Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1906-11-23
Contribution to Pioneer Literature.

Across the Plains and Over the Di,
vide" is an interesting volume of 81
pages, finely bound in cloth and pro-
fusely illustrated, that has reached
our table, with the compliments of its
author, Randall H. Hewitt, who crossed
the plains to this coast in 1862, by
mule train with his uncle. Judge g. G.
Hewitt, shortly after his appointment
as Chief Justice of Washington Terri.
tory by Mr.. Lincoln. The narrative
consists of a diary, embracing all OBJ
jects of interest happening during the
long journey from ST. Joe," on the
upper waters of the Missouri, to Olym.
pia, the capital of the State Of Wash.
ington.
This volume is IA valuable contribu-
ton To pionee: literature. 1t gives, as
stated, in detail the experiences of all
who came here from the East, unless
indeed it might have been by water,
ria "the Isthmus," costing upwards OF
$3.50 per person. The journey Across
the Divide" took many months, and
was attended with danger and innum-
cradle hardships, but it was accessible
to those who were poor in purse and
was the only other way open for de.
velopment of the adventurous spirit
that POUNDS empires.
Mr.. Hewitt's ambition ever has been
to afford a just conception OF the un.
dertaking whereby the foundations of
Statehood were firmly planted on the
Pacific Coast. Soon after he arrived
in Olympia, on Nov. ;, 1862, he issued
Il small volume of about a hundred
pages, printed on the press of the
WASHINGTON STANDARD, containing an
abstract of the material contained in
the present volume. 1t was necessar.
lily brief and without illustrations, CIV
ing but an imperfect conception of the
many wonders passed in what was
then terra incognita, and much OF
which will probably ever remain so,
now that in luxurious cars the traveller
is whisked across the continent in
three or four days and nights, over an
expanse that required from four to
seven months to pass, by OK or mule
team-ample time, it will be noted, for
observation and discovery! 1t is spe-
cially fortunate, therefore, that the
task has fallen to such willing and
competent hands for elaboration in
enduring form the history and ro-
nance connected with pioneer life in
the Far West.
Mr.. Hewitt's address is 1915 Hoover
street, Los Angeles, Cal.
STORMS AND FLOODS EVERYWHERE
And now reports from the Mississip-
pi valley are but q repetition OF the ex-
perience in Oregon and Washington
the far West. The central and delta
regions are the heaviest losers. Eight
persons are known to have lost their
lives, and scores are injured and prop
erty and crops are damaged. At Boil
var, Tennessee, nine inches of rain fell
within "a hours, and thousands Of
cattle were caught in the low lands.
Wolf river, a small stream running
eastward from Memphis, Tenn, was
out of its banks and in places miles
wide. The storm cut q swath, 800
yards wide, through the southern part
of Athens, Ala. At Mathison, Miss,
nearly every building in the southern
part Of town was destroyed. Cotton in
the fields was blown down and beaten
into the ground by the fierce winds.
The storm, originating on the Gulf,
passed northeastward through portions
of Alabama, Mississippi and Western
Tennessee. II RACED scores Of SUBJ
stantial buildings. Houses were
crushed by falling trees; three
churches, the opera house, possofice.
cotton compress and rs other build.
ings were damaged at Winona, Misc.
A house crushed at Tahuls, Miss,
took fire and a woman and child we're
burned alive. Railroad trestles fell
near Memphis, and an engineer and
fireman were drowned. Hail fell at
Jackson, Miss, and at the same time
a hot wind blew in New Orleans, the
same State.