay where it was calm sluggish stream,
1t is now raging torrent. A rise of two
or three feet more and the water will
be over the farms and cause great dam
age.
There were no trains between Tacoma
and Seattle yesterday and all overland
trains from Spokane to Portland are run
ming slowly, with no oiscoItinuance as
yet. In Mason county several hundred
feet Of filing on the Dew, Shelton and
Southwestern Railroad was washed
away.
All that portion of the Great Northern
system from the Cascades west, including
the coast line, is paralyzed. On the coast
tracks has been washed out, and other
serious damage has resulted in the Cas-
cades, where the main line crosses the
Skykonlish River four times within a dis
tance Of two miles.
Two railroad bridges are washed out in
this locality and much trackage is mum
dated where the roadbed follows the
river. the railroad bridge over White
River has been condemned as unsafe.
owing to high waters, which are ex-
pected TO sweep away the structure at
munication with the Northern Pacific
main line, the Portland branch of the
Northern Pacific and likewise stopped
traffic on the Columbia and Puget Sound
Railroad.
owing to a great landslide the Seattle
and International connecting with the
Canadian Pacific. has been interrupted for
10 hours. The Northern Pacific is sending
passengers by boat to Tacoma where
connections may be made with Portland
Fer several days all wires have been
down, but last evening one wire was got
into operation again. No estimate cf
damage to railroad property can be OBJ
tanned now. but on the Great Northern
of dollars. The rainfall for Seattle ard
vicinity for November to date Is DAYS
has been 7o6 inches. The greatest fall
known here before an entire month was
only SIC inches
The bridge over the Yakima River at
Cleeium was washed out last night de-
stroying railroad facilities between here
and EIlensbilre