The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-11-19

Whipped by the wind, washed
by the rising waters and shrouded
in the gloom of night, Tacoma
CROPPED in darkness last night and
today faces conditions of flood and
disaster that will mean thousands
of dollars in loss to the people.
The whole Northwest is in the
grip of yhe elements. Warm
winds are crossing the mountains,
which are giving down great tor
rents of melted snow, out of the
clouds are pouring verltable sheets
of water and the already soaked
earth is sending the floods over
the land in disastrous streams.
Repetition of Flood Feared.
Conditions today are ideal for
another repetition of the great
November food of two years ago
when the whole valley section was
drowned out and the loss ran high
into the thousands, with railway
traffic blocked and communica-
tion shut off for days.
The weather bureau was utter
ly unable to get a word from
Northhead or Tattoosh this morn
ing. All the wires were down. A
heavy wind is supposed to be
raging there.
Leased Wire Goes Down.
The United Press wire into the
Of Tho Gouth as
down this morning and all the
telegraph lines were more or less
demoralized.
The flood is doing a great de Al
of damage in Tacoma and vicin-
ity.
Interurban Blocked.
Interurban trains could not get
through from Seattle this morning
and passengers were transferred
at Jovita where a big landslide
covered the tracks. The Point
Defiance line of the It. r. & P.
was also put out of commission
by a washout on Pearl street near
North Fifty-first street. Cars were
run~up that far and then backed
down to Division and X street 10
turn.
River Still Rising.
The Puyallup river started on
a rampage last night. 1t loomei
up several feet higher this morn
fl & than last night and is st,i,
rising. The river has broken In
places and several sections of the
Puyallup reservation are under
water. The whole street railway
system is threatened by the ris-
ing waters today. which endanger
the power used by the company.
The company will be lucky If it
gets through with no serious trou-
BILE.
Puyallup i'm Darkness.
At Puyallup last night the city
was in darkness and all motors In
town were stopped by the burning
out of poles at North Puyallup.
In Tacoma today the city Of
ficials were kept on the jump an
sweIing distress cries. The whole
section around South Fifty-sixtn
and J street was one great lake.
Rescued From Homes.
The city had to send wagons
to the homes to take the people
out of the houses.
At Old Town the water came
down the hill streets In rivers and
put tons of loose sand and gravel
in piles at the bottom in the bust
ness streets. At Ruston the
bridge was reported going out this
morning. There was a bad wash
out on Pearl street. At 1908
Center street a building was be-
ing undermined. Another at Old
Town was settling and in danger.
At South Tenth and Steele sew
ers flooded and houses being filled
up.
At Forty-ffth and Yakima there
was more trouble and city light
pole started to go down this
morning.
Everything is flooded around
Thompson avenue in the South
End.
Cellars Flooded
A bad washout has occurred at
North Alder and Thirtieth streets,
and all over the city cellars are
flooded.
The fire engines were called out
again today to pump out the cell
lar of the West Coast Grocery
company and other Pacific avenue
business houses that were flooded
by reason of clogged sewer.
More Rain Coming
The weatherman says 1t looks
like q continuance of the rain over
today and tonight, Warm weather
IS taking the snow off the noun
taiDs and every Indication is for
trouble through floods in the yal-
1eys.
The rainfall thus far this month
has been SIS inches. This is more
than. the normal precipitation for
lie whole month. which Is s63.
Einsss s september the rainfall has
been 1929 inches. The normal
average for the September to No
fember is only 11.33 inches.
Twenty Poles Fall
The Snoqualmie high tension
ne was In worse shape. Up at
willow Junction. last night the
Ugh water flooded the country.
he grading on the road backed up
be water around the poles and