The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-04-29
The Great Wind Storm of Jan. 9th.

In the monthly weather review sent
out by the United States Signal Ser
vice Bureau we find Il very interesting
account of the recent great wind storm
which swept over the Pacific Coast.
The first indications of the approach
ing storm are reported from on board
the steamship oregon, at that time Off
the coast west of the mouth of the
Umpqua river. At midnight on the
Sth of January the barometer began
to fall, and at 6 A. NJ. the wind was
blowing southeast hurricane, which
lasted until 10 A. NJ. At noon the
storm struck ROseburg, which is some
$50 miles east of where the oregon was
at that time. Here the speed of the
gale was % miles an hour, and the di-
rectiOn southwest, showing that the
greatest force of the storm had passed
to the north of that point, and the gale
experienced there was returningcur-
rent set in motion by thesforce of the
storm, which was moving in II grand
circle to the north along the coast and
through the Willamette valley. By
1850 p. NJ. it had reached Portland, Ore
gon, and for five hours ran at the rate
of 80 miles an hour from the south,
with gusts of 20 miles per hour. At Is
=. NJ. it had reached Umatilla, some
500 miles on an air line from where it
| first struck the steamer O1rgOn. Here
| the direction was northeast. Thus it
will be seen that the average velocity
was about 30 miles an hour, and the
general direction northeast. From
| this point it moved over Montana
and Dakota to Minnesota, and during
| the afternoon of the 10th cautioning
signals ordered at Milwaukee, Wis,
and Grand Haven, Michigan, We're
justified by northwest winds 80 miles
per hour at the former, and 30 miles
south winds at the latter place. san
dusly, Ohio, reported southwest
winds 36, and Saugeen southeast II
miles per hour The greatest fall of
| the barometer was from the steamer
oregon through Portland and Una
tilla, Oregon, showing this to be the
line of the trough through which this
great wave passed, while at points
north and south of this line the barom
eter disturbances were less and the We
locity of the wind which followed was
proportionally less. These baromet
rical disturbances extended over n
scope Of country some eight hundred
miles in width, and We're from four to
six hours in advance of the storm,
showing very conclusively that by
close observation the United States
Signal Service could give warning of
an approaching storm and the points
most likely to be in its path hum
dreds of miles in advance, thus giving
time tor preparation.
| \ close study of the report Of this
great storm will show that it was Il
| vast wave or stream of air nearly 800
miles wide with side currents and ed
dies and an occasional cyclone or cir
cular movement in the main stream,
and that it travelled across the entire
continent in about - hours, entering
on the coast of Oregon and passing
through Washington, Idaho, Mon
tana, Dakota and the region of the
great Northern Lakes; through Can
ada and Novia Scotia to the Atlantic
Ocean. The disturbances show very
conclusively that the wind rose and
fell at different points in its travel
eastward. At Boise City it only at
tanned the slow speed of thirty-two
miles, while at Umatilla it travelled
50 miles, at Portland 53 miles, and
from Astoria to off the Umpqua gusts
of 20 miles, and at the steamer oregon
in the Pacific Ocean it blew II hurri-
cane.