The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1907-02-01
Portland's Silver Thaw" Beat
en- a City Block.
0. R. 8 N. DEPOT INUNDATED
Floods Caused by Snow Melting in
Fields Cellars Flooded and
Railroads Damaged.

The worst flood in years struck
Athena yesterday. The high water
was not in the nature of mountain
torrent, Wild Horse Greek above town,
being at its normal stege. The high
water was caused by eight inches of
snow melting in the fields and rush
ing off on frozen ground. 1t was
simply a sudden thaw, thaw that
| has Portland's "Silvei thaw" faded
by city block.
Wednesday night gentle rain and
chinook wind melted the snow on the
foot hills east of town. In that To-
cality the water evidently seeped into
the ground for there was no freshets
from that source. In the valley, be-
fore the late snowfall, the ground was
frozen. Wednesday morning the sun
came out and warm wind from the
south famed the snow fields.
At 10 o'clock the fields surrounding
Athena, were mass Of slush and at
noon they had been turned into
sheet of water. The water came
| with rush over the frozen soil, and
a small river was soon sweeping Main
street from the east.
The flood came so quickly that
property owners were taken unawares
and before it could be diverted across
the head of Main street, the cellars
of the Fair Department store and the
four saloon buildings on the north
side of the street had been flooded.
The water backed up by the grade
at the intersection of Main and Third
streets, came within half inch of
rushing into the Manasse store build
ing.
Several cellars in the north part Of
the city and the basement of the Pres
| ton residence were flooded. At one
O'Clock the food from the east had
spent its force.
At six O'Clock the crest of the great
est flood over known in Athena came
down the fiat and struck the town
from the north. The Preston-Parton
Milling plant was surrounded by
water two feet deep. This was caused
by a recent fill Of a bridge on the 0.
r. g N. near the mill, which backed
the water and made lake covering
several acres.
The only outlet for the water was
between the embankments of the O.
r. 81 N. and the w. g. Q. r. tracks
with the big mill in the center.
| Through this course the waters rushed
with roar Past the mill on both
sides, down the main lines Of the two
roads, the waters rushed, converging
at the lower end of Main street,
swamping the 0. r. 81 N. depot and
covering the platform with mud and
debris.
Passenger train No. s, in charge Of
Conductor MoGilvery, which got only
as far as Downing Station Wednesday
morning and returned here, was
standing on a siding north of the pass
enger depot. The water. swirling
under big warehouse along side the
train caused the crew to move the
coaches still further north for safety
In event the building should be under.
mined and collapse.
1 Both the w. q O. r. and o. r. &
N. tracks are considerably damaged
here. There are three washouts be-
tween this city and Adams, though
not of serious nature. Below Adams
the condition of the track ID reported
destructive and freight engine,
caboose and crew are laid up at Ad
ans. No. Al, the mixed tran, stands
: between two bad washouts at th'
Steen ranch on Dry Greek. Passengei
train No. z, due here last evening
turned back at Riparia. All trains
south Of Snake river have been an.
! nuled, floods having destroyed track
. age in the upper country. Last nigh
] washout was reported on the maii
0 line at Barnhart. west of Pendleton.