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Vol. 9. Weekly: Rampart, Alaska, Saturday, July 15, 1905.
No. 3
Details of Jhe Great Flood That Nearly Destroyed The Business
Portion of Fairbanks—-Main Street is Now Slough.
CHEN A, Jujy 4.—The first serious
calamity in the history of the camp has
' befallen Fairbanks. The few hot days
. in the early part of last week and the
heavy rain storms of the second half of
the week, caused the main river and its
, tributaries to dangerous streams. The
Chena river, on the banks of which
Fairbanks is situated, usually a harm
less stream, rose higher and higher,
bringing with it an avalanche of brush,
: timber and rubbish.
The Wendell avenue bridge built this
spring at a cost of $5,000, could not
withstand the pressure of the rushing
waters very long. It gave way and.
‘ rapidly drifted toward the Cushman
street bridge, which had only been fin-1
ished a sh^rt time ago at a cost of $10
(►00. Tlie limners of the upper bridge,
together with the thousands of sawlogs
which had broken through the booms
of the several sawmills, reinforced by i
an endless stream- of -debris,- kept oh.
piling high against the piers of the
trembling bridge and caused and im
mense jam.
The water backed and soon began to
run over the banks. In a few hours it
■ had cut its way through the bank and
the pent waters rushed furiously thro
the new opening tearing and cutting
into the bank carrying everything with
it that obstructed its passage. Pour
• ing through the new channel it cut foot
by foot of the city’s bank. The fine
Mock in which the Horseshoe saloon is
situated, tiie Mg store of Sargent and
Pinska and the N. C. warehouse were
seliously threatened. Tenants began
to move; the buildings were given up.
The water cut clear across the street
a distance of 30 feet, making it impos
sible to reach the N. C. store by way
of First avenue. The company’s dock
began to topple over when several haw
sers were attached to prevent it from
washing away. The new Calderhead
idock caved in. .Saturday morning the
Cushman street bridge was standing in
the center of a raging torrent, a grim
witness of the. engineer’s ability and at
the same time the cause of all the dam
age that had been wrought. Charge
after charge of dynamite was exploded
intended to remove the abstraction but
all in vain.
At mid-day all the available steam
boats were hard at work undoing the
tangle that had gathered in front of
the. bridge. At 6 o’clock they had suc
ceeded. But the current did not sub
side and more than ever .threatened to
destroy the N. C. Co., big plant. At 7
p. m. a telephone message was receiv
ed at Chena ordering the steamers Ta
nana and Isabelle to come prepared for
any emergency. Capt. Gray, left with
the two steamers at once.
Forty tons of hay were thrown again
st the bank to protect the N. C. land
ing, .all in vain. The torrent picked up
the hay. and scattered it along the
slough, landing some of it inside j the
booms at Chena. Through the night
from Saturday to Sunday the water
fell 18 inches, but towards morning it
commenced to raise again. A million
feet of sawlogs were lost. The busi
ness part of first auenue is now a riv
er bed. Damages will foot up $150,000.
—Times.
d
Navy Mutinies and
Murders Officers
Russian-Warships Siezed by Mutineers
And Officers Murdered-and Their
’ Bodies Thrown Overboard
ODESSA, June 28.—The Russian war
ship Kniaz Potonkin and one torpedo
boat arrived yesterday evening. All
the officers were murdered at sea and
their bodies were thrown overboard.
The mutineers threaten to bombard the
city if they are interfered with. The
Russian Black sea fleet has been order
ed here to take the mutineers into cus
tody. The ships are expected to ar
rive today. A sea battle is expected
to follow their appearance.
A general strike was inaugurated
among all the workingmen of the city
and neighboring places yesterday. The
fighting between the ire-ops and the
rioters began yesten ay and all day.
All last night and today there has been
frequent clashes. Much bicod has been
shed and the situation is rapidly get
ting worse.
COURT CONSTABLE
SERVING WARRANTS
Walter Sundborg, acting as special
commissioner’s constable, left this
morning for across the divide. It has
been stated that Constable Sundborg’s
mission is to arrest S. R. Hudson and
Henry Miller for entering upon Nella
ny's Pioneer claim.
It is also stated that the special. con
stable has a warrant for the arrest of
Eugene Swanson of Chapman creek on
a charge of battery alleged to have
been committed at 72 roadhouse.
Chas. A. Traeger arrived on the str.
Sarah. Mr. Traeger will return to St.
Michaels on the Seattle.