Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1912-06-06
At Sites
MANY FAMILIES FORCED TO
MOVE FROM THEIR HOMES.
OTHER TOWNS ALSO SUFFER
South Fork Makes Record Mark az
Kooskias-Big Bridge Par
TALLY Undermined.

The warmer weather conditions to-
gether with the heavy rainfall set the
South Fork of the Clearwater river on
a rampage last week. in some places it
making record high water marks.
Sites ana other towns along that
stream experienced a rather exciting
time for a while and sustained no small
amount of property damages. A graph
ic account of the freshet is given by
the Sites Signal, which in part is here
reproduced:
Second in volume only to the flood
of June 4, 1908, the South Fork of the
Clearwater river on Wednesday of this
week rose to freshet stage and over
flowed its banks on both sides of the
stream. Sites and Kooska both were
under water in places, but aside from
damage to gardens in the lower por-
tions of the two towns, the freshet of
May 30, 1912, was not particularly de
structive.
The evening train Wednesday
reached Sites 80 minutes late, due to
undermining of the track midway be-
tween here and Kooskia. Damage to
the railroad however, is nominal, and
train service continues uninterrupted.
Heavy rains on the prairie caused all
creeks to run bankful Tuesday night
and Wednesday, Cottonwood creek be-
ing especially high. This extra water
so swelled the snow-water from the
mountains that it brought the South
Fork up at the rate Of inches an hour
for five hours Wednesday, and by
noon of that day it was seen that
Sites must withstand a freshet stage.
The council put three teams to work
at one o'clock Wednesday build.
ing manure and rock levee back of
the Commercial hotel and half way
across Bridge street, and scores of vol
unteers, led by P. Z. Ellis at the
bridge and Cy Howard at the river end
of North street, kept pace with the
rapidly rising flood from one o'clock
until dark.
Just after supper, when the river
was at its crest fully two feet above
the center of town, the flood broke
through beneath the sidewalk leading
to the bridge and shallow stream of
water began to run down one side of
Main street below Divers corner. A
slow knee-deep current flooded all back
yards between Main street and the riv-
er, and by the light of many lanterns
all persons living along the river front
moved to higher ground. The hill side
OF town was filled with refugees and
scarcely house in town which was not
either entirely empty and surrounded
by water ON the one hand. or filled
with two or three families on the 9TH
er. Men, and in some instances wom-
en-, stood guard till daybreak.
An hour before dark mammoth red
fir tree lodged crosswise in the riv-
er on the upper side of the bridge, and
the underwash from this obstruction
caused the south abutment of the
bridge pier to settle fully Is inches.
The nose of the pier was also torn
away by the weight of the giant snag
About 10 ?. m, another big trunk
floated downstream and smote the
lodged tree a terrific smash on one end
both of them continuing down river q {
lo-mile clip, after tearing away the
sloping apex of the pier. The bridge
remains as good as ever, the pier not
having settled at all, hut had TIL, upp, r
abutt ent not beer thea. the bridge
might not have Jared So will.
Al fields below town were washed
slick and clean. John Skaggs lost al.
most his entire field of alfalfa. two
channels being cut through the pillow
land, and the Chapman place, where
live the Driscolls, is nearly ruined.
Both j. M. and Elmer Gordon suffered
severity. The work of HI. G. Oliver
done during four years past in his gar
den and orchard was washed out in
four hours, and he is several hundred
dollars loser. The Butler, Burney and
Howard places all sustained losses by
washing. asa
A large cottonwood tree standing on
the river bank at the foot of North
street was felled during the afternoon,
and played havoc with the barn and
on Oliver 3 property as it
bumped its way downstream. Two Cot.
tonwoods standing back Of the Com.
mercial hotel fell into the current. but
sailed away without any damage,
Earl and Babe Steen rode to the
slaughter house at clock and drove
their hogs into Kool- DOL Tom q pas
ture, but all were marooned there ON
small islands surrounded by rubbing
waters, and it is likely that some Of the
porkers persisted. Many chickens were
drowned, in all parts Of town.
The crest of the freshet passed Sites
between 8 and 9 p. M, May 90, the riv-
or being stationary during those three
hours, and after that the stream fell
slowly, having receded only five and
one-half inches by 7 O'Clock yesterday
morning. Surcease Of the rain brought
psortent Of lower stage, however, and
though the danger is not vet passed Of
second rise such is improbable.
Booming at Kooska
Kooskia, May 30.-This town, locat-
ID at the junction of the Middle and
south Forks Of the Clearwater river.
8 experiencing something unusual in
he high water situation. Tho Middle
Fork of the river is raging and since
noon has recorded a rise of
me and one-half feet, the highest ever
ecorded during any of the freshet sea-
ons, while the South Fork of the river
s showing steady decline. In past
easons both forks of the river have
lcted simultaneously in rising and re-
eding. This action of the waters in