The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-06-07
THE TIDAL WAVE.
IFS Height ana Character.

SAN FRANCISCO, May S1.-By the
arrival of the City of lSidneg we have
an account from the Honolulu AdueT-
tiSer of the great tidal wave OF Nav
10th. 1t appears to have occurred
simultaneously all over the group at
KshauliOn Island, MOui. The first
unusual subsistence OF the sea was
noticed about a quarter before five
o'clock In the morning. An observer
IN this town, who was near the har-
bOr, and saw exposed reefs, places the
occurrence at exactly the same time.
]. ]. Porter, Of HilO, Hawaii, fixes
the moment OF the wave which over
whelmed the village of Waikea at
precisely the same time, and the
statement Of Captain Smithers of the
whaling bark Pacific, which was
lying at the time in Hilo bay, eorrob-
crates this. The difference between
the highest and lowest water mark at
the various localities we ascertain to
be as follows Hilo, on the east side
OF HAWAII, So feet Kealakekua bay
west side OF Hawaii, 80 feet Keawa,
west side OF Hawaii ) feet Kahulai,
north side OF MOui, % feet D.; Lahaa,
south side of Moui, % feet south side
OF Moui, II feet ; Honolulu, south
side of Oahu, feet 10 inches Nawi-
liwii, southeast side of Kanah, 8 feet
in some cases. The difference in the
height OF the wave NAV be accounted
for by the cOnfigurstion Of the eoast
and outlying reefs.
THE SCENE AT HILO.
The following Is an account of the
disaster at HilO from an eyewitness
HILO, May 81.
To ". C. Rurkes, Esq:
DEAR SIR: We have had q great
disaster, at Hilo. Thursday morning.
10th inst, about 4 O'Clock the bay
was seen tO rise and fall IN an un-
equal manner, and at five o'clock il
swept in a mighty wave, washing up
and into all the stores in front Of the
town, carrying off a great deal OF
lumber and all the stone wall and
most of the wharf. The perpendieu-
lar height Of the wave has since been
ascertained by levelling toibe twelve
feet, three inches above the ordinary
low water mark. At Waikia the
damage was frightful. Every house
within one hundred yards OF the wa
ter was swept away. The steam boat
wharf and stOrehouse, Speneer's store
house, the bridge across the stream
and all the dwelling houses were
swept away in an instant and now
lie "a mass Of ruins far inland.
Five lives were lost and num-
bers were bruised and had limbs
broken. The body OF woman was
found by the boats off HOolii. The
boats OF the American whale ship
Pacific, Captain Smithers, " ing in
the harbOr, picked up six people, who
were swimming for their lives in the
bay. The Pacific was lying in four
fathOms OF water, but she grounded
when the sea receded and then would
be whirled round and round as the
SEE came In again. All expected to
see her drag ashore. The sea eOntin-
ued TO rise and fall all day. I timed
one OF the tides in the morning about
: o'clock. From itsIOWest ebb to its
flood was only about four minutes.
1t rose about fourteen feet perpendieu-
lar height in that time. The wave at
Waiskia must have been Of perpen-
dieIlar height Of sixteen feet to have
taken the bridge and wharf where
they now lie. The water swept COM
pletely over COeOanut Island, and the
hospital there has disappeared.
Yours in haste,