The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1871-01-14
WEDNESDAYS STORM At DULUTH.
GREAT CONSTERNA TYON IN THE" OUTER
HAR8ORn
The Breakwater, Docks, Railroad Tracks FL
evator and Freight Depot Badly Damaged.

OK Wednesday afternoon and night this locality was
visited by a strong wind from the northeast com
mon TO Lake Superior this season of the year The
wind blew quite fresh for about hours but fsou
its short duration and mild force it could scarcely be
termed "northeaster." As evidence of how little
it was felt here mention the fact that the carpen
tiers worked until dark of Wednesday about and on the
roof of the new store of r G. Coburn, and that the
brcklayers built up the outade portion of a chimney
to the building, completing it just at dark. We had
idea that a wind of he force then blowing would
damage any of the works in the lake at Duluth But
Thursday and Yesterday, hearing all sorts of
as the damage to the breakwater sent special
reporter Duluth examine the situation, who re-
turned last evening and furnished with the follow
ing facts:
The dashing of the waves and ice against che break
water tore away sections about 30 feet of the
upper portion thereof leaving the huge elevator
posed The waves ice timbers and stone then showed
through the opening thus formed and piled up the
railroad track, forming conglomerated mass of tim
ber railroad iron stone and ice, all frozen together
The remainder of the breakwater shows evidence of
having received shaking; several of the cribs
are twisted out of place. and it stands incline
All the heavy planking on the outside is gone. The
stone used to rp-rap it the outside, hurled
twenty or thirty feet into the air and the break
water.
The elevator is apparently not damaged, but its
foundations probably shaken, the steam engine
connected with it of plumb The and spray
dashed as high as the elevator, 100 feet
The freight depot and telegraph Office badly
damaged the ice battcring against the building
knocked off the siding, broke the DOORS the glass and
sash of the windows, and piled up inside the
of several tons.
Several hundred feet of the dock was broken down
which laid thereon. The embankment on the
land side of the track wasked away leaving the
track suspended without supports.
The ice was piled up from six to ten feet the
docks and our reporter counted about eighty men at
work with axes, picks and shovels removing it. A
pony engine that stood the dock is missing; sup
posed to have been carried into the lake.
The Citizens Dock is so covered with ice that 1t is
impossible to tell how much it is damaged.
The entire damage by the storm is variously esti-
mated at from Sl5, 600 to S25,o00.
The wind lasted only about ten hours, and it is for
tunate that it Gained down so soon. Had it culminat
ed in an ordinary northcaster which usually lasts three
and frequently five days in all probability not yes
tge of the works would remain in the lake-their
remains would at this writing be piled high and dry
upon The shore
The experience of "Wednesday shows conclusively
the instability of the costly Improvements erected in
the lake Duluth and vivdy veri6es the oft repeat
ed predictions OF the old settlers the head of the
lake that the breakwater would withstand the force
of regular northeast storm.
The Bay of Superior, protected by Minnesota Point
Natures breakwater is after all, the harbor for Du
luth and the people Of Duluth think now, as wit
ness the following from the Morning CAL of to-day:
The Bay is the Harbor The Breakwater Nature has
given us will be likely to stand OF course be
built outside; but what is the use.