St. Paul daily globe., 1891-03-11
Wild TIDAL WAVES.
Puget Sound Swept by the
Worst Storm in Seven
teen Years.
Four Miles Of the Seattle &
Montana Road Washed
Away.
A st. Paul Firm of Contract
OPS Lose Heavily in Con-
sequence.
EsEnormous Waves Rush in
From Seaward Over the
Riprapping.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
TACOMA, WASH, March 10.-A storm
which is pronounced the severest in
seventeen years burst upon the east
shore of the sound at an early hour this
morning and did great deal of damage
before it abates at 10 o'clock in the
forenoon. 1t did the most damage,
however, on the fifteen-mile stretch of
road of the Seattle d Montana railway
between EdmondS and Port Gardener.
The road is built along the beach for the
entire distance, and is only few feet
above high water. During the storm
nearly four miles of this road was en-
tirely washed away. The contractors
who are building this section of the
road fare MessrS. Shepard, Henry 81
Co.. of st. Paul, and the loss will fall
heavily upon them. Neil Murphy, their
superintendent, who arrived in Seattle
to-day SAYS: 1.-The storm was one of
almost uneQualed fury. The wind blew
gale from the north, and the waves
began to grow to
Enormous Proportions.
Sat O'Clock in the morning. There
were four gigantic waves, which we
think were tidal waves, caused by the
recent earthquake. This first was at 3
o'clock, and was heaved clear over the
rip-rapping and roadbed, and way be-
yond in places, great logs and other
floating debris, which lay high and dry
along the shore, in many in
stances clean over the rip-rapping
ana roadbed. In twenty minutes
lowed with reSStleSS force. 1t seemed
to have greater volume aud force than
the first, and it ripped out great sec
tons of the roadbed, and threw the
huge fiOtllla of logs about with as much
ease as though they were matches. The
third wave came in twenty minutes
after the second, and it did its full
share of destruction and
Dashed Against the shore
with a fury that seems almost incon-
ceivable. Again the logs were hurled
about, dashed hithei and thither, and
the sound of the collision could be
heard high above the roar OF the gale.
I, With the regularity of the others the
fourth tidal wave followed the third III
about twenty minutes. 1t simply added
TO the destruction already wrought by
those that preceded it. 1t is my opinion
that these were genuine tidal waves. This
theory is borne out by the fact that it
was about half-tide when the big waves
did such damage. The fury of the
storm continued till 10 O'Clock in the
morning, and the waves did more or less
damage after the big tidal waves quit
coming. When the storm was over an
inventory OF the damage done was
taken, and it was found that nearly
four miles OF the road
Had Been Demolished.
"At Edmonds the lower part of the
town was flooded, and considerable
planking was torn off the dock. In ad-
dition to this, other damage was done.
1t is said like condition prevailed at
Muckelleo. A singular incident in con-
nection with the earthquake occurred
in railway construction camp between
EdmondS and Gardener. A large rock
forced its way through the ground for
distance of over foot at point along
side of the stove and almost overturned
it. The steamer Idaho was struck at
midnight and rolled violently from side
to side, while the furniture was hurled
promiscuously about the cabin, ana
whitecaps as high as the boat were en-
cOuntered. but after few hours the
storm partially subsidized and the steam
er came into port safely.