The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-11-16
Train Traffic Between Tacoma and Portland Entirely Suspended and
Passenger Trains Reach Castle Rock and are Compelled
10 Return TO Portland With All the Passengers
RESIDENTS OF cA1LN RECEIVE WARNING AND FLY TO HILLS
TEL EoRAPH TELEPHONE REs ARE DOWN IN EVERY Dl.
REcToN-sToRM RAGING IN EASTERN WASHINGTON AND
CITIES AND TOWNS DATED WHILE RIVERS
. ARE coNsT ANTLY RISING.

PORTLAND, Nov. 15.--Several
lives are reported lost; forty persons
said to be marooned on an island
In the Cowlitz river. washington; the
town OF Catlin Is entirely swept away
by the same river; railroad traffic be-
tween Puget Sound and Portland is
at standstill and entirely suspended,
The railroads OF western and north
western Washington are In the same
condition. The o. r. & N. company
Is temporarily blockaded by mud
slides at Dodson. The telegraph and
telephone between here and Seattle
are out Of commission and wire traf-
flce to eastern oregon and Washing
ton Is almost at a standstill. Hun
dreds of thousands OF dollars damage
has been caused in the districts back
OF the Sound country. In Yakima
county the damage will run up into
the thousands. In southwestern
Washington much damage has been
done to the logging interests. UP to
tonight It Is impossible to estimate
the damages wrought by streams and
creeks OF washington which are thun-
dering torrents as the result of the
great torrential downpour Of the past
three or four days. On the Cowlitz,
which tonight Ia the most serious
menace, the town of Catlin has been
washed away. Happily in this case,
the inhabitants had sufficient warn
ing to get to the highlands. In this
same district there is a rumor that
forty farmers who have taken refuge
on an island are in serious danger,
unless the Cowlitz stops its raise.
Regarding storm conditions In east
ern Washington, Wire Chief Wingate
of the Western Union, says portion
of the state is not suffering from the
effects Of the storm except by loss
of train and telegraph service: 'I
have received report from We
natchee in central Washington, that
the railroad and county bridge are
all gone and the lowlands are flooded
along the wenatchee river. Trains ar
rived In Spokane today practically on
time except the Seattle trains. have
heard no reports Of trouble north of
yyalla walla." "m3
According to statements made by
passengers who arrived here today
from Tacoma, the Cowlitz valley Is q
vast inland ocean for miles, the rail-
road grade stretching like ribbon
across 1t, being the only land in sight
These passengers state that at Sc
attic little or no damage has been
done by the storm, 1t being in the
rural districts to the east and south
where the storm has wrought the
most havoc. According to a telegram
from Saturday until Wednesday, since
which there has been no communica-
tion with the Sound, the rain poured
down as If shot through a pipe. Ac-
companied by heavy winds, made 1t
hazardous for people to venture out.
They give the Northern Pacific rail-
road high praise for the efforts to
keep its traffic moving Passengers
are brought from Tacoma by boat and
from there brought to Portland over
the normal route. Even this is no
longer possible since the bridges at
Olequa and Kelso have been swept !
away.