The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-06-29
SINGULAR PHENOMENON

A Tital wave sweeps the Lake
Front at Cleveland. Doing Con-
siderable Damage - Docks Four
Feet Under Water-Hundre reds of
Fish washed Ashore.
From the Plain Dea'e of June 25rd.
A remarkable phenomenon occurred
at about six O'Clock this morning on
the lake front between Erie street on
the east and the breakwater on the
west. The man on watch at the Life
Saving Station, as we'll as the few 9TH
srs on duty thereabouts at the time,
noticed q peculiarly wicked looking
black and gray cloud coming from
over the lake. In its wake followed
an upheaval of the water-a genuine
tidal waves regular roller rp-as
Captain Goodwin called it, hill OF
water with the water back Of the in
cline as high rs the crest. 1t swept
rapidly aleng with tremendous force,
carrying before it everything movable
and soIme things supposed to be I'M
movable.
United States Assistant Engineer
Rice, who was detailed by Col. Wilson
to make observations, measured the
marks of the wave at the Life Saving
Station, and found its top was ten feet
ten inches above the surface of the
water at its stage just before and just
after the phenomenon. The dock
there was submerged to the depth of
about four feet. The water-wagon
shed at the station was nearly torn
apart from the main building, timbers
and stones were washed about in con-
fusion, and Captain Goodwin, who was
on the pier, only saved himtelf from
being swept overheard by springing to
the roof Of . low shed. One other man
was on the pier, further out. He saw
the wall of water coming, and with an
affrighted and profane exclamation,
| ran for dear life to the station. where
| he found protection from the delugs.
Huge logs of wood were carried be-
yond the railway track west of the
bridge. The fires Of the Lake Erie
| rolling mill ON the beach west of the
river were put out by the food. Great
pieces of rock were thrown ashore,
! and after the subsidence of the wave
| fshipp was excellent on land without
bait or hook. Hundreds of nice her
ring and pike were picked up by those
| trst on hand after the waves visit.
| James Welch had just left the switch
shanty On the north side of the Union
Depot to find knife he had lost. Sud.
denly he heard strange whlstllng,
and then heavy timber struck him
On the ankle, knocking him down.
| The wave caught him and carried him
| with much force to the depot wall
The shanty was badly wrenched and
| broken. Dave johnson, night watch
man, was inside. He was somewhat
bruised by the stove being thrown over
him. A short stretch OF track next
| the water was torn up, ties and rails
were strewn about in confusion, and a
large buoy, brought from somewhere
on the lake, was landed alongside the
Union depot.
At fuckers boat house the water
covered the pier, but no particular
damage was done. An unknown tramp
who was sleeping at the mouth of
sewer, was drowned.
Several parties were out on the lake
| in small boats. They report sudden
rising of water and a violent motion
l like q whirlpool. Ne accident hap
| pened to any Of the little craft The
| Detroit steamer had just landed her
passengers when the wave came along
and snapped her lines like pipe stems.
| The wave parted the lines of many of
| the vessels in port and tore out the
timber heads of two scOws, one near
the pier light house and one near the
railway bridge.
A scow loaded with sand lying at
the breakwater was left high and dry
on land. The wave did not appear to
extend further west than the elbow OF
the breakwater.
Signal Officer Newlin describes the
phenomena substantially thus: AT
6:lO a, M. distant thunder was heard,
and he observed over tho lake and just
| Il hou
cloud like a thunder cloud, the l0wel
part of which looked like large, heavy
curtain hanging over the water, above
it a contorted, angry looking conglo
meration of cloud, and north Of it I
large stratus cloud. 1t moved very
RAPIDLY and at $40 the wave STRUCK
the shore. When he first noticed th'
tidal wave he said it was about quar-
ter of mile from shore, and appeared
, like a great green wall perhaps ten fee
: high. The lake had been very calm
, and this was the first disturbance o
: the surface The wave swept alon.
rapidly and silently until it reached
shallow water, when it made lOut
} swishing noise, and broke on the shOr
, with a great roar. The direction o
: the wave was from north-northeast t.
( south southeast, and extended from
l little above Erie street to the arm o
the break water. After it struck tn
/. shore two recoil waves followed clos
|, together. At6;35, quarter of an hou
after the wave reached the shore,
shower began which lasted fifteen mi
! nutes, during which time one hun
8 dredth of an inch of rain fell. n
r hard wind was perceptible here, thougl
slight squalls on the lake are reports
by incoming vessels.
Sergeant Newlin says the cloud wa
an electric cloud like those of an ord
! nary thunder storm except the pecul
iarities above described. Many of th
! phenOmsna are similar to what woul
be expected to accompany waterspou
but no waterspout formed. Nor did
. hard storm precede or follow, as is usu
: al in cases of tidal waves. After th
grand rushing of water the lake rt
Iapsed into a state Of placid repose, il
3 surface as calm and unruffied as
nothing unusual had happened.