The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-14
'aDRMUDDRlIG" PERIOD
Unparalleled Rainfall Impedes
Street and Rail Traffic.
LAND SLIDES FOLLOW pELucE.


From 81 o'clock Sunday night Until :
oscIock yesterdsy afternoon no such as
Agreeable period has been known IN tae
weather history Of Puget sound. 1he
month Of November established n"
fecprde: the month OF December promise
10 slnash al previous records 10 saiiIss
eToeus. In the seventeen hours nsrAs'i
above a. q time Of exceptionally ne9fs
rainfall the weafasr bureau reports sitfN
xor the brief time 20 inches or the sane
storm, possibly .o5 inches fell prior 10 ~
O'clock. which, added to the record FOR the
seventeen hours exhibits an unpreced@nlea
auaUuut OF water turned loose en Seattle
ana the country west OF the Cascade
snOunta1us. that fell without in,erfnissiefa.
All up and down the Washington coast
havoc has been wrough. by the hisn
winds and rain.
Iuckfly the storm will not be backed
uo Ia It's efforts to wash the state iHio
the Pacific ocean by any consioefahie
amount OF snow In the mountains ana IN.
effects OF q higher temperature ana
Chinook wind would be- limited Enonsn
! trouble has been caused. however, anu
t.ai7ic In and out OF the city has been
seriously interfered with. the railroads
and travelling public being the principal
iosers There is also much freight due 70
arrive for the holiday trade, which II -
hoped will be brought In shortly, as sanss
OF men are working to clear the tracks OF
trees, rocks and mud that have swept
down In avalanches.
yesterday the Great Northern morning
train, over It's coast lire was sent out
on time Sis a. m. but was returned 10
the city owing to the imp0ssibility OF get
ting through. The Narf1ern Pacific re-
ceived a reporf 81 a slide IN South sat
lie at 0.30 yesterday morning twenty min
/ utee In advance Of the time for starting
out its Portland train south ON the tram
was the Mathews and Buixsr Al Gay
COuey Island" company. billed to appear
at the Marqnam Grand theater at Port
land last night. All OF ;h.ir baggage aud
scenery was loaded aud the train WIS
about 10 pull out when word was received
81 the slide The delay lost the nigh, 20
the theatrical company. as the train lid
not leave until lilo =. m. At South Seat
lie passengers. mail baggage and thestri-
cal equipment were transferred from the
train TO another on the south side of the
slide BY using the street cars OF the Grant
street road and the journey south was
continued, The trains ran as stubs" 10
the scene OF the devastation. from Seattle
and Tacoma and the afternoon east-bound
mails passengers and baggage were
transferred In the same way.
Az long AS the rain continued u WAS
imrossibie To make any Roadway against
the trees and mud that gradually sought
the track levels, The slide occurred
where precautions had been taken six
YEARS ago tn prevent just such iuterrup-
alons 10 traffic. bat the huikheadint had
III that time become nile,l. and The, rains
of Sunday night and yesterday morning
completed. the work BY OVERLOOKING and
running around the ends OF the huIkheati
and over the track The slide interfered
also with the business OF the Columbia
q Puget Sound railway. being a joint
roadway occupied by IL and the Northern
Pacific.
People who were DESTROYS of geins
south In most eases accepted the st,ua-
tion philosophically. and many of these
travellers allowed their baggage 10 re-
main In the custody of The road 10 lie
sent To shen today. The general eff 4
Of the slide WAS TO push the track con-
striction over the side of the r,n-rap
work into the bay
OF the cable railroads In the city all
were tied IN for y while. the Madison
street line. however. managing 70 move
Its cars with nat temporary interruption
The James street line. Front street lins
and Ynsipr Way we're all stalled With
mud IN The cable conduits The vast
amount Of water that rushed dcwn t6s
hill carried elcb lead OF debris With
II that tho cond,,its were congested. IRE
sewers for asposing of surface watei
were unequal 10 the task. and the street,
with mare than ordinary grades wegt
flooded. while some Of the valleys In tho
= suburban district were turned into inia nd
sens,
sixty feet Of tho buIkhead on Seventh
aycanr neas The courthouse was undrs
mined and tnpaied over On the eppo
site side of she street the house belong
INK to AIRS. Mary II. Smith was eare{
from sliding over the blum only ny NOV
ing It to the ornosite side of the lot
Broken glass an1 s';siights and ieaklns
ropfs all over tie city nttestel tfY,
erveritS of the storm. There Is pnthios
enccura cling IN tho forecasts ffom Ca
weather bureau. where raore rain is an
noupee,i for today and = continuation %
the storms off :he coast.
From outside The city reports were -
ceiysa OF the serious condition along TIA,
1iac % the Great Northern railway ~
trouble was ha'ween mile posts Il ard ie
An entire baockade Ia the roads hpsiut q
followed the cat eff heing between tA
' ss.sy and Everett WHARF the main In
aAtinu.a east An exaggerated stor
Gssttis yesterday. 'lIe undouhtediv fo th
fact shst while working in the mad +.
m attempt Ia clear The tracks a secoa
slide came DOWN, imnyisoHing hair
dozen we-kn,en of an extra gang laus
eisg one 81 them. as IVES iatsr learn
severely. nr. james =. Easiezer sh
surgeon Of the Great Northern, WAS ~.t
f,f and 4 tR.a srzps .-..... D..