The San Francisco call., 1896-11-20
FEARFUL FLOODS
OF THE NORTHWEST
General Devastation Along
the Great Northern
Railroad.
Bridges Are Washed Away and
Many Miles OF Track Under
Water.
Graphic Description of the Appalling
Situation by a Reporter
From the Scene.

dition OF the submerged Cpur d'Alene
country grows more serious each day. A
reporter of the Spokesman-Review Just
returned from there tells of some remark
able escapes, and vivIdly describes the
condition of the country. He left Wallace
on Sunday, but when the train was out a
few miles it was tagged by farmer just
as 1t was on the edge of a bridge which
had been washed away. The water was a
loot deep on the track, and the reporter
waded through this for several miles.
Finally, on account of the high water,
be was forced to take to the foothills. At
one place he found large bridge washed
out, but the ties and rails we're still in
place, the ties being held together by the
rails and spikes. Though dangerous un-
dertaking, he started to crawl across the
river on this weak structure. The water
was raging below and filled with all kinds
OF debris. He had scarcely reached the
other side when the frail structure on
which he had crossed fell into the water.
All the wagon bridges between Wallace
and Wardner are out and several railroad
bridges are entirely gone. At Kingston
the people were huddled together in a
schoolhouse, the houses are all afoat.
The situation at Cataldo is even worse
than at Kingston. The town is completely
submerged and there are no boats. In
the second story of one house eighteen
people are huddled together, their hogs
and chickens occupying the lower part.
portion of the cookhouse at the sawmill
has been washed away, with a new steel
range and three quarters of beef The
Nnrfhprn Pacific hri dra ioo ~
inches out of place, and 100 cords of drift
wood or more Is lodged against the center
pier.
At the mouth of the st. Joe River Tues
day log jam at the trestle of the Oregon
Railway and Navigation bridge was
blown out with dynamite. The George
Oakes spent the entire day yesterday in
clearing away the jam at the mouth of
the Ceur d'Alene River. Cameron 8
Iumber-yard at McEnaville is entirely
washed away and for over 100 Yards the
railroad tracks are standing on edge like a
picket fence. Great losses have been
suffered by the meadow farmers. The
entire crops OF hay have been washed
away, together with barns, outbuildings
and homes. The Northern Pacific. be-
tween Mission and Wallace, is all washed
out and boxcars are floating in the water.
The food supply in Ceur d'Alene is short,
but so far there has been no actual suffer-
ing. 1t will be some time before provisions
can be taken in.
The George Oakes will make trip to
the Mission to-day, but it will require
several weeks to get the railroads in con-
dition to carry passengers from the Mis-
sion TO points east. At Harrison the
small sawmill-owners are employing men
to go out in boats and rescue logs, and
the men are making $40 to SIS day.
Thousands of feet of logs have broken
away from boons and Coeur d'Alene Lake
is full of drift, presenting the appearance
OF q slough. The water is as yellow as
the Lower Missouri. The lake rose a
foot and half Tuesday.
The Bunker Hill and Sullivan mill is
turning out more concentrates than st
any other time in its history, and on ac-
count OF the shortage of cars the conceu-
trates will have to be piled up beside the
track. The same condition exists at the
large mines on Canyon Creek. In some
places the Northern Pacific track lies on
top of the Union Pacific
This is the first freshet at this time of
the year in the Ceur d d'Alenes since No
vember, 1874. At that time Father de
Smett was caught at the mission and was
rescued from the water by an Indian.