The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-11-15


Tacoma, Wash, Nov. 14.-With a
flood area embracing approximately 800
square miles. northwestern Washington
is now face to face with a state of af-
! fairs which, unless the waters subside
soon, viii prove far more disastrous
than the floods four years ago. Fed
by constant succession of heavy
rains and by melted snow from the
| slopes of the Cascades almost every
river and stream in the northwest has
within a night and a day risen with
| that rapidity characteristic of the wa
! ters of this section of the country, over
flowed their banks and are spreading
across the valleys and low lands. bring
| ing monetary loss which will reach
hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Several Lives Lost.
Scores Of towns. including Seattle
have been for the last twenty-four
! hours, cut off from all outside COM
muniCatiOn. Bridges have been swept
aside. railroad tracks washed out, tele-
graph and telephone wires torn down
and as far as can be ascertained, at
least half a dozen lives lost.
Darkness fell tonight on a scene I'M
paralleled in the history of the state
! Watchers from the highlands looking
across the rain-swept lands, saw moth
/ ing but an eXpanSe of water. with here
and there the tops of submerged
houses. in some of which the forms of
water-bound persons could be seen sig
mailing for help.
Mad Rush of Waters.
Some attempted rescues were made but
| the mad rush of swollen waters, carry
ing trees. snags. lumber and even houses.
forced the rescuers back again and
| again.
Early today the Northern Pacific
bridge across Stuck river went out and
soon after came the suspension of rail
road traffic between Tacoma and Seattle
/ Earlier in the day the Tacoma Railroad
| ~ Power company had found il impossi-
| bic to maintain its service on the interur-
ban line on account of its tracks being
! under water in many places. This com
pletly tied up the transportation facili-
ties between Seattle and Tacoma.
| The Northern Pacific railroad has Civ
| Ell up attempting 10 run trains except
those TO Portland. IT is able to maintain
this latter service. but for how long this
Will continue is not known, as one or
! two short messages from the southwest
| state that the waters have broken tele-
phone and Geographic communication
| southwest of Olympia.
Numerous Washouts
Advices received at the office of the
chief dispatcher of the Northern Pacific
| state that the water in Green canvOn is
! of 1903 when the railroad was tied up for
two weeks. Innumerable washoutS are
reported from all parts of the country and
! as far as can be aScertained at least four
| bridges have gone dOwn-One at Buckley.
one at Hot Springs. another at Lester
and the fourth across the Stuck river
near Auburn.
Despite all efforts to get into comnlu-
| nication. what has occurred east of Au-
burn and west of the slopes of the Cas-
cadeS can only be cOnjectured. That great
damage has been done is plainly evident
from the fact that the streams are bring
ing down lumber piling. houses. live
! stock and household goods All wires be
| tween Hot Springs and Auburn are down
and what damage the flood has done in
that section of the country will not be
known for couple of days.
Railroads Tied Up.
Every railroad i'm the northwest is tied
up and though "A few trains are being run.
no attempt is being made at a schedule.
Pacific and Great Northern have been
washed away i'm places. but it is hoped
to have the damage repaired in a few
days
One of the disasters apart from the
washouts, is the number of Iandslides
which have fallen across the tracks, pre-
venting passage.
The Northern Pacific made an attempt
TO reach Summit Junction but failed. A
third train was run from Seattle to Au-
burn this afternoon. but since then it is
washed away.
At midnight rain is still falling heavily
| i'm this city.