Omaha daily bee., 1906-11-17
FLOOD IS SUBSIDING
Swollen strOams 10 Washington Are
Beginni o Fall
CHINOOK VINO RtLrS MOUNTAIN SNOW
Heavy Rsinfsll and High Tides Con-
tribute to the Flood
SIX PERSONS KNOWN TO Be DROWNED
Large Party NarOorsd on Island and
peath List Nav Be Increased.
DAMAGE IN VALLEYS is HEAVY
Millions Of Feet Of Logs swept
Away ana Many Farmers and
ORirymcn Are Driven
from Homes.
HNOOK VINO HtLrs NOUNTAN SNOW
Heavy Rainfall and High Tides Con-
tribute to the Flood.
SIX PERSONS KNOWN TO Be DROWNED
Large Party Naroorsd on Island and
peath List Nav Be Increased.
DAMAGE IN VALLEYS IS HEAVY

from Homes.
SEATTLE, Wash. Nov ia heavy
rainfall Wednesday s.S inches In folr
hours, aud chinook wind which melted
fresh SHOWS in the Cascade mountains.
coming simultaneously, are the causes OF
The most disastrous flood IN the history Of
the Puget sound region. Tho valleys of
the White Duwanish. Cedar. Grccn, Stuck.
Black and Puyallup rivers arc unde rwater.
flooding 900 square miles Of territory. This
includes practically every acre OF low
land lying back Of the castorn shores OF
the sound and extending from Seattle 10
Tacoma The power plant at Electrino is
submerged and seattle and Tacoma arc
dependent on their local auxiliary stations
for power TO move street cars and provide
electric lights. The local plants. however
have fuel enough To operate several days
All traffic over the Northern Pacific and
Tacoma Seattle interrban lines is at u
standstill. A week win be required to re-
pair the damage 70 the road after the water
subsidies.
Six Persons Drowned.
These low lands are thickly occupied by
small towns, hop helds and dairy farms
Damage done to nelds and herds will run
into hundreds of thousands seattes milk
supply comes fro mthem. SO this city will
be without milk FOR days. Six pereons have
been drowned. To the north the skagit
the largest river in the state. is on the
rampage, and railroad traHic in that di-
rection is at a standstill. The greatest loss
BY the streams to the north has been done
~ the numbering interests, where millions
of feet -of logs and shingle bolts have
been, carried into the sound and out to sea.
High tides. combined with the Hoods
have converted all the river deltas. along
which arc great tracts OF fertile farms.
into muddy torrents. hundreds of farm
houses and villages are submerged TO the
second stories and many persons are
homeless
The loss to the Northern Pacific alone
win reach $4,000 and the total loss in
the district win run to $4,000.
No rain has fallen In the flooded districts
since an early hour Thursday morning and
the feeling throughout the valleys today
IN seneral - that the worst Is over
o6Raitfonh Impr0vc.
RENToN, Wash. Nov. l6.--conditons at
$3.50 O'Clock Wednesday night Ia Renton
were greatly improved. The water has fall
len eight inches and, while the White river
has banked up into. the lower part OF the
town only few families wero obliged to
vncate their homes. AT the junction of the
Black and Cedar rivers is the gravest dan
ger for there the water has risen and
flooded great deal Of property. From
present conditions it does not appear likely
that the situation here wi become any
worse Late Wednesday the county bridge
at Maple Valley, known as the Carr bridge.
went out in the Hood. All bridges at Rem
ton arc safe.
At a point about a mile and a half below
Maple VALLEY the tracks of the Coumbl,y
and Puget Sound railway We're washed out
A repair train IS now at this point and
crews Of mon are repairing the roadbcd
Two men arc believed 20 have been
drowned at orillia They are John Veilic.
a contractor, and Patrick Callahan. a
farmer.
HepOrt Of Rescue False.
PORTLAND, ore. Nov. 1s.-rhe report
received here last night that the forty or
more people who were marooned on an
island az the juncture Of the Cov'litz and.
;he Columbia rivers had been rescued b.,
the steamer Burton, sent from Portland 10
the scene for the purpose. proves untrue.
Tho Burton vas unable TO approach the
island on account OF the powerful rush OF
the waters and the presence Of logs and
drift
rhe steamer sarah Dixon has gone to the
scene aud wiz endeavor TO rescue the
marooned people. who are believed to be the
families OF FARMERS and fishermen Owing
reached the limit OF the flood It is believed
here that the people will be saved.
A special 20 the TELEGRAM from KHlama,
Wash. says that reports from the Cow
utz river district up 20 noon indicate
that the crisis OF the flood situation has
been passed and the waters which swept
the river clean Of all sningle aud lumber
interest Inundated the surrounding terri
tory and flooded the towns Of Castle Rock.
Keiso, Ostrander and Olequa, driving the
people TO the hills and high grounds Tor
safety, are beginning to subside
A message from Castle Rock says the
water there has fallen three feet aud,
barring further rains, no more destruc-
tion is anticipated While destruction 10
property was great on both sides OF the
river, as far as news can be had no loss
OF life has been reported Loss OF live
stock however is reported 10 have been
very heavy Throughout the inundated
district today people driven from their
homes by the flood are camping IN tho hills
an don high ground. Many were able 20
mako their way 60 the homes nf friends
and have shelter, but "a largo number who
were forced to Zee and leave all their be-
longings behind are without adequate shell
ter and sufficient food.
a drlzzling rain IS felling and unless
these people can get 20 places Of shelter
soon there will be great suffering from ex-
posurc and lack OF food.
Reports reaching here say the hills along
the Cowlitz are lined with campers whose
homes are still partially submerged.
A steamer or two ana several launches
have gone up the Cowlitz river to gather
up tho homeless, II possible and transfer
them to places OF safety and shelter. It
Is reported rescue vessel is operating
between Kelso. Stella ana Rainier, taking
refugees 20 the latter place
A relief train ON the Northern Pacific
lcft Kalama shortly after noon 20 work
it's way az far into tho flooded district as
possible.
The shingie and lumber interests along
the Cowhtz are practically wiped out
The water has swept the river clean, n
is said. not log or bolt of shingles being