The Seward gateway and the Alaska evening post. [volume] (Seward, Alaska) 1917-1918, 1917-09-10
HEAVY RAIN. ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG WIND,
FLOOD RESIDENCES AND BUSINESS HOUSES
IMPOSSIBLE TO ESTIMATE DAMAGE DONE
RAILROAD TRACK AND BRIDGES WASHED
OUT CUTTING OFF HALF OF CTTY-BLASTIN'
WITH DYNAMITE RESORTED TO IN ORDER TO
REVERT COURSE OF STREAM FROM MAIN
PART OF CITY-HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ARE
FORCED TO MOVE OUT OF THEIR HOMES
AND MANY FAMILIES NOT ANY TOO SOON.

The greatest storm ever known i'm the history of Sew
ard is raging starting with light ram thursday Oh last
week and getting heavier all the Jme until SUNDAY az
noon when q terrific wind struck the city, drVlng Jhe
water into homes and business houses through windows
and window castings until the doorS stood covered rom
two inches to as much inches deep WIN wafer Inc
glacier stream running through the city, when Ofdnaf
is but very small stream grew IN size until 1t became
raging torrent carrying trees houses, bridges; IN Iacl
everything i'm its path First way then another IL
took its course in its own way, cutting away immense
quantities of gravel banks and log curbng and hnaIy
finding its way with all the debris into the bay.
Early last evening the old schoolhouse was brought
down the stream and lodged against the Jefferson street
bridge then followed shortly after the curOng on he
property of the editor Two hours later 1t was PLAN to
be seen that the handsome edce Of the Community
Christian Church doomed and the PASTOR Rev Munro
and family made haSy preparations TO move out every
thing and at eight o'clock TINS morning. beng undelnlh-
ed by the stream it topped over About nine clock the
handsome home of f. o. Sawyer Jr was swept away and
nothing left of the house but few spntes Most OF the
household goods were saved by neghborS but the piano.
it is said, went with the house.
Citizens of the city have been working night and day
and in many instances were working against the mpoSsl-
be but everything capable of being moved was taken to
place of safety.
The telephone building is under five feet of water and
large force OF men at work pumping IL out ana dry
ing the telephone apparatus Manager Gram JoIQ Jhe re-
porter for the Gateway that partial service would be eS
abShed today all lines ON both sides OF the Steram
where it was possible to connect up the lines as every
light and telephone pole along the stream was torn up and
taken down the stream to the bay.
The city is i'm absolute darkness the water power hav
ING been put out of commission early last evening" but the
machinery being located i'm their building, has thus
far escaped damage however it will be some time before
Seward will again have electric lights
The construction gang on the Alaska Northern, with
an addition of all available i'm town. are working with
might and main up in the canyon and are dnamtng and
banking up the sides of the stream with bags of gravel
and rock in order keep the stream in its present chan
nel otherwise the entire city would be flooded and dam
age running into the hundreds of thousands of dollars,
would result
Boats are plying from one side of the city to the other
around by way of the bay In this the wants Of
the other side of the city which is exclusively residential
are looked after
Messrs Stewart Thompson, Lpske TOrrey and Han
cock moved their families from their homes this morn
ing and others have done rapidly At twelve o'clock the
home of Nick LOsness washed into the bay and
eral untenanted cabins also went.
Work is now concentrated upon forcing the stream
back into its course of this morning it having taken
sudden change and is now coming down Fourth Avenue
in thousand little streams which in the course Of but
few minutes would be raging torrent if left alone, and
superhuman efforts are being made to the business
section from destruction
Shortly before A. NJ. the glacier stream broke over
lbs banks directly back of D. c. Brownes place and made
,,,ylo1o bvo, loft