The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1919-04-04
|FFECT OF SPRING THAW
ftRM DAYS SENDS A FLOOD OF
WATER DOWN OFF THE
HIGH HILLS.
(ANoGAN RIVER DAMNED
lch Damage Done to Valley Lands
and Railroads are Temporarily
Out Of Commission.

The warm weather or the past week
pushed much snow water down
the high places and especially on
east side of the Okanogan valley
the swollen torrential streams
Fixed vast amount of damage to
Eate and public property. The jan
(y thaw destroyed many miles of
blic roads, and caused the railroads
ch annoyance and delay, but the
lntity of water sliding down to a
I'll, bringing along much realestate
flux and working big havoc on
IDS and property during the last
Nv is far in excess of that January
erience.
Immediately at home we have that
basket creek, usually a diminutive
eam in the spring fainting away to
by bed in the summer. The amount
water that has filtered through thar
All creek during the past week is
fectly amazing and the things it
done along the stream and in the
ey are in the nature of marvellous
hping the too narrow confines or
banks in the East Oroville Orchard
cts the creek has cut new outlets
he Okanogan river, spreading de-
on some of the most valuable
lfa and orchard tracts. In this pro-
hiscuous distribution of misery A.
ackson probably comes in for the
Eiest damage, as his alfalfa field
been largely obliterated. Along the
fse OF the stream bridges have
washed ou., roads have disap-
fed and vast holes have been goug-
put of the earth. Great boulders
been tossed around like straws,
Eing the terrific power of the
!. The county road up Tonasket
K was almost entirely erased in
January flood. It cost almost, If
butte 81 900 to make repairs after
damp experience. Now Commits
pr Mitchell reports that the work
all be done over again. Small
here and there along the creek
been carried away as liquid mud
ng great gaps in the scenery.
e railroad did not escape feeling
effects of this excess of water.
IN was the Oroville- -Wenatchee line
ked for two or three days, and
the main 'ine to Spokane came in
dislocation. Some of the underpin-
Of the long high trestle across
asket creek gulch just east of
was washed out, and that spi-
crossing was so wobbly Monday
ming that large crew worked
eral hours snoring it up so that 1t
I'D be safe for the train to cross.
Spokane train, that leaves here
regular time at $50 was held un-
nearly o'clock in the afternoon,
besides the weak trestIe mucn
ID and gravel had been washed up
the track between here and Nelson.
|ng the south branch, between Ell
pride and Tonasket, the greatest
lble occurred. Here, the track was
shed out for a distance of several
ndred feet at one place, and at an
er point the track was covered
IN sand and gravel to depth of six
eight feet, with cataract flowing
er the top. No train departed or ar
ed over the south branch Monday.
esday morning at 2 o'clock a t. ain
Wenatchee for the north. The pas
lger train at this place which had
pc down as far as Ellisforde Mon
morning and then had to eturn
p down to the blockade Tuesday
rning where transfer was effect
from one train to the other, the
in on this side of the impediment
turning to Oroville ebout $3.50. The
e was again open to traffic We'd
sday morning
But the strangest freak of the flood
IS the damming of the Okanogan
er Tor a distance of several hun
ed yards. The natural outlet of To-
sket creek into the Okanogan river
some distance below the bridge at
e foot of Bridge street, and at the
eanery, but owing to high water
|at erratic stream has cut out two or
rec channels, one of them flowing
wn the main county road, discharg-
Y into the main river above the
idge. The streams are as black as
owing to the quantity of soil that
carried in the water. This debris
s been discharged into the river.
fling up the bed until one can almost
Joss dry shod from the creamery to
e main outlet of the creek. The
ream flowing into the Okanogan
yer at the bridge runs up the river,
wing the odd appearance ia river
owing up stream. Since Saturday
Eening the Okanogan river has been
owing back into Osoyoos lake from
Pc south end as it flows into the lake
the north end. Already the lake has
eised over foot.
There has been some apprehension