Show I Spring l 1 Thaws 1 awS Bring Trouble 10 1 e for 1 Panl Panhandle a andle e TC y v t F n 1 ww y o H a Sr S S r r r. r t wN 5 4 P a. a Photo by division Washington national guard FLOOD STALLS CARS ON IDAHO HIGHWAY S Scene at Cataldo Idaho on Coeur dAlene river Idaho Floods Play Havoc Stricken Wallace Isolated BOISE Idaho April 19 UP Citizens UP-Citizens Citizens of the northern Idaho i village of menaced by torrential rains and the rapidly I rising Salmon river today wired Governor Barzilla Clark an urgent appeal for aid I WALLACE Idaho April 19 AP Flood AP-Flood Flood beleaguered b north Idaho looked tOc today ay to cooler weather and cessation of nearly three days of snow-melting snow rain to bring relief from wild waters which spread destruction throughout the region Evacuated homes tottered on I weakened underpinnings in this steep mining town isolated isolated iso- iso I by highway and rail Torrents Torrents Torrents Tor Tor- I I rents raced through many of the streets Schools were closed throughout through through- out the mining district Patients were removed from the Wallace hospital after flood waters filled the basement A school building at Litt Little e Kingston Kings- Kings ton ion on the bank of the Coeur dAlene river 25 miles mlles west of here housed loused refugees I The crest of the flood was expected expected expected ex ex- today Creeks which normally normally nor- nor mally nally carried slight volume were I transformed into torrents by the run-off run from the mountains The St. St Joe river 25 miles to the south was reported as the wildest torrent but the potential men menace ce was less because of the fewer and smaller towns At St. St Maries Manes on the St. St Joe school children were cut off from their heir homes yesterday A drawbridge drawbridge draw- draw bridge was opened to reduce danger of its being crushed and it could not be closed again The drawbridge was the only means of crossing the St. St Joe to return many school children to their homes lomes Boats were useless in the torrent jammed with logs and debris One dike in the St St. Maries Manes sector went out Others were threatened Three C C C camps were flooded by the river Log Drives s Scattered High water on the Clearwater river nearly miles to the south turned the annual log drive to Lewiston Lewiston Lewiston Lew- Lew iston into a stampede The river rose four feet in 14 hours yester yester- day Rapidly rising water carried away jams of millions of feet of logs which normally require dynamiting The 1938 log drive is all over but the shouting shouting- declared Tom Tam Kinney of Potlatch Forests Inc It is a anew anew anew new experience in the history of log drives on the Clearwater The average average average aver aver- age time has been six weeks This I year it took only four days There are feet of logs in the mill pond and only a few stragglers floating down An estimated feet of logs were lost but crews hoped to re recover recover recover re- re cover most of them downstream Two roads leading into Lewiston were closed last night The Snake river at Lewiston rose five feet in the 24 hours ending last night SALTESE Mont April 19 Pl- Pl Spring flood waters unleashed by melting snow receded today in the high mountain country of western Montana while disrupted communication communication communication cation and transportation facilities were rapidly being returned to nor nor- mal Westward the Coeur dAlene and St. St Joe rivers in northern Idaho were swelled to raging torrents following following following fol fol- fol- fol lowing three days of rain and melting melting melting melt melt- ing snow Clearing skies and cooler temperatures brought hope bope that relief was in sight Families returned to their flood threatened homes at Libby Saltese and St St. Regis Mont last night when it was reported the worst was past Damage to highways and rail lines line was extensive I Two of the three transcontinental railroads s serving Montana saw the roaring St. St Regis negis and Kootenai rivers and their tributaries lick aw away y roadbeds Earth and rock rockslides rockslides rockslides slides thundered down steep mountainsides mountainsides mountainsides moun moun- to block main lines The Milwaukee road reported heavy damage in the Saltese area rea and w washouts shouts and slides blocked the Great Northern near Libby The Northern Pacific's branch line fr from m Missoula to Wallace Idaho was damaged near Saltese Train service continued by rerouting rerouting rerouting re re- re- re routing Great Northern and and Milwaukee Mil waukee trains over the Northern Pacific main line which escaped damage |