The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-06

time little water found its way through.
but from that time on until Tuesday Stuck
river carried almost the. whole of tho
water.
Two Different Versions.
The White river farmers claim that the
and blasting OF the Stuck river people UNI
dermfning tho high blum Just east OF the
forks" 1t IL only just to say that the
aided by dynamite in the hands OF their
enemies. and for this reason they have
ever since been plotting the destruction of
the dam. By the wholesale explosion on
Tuesday they almost accomplished their
aim.
In the spring OF 1893 the quarrel assumed
such proportions that the county COM
upon 10 take some action to avoid a mini
allure civil war between the two factions
Bloodshed was threatened and the White
river faction posted armed guards to pre-
dam.
The agitation among the White river
farmers eliminated In a mass meeting at
the Seattle Chamber OF Commerce. AT
which their alleged grievances were fully
aired and the geography OF the situation
fuiiy discussed memorial was sent to
washington: d c.. and a few weeks later
an agent Of the interior department was
sent out to investigate. He reported that
the matter was not one calling for the In
terference Of the general government. and
their own quarrel. His report was adopt
ed but the counties never came together.
Ever since the slide. however, an arm
ed guard has been posted near II to pre-
serve II from Its enemies County COM
missioner Smith, of the south district. en-
pfoyed for that purpose several months
ago an Indian who lives near the forks"
y might De stated. by the way. that the
an Indian reservation. On the Fourth Of
July the Indian absented himself with due
permission to attend q horse race at Enum-
claw. While he was gone the dynamiters
drove 10 the spot and carried out a plot
that bad been fully matured weeks before
Eyewitness who saw them leaving the
twenty men in the party. and Tacoma
newspaper corrOoorate1 the story In a
sensational account OF the affair that Is
evidently semi-offciai
The dynamfters were armed TO the teeth
and did their work quickly and well They
posted their sentries In the early morning.
and by 10 O'Clock had mined the enormous
covered the iowiand at the forks. and had
slide.
Al Ii 30 o'clock a canoe 9arted across
Stuck river and enc OF thu canoemen APP
piled a match to the fuses. Then the ca
roe fled back 20 the opposite shore ard
its occupants Joined their companions hid
ing In the weeds.
Great Dissts Go or
\ mon1ene later the ffret OF tbs great
blasts went OF. IL contained probably
more than 10 pounds Of dynamite. valued
at about u cents q pound. Al regular In
teryAis tho other seven exploded. Al each
explosion the earth trembied, ard mud
water ard saw logs shot into the air and
ra!ned down again rods away Farmers
who Ave near the scene say in sober earn
esssess that they saw huge logs shoot
into the air higher than the sixsy-foot
bluff overlooking the slide
TIE shots ware heard and plainly count
"a A~.t..t IL r
mediate vicinity the concussaon must have
eeen te0shc- The ieavee on the trees are
tern az II by q hail storm. and acres OF
ground are thiekly covered with dried mud
ard spiin;ers from the log Jam. The lam
which had been accommodating for years
nobody knows how many. was wiped on
! the face II the earth Ii vas fully 20
fee. long thirty fee, wide ~ ITS WIDEST
point and ten feet deep Hardly sfick
ct tts numbersess tiQnbsrs remains
~tttWnA TIA oviAoat aptenktoo e To oYnA.