West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-01-12
A MONSTER WAVE.

Tho city OF Portland, Me, has had mar.
row escape from destruction by wave of
tremendous height and powor during tho
recent heavy storm. A Portland dispatch
gives the following particulars;
Tho great gale struck Portland Head at o 30
o'clock at n time when i'm this harbor the wind
seemed To bo dying out Up 20 that time,
while the wind had been terrific, blowing iif-
" miles an hour, the rain falling continuous
~, Keeper Strout and his assistants, Joe and
Gil Strout had no idea that any thing unusual
was about to occur
1t was very clear" said Gil Strout this
afternoon, and we could see long way Que
through the rain, and when the great wavo
made its appearance we could SEQ its white
cap far out and could watch It's approach
Apparently the mon-ter NAVE came In tho
shape of pyramid. IL struck first against
tho outer limo of rock, and at that time,
when the fountains OF the mighty deep
seemed to have broken up, mas oe
water lowered up oven, as they
believed, with the lighthouse itself
Between the limo OF rock extending for per-
haps hundred feet along the sea line and
and varying from ten To twenty feet In
length This space was mover n..>d
with water until last night, when
tho giant wave broke and filled II from
above. Waves OF ordinary size and power,
breaking and pressing behind added their
strength TO that of the monster, and tho entire
mass was hurled sixty feet above high
wRtor mark against the engine boiler,
aud fog horn house. The force OF the blow
was such that tho building, built as strongly
as possible, was bent, twisted, and shattered
Great iron stays were snapped, as though
they had been pipe stems, and the rcceding
wave carried with IL everything ON the shore,
including stones weighing tons.
farmer who lives on the shore of Capo
Elizabeth, about two miles beyond the head
light, said; 81 know something about that
in my life. It was creator tnRn tho one two
ycarS ago, which swept over Pond Cove AMI
carried away the bridges and roadways
when the wave was coming i'm IL mado
n fearful roar but when IL struck the cliffs
IL seemed as though IL fairls smashed them
20 pieces. The force OF the blow was
tremendous Another such gigantic billow
would have done woeful damage along tho
shorcn
Tho British schooner Achsah, outward
bound, when off Cushing's Island became un-
manageable, aud rapidly drif.ed toward tho
shore. Sho was saved 10y the tug Warren.
From all Maine ports stories OF the work
or the storm have come in, and 10 has Eeen
n long time since 40 much dHhage has been
done. In Eastern Maine tho telegraph and
telephone wires were prostrGtcd and no
communication with the outer islands and
lighthouses could bo effected At Rockland
vessels were damaged, and Mt Calris the night
was one OF the worst ever seen.
terrible southeast gale prevailed also at
itaUtnN ana caused extensive damage %
sh piping in the harbor. All the vessels in
the port were injured, aud in some cases
the wharves were damaged The
schooner Helene, Captain Currie, sark
at tho Gas Company's wharf with
cargo OF coal Tho brigantinc Ida
Maud, Captain Purdy rea y 20 sail for
Bermuda, parted hor lines, and driving into
the schooner Olivia A. O'Mallin, received
considerable damage. Tho schooners Moss
Glen, Captain hyde, and Roderick
McCree, were badly damaged The
steamer Alpha broke away from Pickford a.
Blacks wharf and had 10 run out into tho
stream. The schooner Josephine was severely
damaged at the Liverpool wharf one side
being cut down almost TO the water line.
A number OF small boats were smashed
and swampcd, and IL is said that
small cOll.aden schooner sank at
Ketch Harbor. Tho schooner Arthur
is ashore at the entrance 10 Liverpool, N. g.,
and will likely be total wreck The storm
was at its worst between and o O'Clock this
morning. About the city fences were blown
down, trees uprooted, and chimneys and sky
lights torn away.
a southeast gale ragged at Rockland Me-,
with unparalleled fury, doing great damage
to shipping IN the harbor, washing away
wharvcs and wood, demolishing windows,
blowing down chimneys, and doing other
damage there and all along the coast.