, 1892-09-13
WHERE Is OLNEY?
Disappearance Of the Local Wealth.
er Observer.

ne Went Boat Riding Yesterday
Morning and Has Not Returned
his Coat Found Near Priests
POint-searchIng Parties.
E. B. Olney, the local weather observer,
has mysteriously disappeared
1t is feared that he has been drowned.
The fact of his unaccountable absence
became known at 5 o'clock yesterday after
noon, when Assistant Observer Hartman
called upon John Dascomb to assist him in
the weather Office, explaining that Olney
had failed to put in an appearance at the
usual hour.
Knowing that it was the custom of Olney
to take a short boatride after making an
observation at O'Clock in the morning,
Dascomb and Hartman went to the boat
house of Kilton Bros, near the Fourth
street draw-bridge, and made inquiries,
Captain L A. Kilton informed them that
Olney called at the boat house yesterday
morning shortly before O'Clock, and hired
a small, hat-bottomed outrigger boat for an
early morning ride. Captain Kilton got the
boat out Of the house in person. Before
Olney took his seat he threw his light over
coat in the bow of the boat He started of
in the direction of Tumwater, and that was
the last Captain Kilton saw of him.
This morning a son of William McAloon
who lives on Priest point near the old mis-
sion, came to town with the information
that he had found a coat on the beach
containing a letter addressed to Olney
When this fact became known among
Olney's friends, fears were at once aroused
that some serious fate had befallen him.
The boat house was beseiged by anxious
inquirers but no Information was forth
coming other than that given to Dascomb
and Hartman last night.
e. W. Kilton had gone to TumWater be-
fore the discovery of the coat was made
known. He searched carefully but at 10
o'clock returned with the information that
he could not find a single trace of the miss
ing man. Immediately upon his broth
ers return Captain Kilton started for
Priests point.
Assistant Observer Hartman, Alvin
Lent and Ed Lennox secured a row boat
and followed close in the wake of Captain
KiltOn. They returned at / O'Clock.
Hartman narrated the circumstances of
the disappearance substantially as they
have been recorded above.
"Olney went to Tacoma with Lent on
Friday, "he said, "and that is the last 1
have seen of him. 1 slept in the Office
and took the observations. Monday
morning he came in and took the Observa-
tions himself l knew that he had been in
the Office because some of his private let
ters we're gone. AT noon / went home to
dinner, when / came back Olney had not
returned from his boat ride but l
thought nothing strange about it.
| met Lent and asked him, jokingly, what
he had done with my boss. He didn't
know what to make of it, when l told him
Olney had disappeared. He went up to the
house, but Olney had not been there in all
day. l went to all the places where Olney
is known, but could not find anybody who
had seen him. 1 met DascOmb and asked
him to come up and help me in the Office"
"What did you find at Priests point this
morning2"
well we found that his boat had been
picked up near the old fish trap opposite
the mission house on Priests point. 1t
was noticed there at 8 o'clock yesterday
morning bv members of the McAlOom fam
lily. Mr.. Ingersoll, who owns a ranch on
Mud Bay spit came along in boat and
tOwed the outrigger into the shore. Olney's
| light overcOat was found rolled up in the
front end where he had placed it upon
starting out. One oar was missing, the
cedar rail around the top of the boat had
been knocked loose and the right side was
battered like the boat had collided with
something"
Captain Kilton had CLEANED the above
information few moments before the ar
rival of Hartman and his companions. In
gersoll had taken the stray boat away with
him, and after assisting all he could to get
some trace of Olney, he started for Inger-
soils ranch to claim his property. Dihgent
search was made in every direction for Oh
ney, but not a single thing could be found
that would lead to his discovery. The over
coat contained a letter and some private
l no r,oro ho1or,orfr 10, O1pnrr
fed by Hartman who brought 1t back to
town.
During the afternoon the disappearance
was generally discussed upon the streets.
The theory was generally advanced that
Olney had landed on the beach at Mission
point and that while in the woods the boat
had been washed off by the tide. He is
known to be fond of rambling in the
woods, and the beach and paths lead
ing up into the timber at Mission point
make it most desirable place to land.
Owing to the peculiar construction
of the outrigger it would have been almost
an impossibility for OlneY to have fallen
into the water without the boat overturn-
ing.
Olney came here from San Francisco a
year ago last August, Being of an uncom-
municative and philosophical turn Of mind
he has mingled little with society in gem
eral, bat has assiduOusly cultivated the
| friendship of a number of kindred spirits.
He was a graduate of Ann Arbor univer-
sity and possessed Of a vast fund of gener-
al information. Before coming here
| he followed the occupation of
civil engineer and miner. Olney is 80
/ years old, and is married, his family being
| in San Francisco. Mrs. Olney was tele-
graphed of her husbands disappearance.
/ The missing man took his meals at the
house Of Alvin Lent on 3rd and Puget
streets and was a close companion Of Mr..
Lent's.
SEARCH PARTY.
A party will start this evening to search
| for the missing man. The party will meet
at the Western Union telegraph Office at 5
O'Clock, for the purpose of organization.
Everybody is urged to turn out and assist
| in the search.