Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-01-28
A Severe Wind and Rain
Storm Has Occurred on
The Pacific Coast.
Much Damage was Done to
Property, but no Lives are
Reported Lost.
The Strikes i'm Pennsylvania
Continue Unabated.
Storms.
DAMAGED BY HEAVY RAINS.

CHICAGO, Jan. 23.- Telegraphic
advices from Ogden state that heavy
rains have prevailed west of the
Rocky Mountains siuce Tuesday,
causing such serious washouts that
Geographic communications with
California has been completely cut off
since yesterday morning.
The three routes, the Northern, Cen
trail and Southern, which the Western
Union Telegraph company has always
had available, were all down. West
of Reno. New, thirty miles of wires
and poles are down, and the Central
Pacific railway sustained several bad
washouts, which prevented their send
ing trains west of Reno last night.
Telegraphic communication with Ore
gon has been maintained from the
east, but the wires between Oregon
and California have been down, pre-
venting dispatches by that route.
A SEVERE STORM ON THE PACIFIC
COAST.
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 28-One of
the severest storms that has ever oc-
Cured on this coast began last Sun
day and reached its height shortly
after noon on Wednesday. It extend
ed from the northern boundary of
Washington Territory to the south
ern boundary of California, and from
the Rocky mountains to the Pacific
ocean. The almost continuous fall of
rain and snow was accompanied by
wind which from five miles an hour
gradually Increased until about 1 80
this morning when it blew a hurri-
cane of 80 miles an hour. The storm
was predicted by the signal service,
and cautioning storm signal was dis
played.
Due to tkis timely notice many YES
sells postponed their departure from
here and thus escaped the dangers of
the storm, although the bay inside
the harbor was very rough. Consid
cradle damage was done throughout
the city by wind and rain. Houses
were unroofed, sheds, fences, trees,
awnings, signs and church spires
blown down. Huge plate windows
were blown in, Easements flooded,
ed. sewers broken, cars were
lifted from the track and COW
cred wagons were caught up. No
loss of life has been reported. About
80 in the afternoon when the wind
was at its height the west wall of the
mechanics pavilion was blown in, and
a few minutes later about eight feet Of
it's roof was carried across the street
and damaged buildings on the OPP
posite side. One of the most unfor-
tunate disasters caused by the storm
was the collapse of two story build
ing on the corner of Mission and Thir-
tieth streets At the time of the acct
dent Mrs. Humbert, Mrs. Coyle and
John Carroll were ia the building.
The latter rushed from the building
in time to escape harm, bat both wo-
men were buried under the falling
building and were severely, perhaps
fatally, injured about the head. The
most serious result of the storm was
to cut off San Francisco entire
ly for the first time III its histo-
ry from Geographic communication
with the outside world. The wires
began going down yesterday, one after
another, until the final break &C.
Cured about 1890 this afternoon, for
short time, when the city wires were
rendered entirely useless. This
dispatch is sent from here by mail
to Sacramento, whence it will be
forwarded to its destination. Wash
outs have occurred on the Southern
Pacific road at several places between
Moyave and Yuma, which are not
considered serious and the extent of
which cannot yet be learned. No in
formatiod as to the damage sustained
by the shipping along the coast and
by other portions of the country has
been received owing to its isolation
and from lack of wire communica-
ton.