The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-11-16
Thousands of Residents Of the
Valleys Of Washington
Camp in the Foothills Between
Tacoma and Seattle.
HOMELESS ANDHUNGRY
They Are Beyond the Reach of
Aid From the Outside.
Six Persons Known to Have Met
Death in the Flood.

Seattle, Wash. Nov. 1s.-HomeIess
and suffering from hunger and expos
ure and in hourly dread that the rising
waters viii oyerwhelIn them thou
sands of residents of the fertile valleys
lying between Seattle and Tacoma are
camping today in the foothills nearby
with what few provisions and effects
they could carry in a hurried flight.
Six deaths have been thus far chron-
1cled as due to the floods which have
followed the rapid rise of the river in,
King and Pierce counties Three of +ba
men VINO met death in the floods were
styHAS tnelr utmost to prevent log jams
staaI ti would endanger the residents OF
tle towns further down the river f
W. Kiiimer Of Auburn was the first to
lose his life while working on a lam
N the White river. Two other Ioggers
VINO We're working for the Decker I,ur1-
pei company trying to break jams and
whose names are not known were
crowned in the Green river three miles
from from auburn Black, White, Green.
Ceaar, Stuck, Snoqualmie and other
streams having their source in the foot
nils of the Cascade mountains have
risen over night and have flooded thou
sands of acres of land and caused in
calculable damage How MANY farm
ers FAMILIES have lost some member
through the rapid advance of the
treacherous waters win not be known
until the waters subside
All the valley towns are under wafer
the oeQth ranging from eight to 20 feet
railway communication has been cut
ana tne towns can not be reached ex-
cept by message over the long distance
telephone wires. With the water AL
ready standing on the streets at such a
depth that it is no longer safe for resi-
dents TO remain in the first stories OF
their houses, the men are organizing in
each town and either removing the help
less ones to the second stories or car
fylns them away to places of safety
Trains Are Tied Up.
Portland, Ore, Nov. 16.-News from
the Hood swept valleys of Washington
today shows no Improvement Of condf-
tfons. TeleSTaphic communication is
inter- interrupted ana but one important
point, KelsOe, can be communicated
with by telephone. Cowlitz river Is
still demon of destruction. carving
houses, barns, logs and other drift
down the flood. Bridges have been
washed out Others are in peril. The
crest of the flood, however, seems to
have reached Kelsoe and news that the
Cowlitz is falling will doubtless soon
be received from points north of Kelso.
Between Kelsoe and Castle Rocks
hundreds of people have been rendered
homeless and many families are IN
want. having saved but few of their
effects.
The operation of trains north seems
out of the question at this time. Sew
eral trains are stalled along the route
and it is certain. that railway. communi-
cdtlon with Puget sound points over
the Northern Pacific will not be had
for many days. Several railroad
bridges have been washed out and will
have to be replaced with temporary
structures before traffic can be re-
sumed.
The Oregon Railway & Navigation
company is moving trains east and
west, having succeeded in opening a
road around the big slide near Bonne-
vile. and passengers, mail and light
baggage are being transferred around
the obstruction. There is no tefegra PHI
ic communica tiOns nearer than Castle
Rock this morning. Thousands of tele-
graph poles are down, and In the vi
cinity of Puget sound the telegraph
companies have suffered inestimable
damage.