The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1881-07-07
DAILY INTBLLIGENCER.
Thursday, July z, 1881.
STORM AT THE SIGNAL STATION,
MOUNT WASHINGTON.

Noticing that the sides of the sum-
NIT were strewed with boards, beams,
and debris Of all sorts, my guide ex-
planned that what saw was the result
of the great January gale. which had
demolished the large shed used as an
engine house. scattering the loose frsg-
ments far snd wide. | begged him to
give me his recollection Of IT.
During the forenoon preceding the
gale we observed nothing very unusual;
but the clouds kept sinking and sink
ing until the summit was quite above
them. Late in the afternoon. my com.
rsde, Sergeant M, came to where
was lying in bed sick, and said: There
is going to he the devil to pay, so 1
gness I'll make everything snug.
by nine 10 the evening the wind had
increased TO one hundred miles sn hour,
With heavy sleet. At midnight the
velocity of the storm was one hundred
and twenty miles. and the exposed
thermometer recorded twenty-four de-
grees below zero. With the stove red,
we could hardly get it above freezing
inside the house. Water froze within
three feet Of the fire-in fact, where you
are now sitting.
AT this time the noise outside was
deafening. About o'clock the wind
rose to one hundred and fifty miles.
1t was now blowing hurricane. The
wind. gathering up all the loose ice of
the mountain. dashed it against the
house with one continued roar. lay
wondering how long the building
would stand this, when eli at once
came crash. M shouted to me to
get up; but / had tumbled out in 9
hurry on hearing the glass go. You
see, l was dressed. to keep myself warm
in bed.
sOur united efforts were hardly equal
to closing the storm shutters from the
inside, but we finally succeeded. though
the lights went ont when the wind
came in. and we worked in the dark
He rose to show me how the shutters,
Of thick oak, were first secured by an
iron bar, and secondly by strong wood
en- buttons firmly screwed in the win
dow frame.
we had scarcely done this resumed
Doyle, and were shivering over the
fire. when heavy gust of wind again
burst open the shutters. as easily as if
they had never been fastened at all.
We sprang to our feet. After hard
tussle we again secured the windows,
by mailing elect to the floor. against
which one end of q board was fixed,
using the other end as a lever. You
understand? nodded. We'll, even
then it was all we could do to force the
shutters back into place. But we did
it. We had to do it.
The rest of the night was passed in
momentary expectation that the build
ing would be blown into Tuckermsn's,
and we with il. At 4 o'clock in the
morning the wind registered one hun.
dred and eighty.six miles. It had
shifted then from east to northeast.
From this time it steadily fell to ten
miles, at Q o'clock. This was the big
gest blow ever experienced on the
mountain
Suppose the house had gone. and the
hotel stood fast, could you have effected
an entrance into the hote!?' l asked.
we could not have faced the gals
Not for hundred feet?'
Not in q matter of life and death?'
Impossible. The wind would have
lifted US from our feet like bags OF
wool. We would have been dashed
against the rocks AMI mashed like egg
Shells was the quiet reply.
And so for some hours you expected
to be swept into eternity
We did what we could. Each wrap.
ped himself in blankets and quilts,
binding these tightly around him with
ropes. to which were attached bars OF
iron. so that if the house went by the
board We might stand chance-a slim
one-of anchoring somewhere. some
how
Somewhere, indeedl
When. on the following morning,
busted myself getting ready to 60 down
the mountain. l heard profound sigh
followed by some half audible words
proceeding from the adjoining room
These words rang in my ears all tina,
day: