East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1919-12-20
ADAMS AND WEST PFNDLFTOh
ARE FLOODED; FAMILY MARO0NED
ON BANKS OF TUTUILLA CREEK
Telephone and Power Lines Down; Cits Lighting System En-
dangered Railroad Trestle is Overlooked; Train is Turn
3, =. ed Back; UmatIa is laundering River of Mud.


Six persons were marooned, roads
streets and easements flooded and raj
road service between Pendleton ar,
Walla Walla was temporarily suspen
ded today an the result Of wild
Horse and Tutuilla creeks overflowinl
their banks. Adams and the west end
OF Pendleton were covered with water
varying In depth from one to four feet
Mrs Pat Doherty and children, re-
siding west of the city limits OF the
flat which is traversed by Tutuina
creek, found themselves I'm their home
surrounded by water, and dry land
several hundred yards distant. \ big
dray belonging to Penland Brothers
was dispatched to rescue them ~
take them to safety. Horses hauled
the wagon and It's refugees through
water up TO the horses shoulders.
The S. II. Forshaw residence I'm
West Pendelton may fall as result
of the flood from Tutuilla creek. ac-
cording to Mr.. Forshaw. who gays that
one of the concrete walls of the base
ment has been completely washed
away by the force of the stream. Tho
basement Is flooded and the water
depth that 1t Is impossible TO bring
furniture from the house. Added to
the damage that of the house. is the
washing away of 1000 rosebushes
grown by MIR. Forshaw who is To-
cal florist. The water has reached
the greenhouses but Mr.. Forshaw
does not think II will do much dam
age to the plants Nearly all his car
nations were destroyed by the cold
snap.
West End RcscmbIcs lake
West Pendlcton resembles a lake
half mile wide. Ice in the usually
peaceful little creek has backed up
the flood waters from the hills Of the
south reservation. The volume of wa
ter coming down Tutuilla is the larg-
est known in years.
Three and four feet OF water cover
the road at Adams where Wild Horse
creek flows through the town. Grease
wood creek, which flows into Wild
Horse above the town, is torren- and
the little stream has risen out Of its
channel and spread over the surround
ing country. Easements in Adams are
filling with water carried down by the
streams
Telephone and power lines at Adams
have come down but have not broken.
Fear was expressed that poles further
down the wild Horse cany m would
be washed out and leaye Pendleton
without lights tonight. The local tele-
phone office was advised by its scouts
this morning to get its battery equip
ment in shape for emergency use at
ii was believed certain the power line
would break before night.
Bridge Unsafe for Trains
The railroad trestle below Adams.
near the l.. l.. Rogers home place. was
overflowed this morning and was in
such n weakened condition that no
trains were allowed to pass over IL,
Train No. /, from Walla Walla. had
to be turned back and went through
to Portland by way of Walluia ano
UmatiIla. Train No. s, for Wa,la
Walla and spokane. after being held
at Pendleton for two hours, was rout-
ed by the way of umatilla and Wallula
Section crews have been at work try
ing to save the bridge and at the o.
w. r. & n. station ii was said thut No.
Z, due from spokane and Walla Walla
at 4:55 this afternoon, would be rout"
ed by way of Adams and that No. :,
for east end points and Nalla Nalla
would also go over its regular route,
Water covered portions of the high
way in wild Horse canyon, IT was re-
ported today. The torrent is washing
out the scft dirt banks of the stream
and other points along the railroad
may be undermined If the chinook
continues. Wild Horse is throwing in
great quantities of mud to the UNA
tilla.
River Rising Like Surf
The Umatilla. frozen nearly solid
last week, today is n laundering river
o; mud The water which dashed
over the fall below Main street bridge
today with roar like that of a SURF
was of the color and consistency of
chocolate syrup. Hundreds of persons
lined the bridge to watch the mass
of ice and driftwood being carried
down by the swollen stream. Amid
the flctsam in the river was a railroad
tie on which a rooster floated down
stream.
Fears that the county's steel bridge
across the Umatilla below Itieth would
he carried out by the ice flow were
dispelled about 10 o'clock when the
ice lam was broken and 1t relieved the
pressure against the piers. Tons of
icc. trees and sticks had become lodg-
ed against the bridge and the water
was backing up to n dangerous height
behind the natural dam. Nothing
was damaged when the mass was re-
leased.
Snow ON the hill south of Pendleton
Continued on Page three.)