The morning call., 1894-11-30
ONLY A BIG SCARE.
No Tidal Wave Disturbet
Tacoma.
AS Far as Is Known Two Persons
Met Their Deaths by
Drowning.

TACOMA, Wash, Nov. 29.-Investiga
proves conclusively that last nights great
landslide was caused by neither tidal wave
nor earthquake. Puget Sound has very
steep shores. Just outside the Northern
Pacific docks the bank slopes into deep
water at an angle Of 40 degrees, and fifty
feet from the dock the water is from $50
to 200 feet in depth. At great expense the
railroad has put in solid docks OF made
land. supported on the water side by a
rock wall. built against piling driven in to
the mud. This was not strong enough To
bear the immense pressure. and when the
high bank further up had been made slip
perry and loose by the recent rains, the
outer edge of the rock began to slide, and
finally gave way, preciDitating into deep
water one of the most valuable portions
Of the water front The submerged strip
is 1900 feet long and 200 in width.
Two persons were killed-Emma Stubbs,
the 15-year-old stepdaughter of 81. H.
Alger, boathouse proprietor. and John
Hansen, the night watchman, who was
carried down with the engine-house con-
tanning the boiler and pumps which fur
nished the power with which the bluffsde
was being washed down by hydraulic
process ana the balance Of the wharves
filed in beneath.
A few minutes before the slide Hansen
had been talking with Policeman Keene.
The latter is certain that Hansen had no
chance of escape. Neither Of the bodies
has been recovered.
Superintendent McCabe says the per-
manent damage to the railroad docks will
not amount to over $1,000. The work of
repairing the ocean dock where the San
Francisco steamers land will commence to-
morrow, but the rebuilding Of the seawall
for 1900 feet will be deferred until the
chief engineers at ST. Paul can decide
what plan shall be adopted to insure its
future permauence This will take ten
days or TWO weeks.
The south end of the Sound freight
warehouse, in which were the Offices of
the cashier and freight clerks, went down
in the crash. The safe contained $2400 in
cash and papers worth $4,000. 1t was
supposed this safe and the valuable
| freight records had been sunk in 200 feet
OF water. but this evening the tw0-story
Dulldlng In which the offices were located
was found partly submerged on the beach
at Gig Harbor, eight miles away. The safe
and records are now supposed to be safe.
A diver has been telegraphed for to come
and search for them.
Damage to shipping will amount to
between $4,000 and $4,000 aud other losses
can be Literally estimated at $1,000. The
| total property loss is therefore within
$4,000. The damage to shipping consists
o. the sinking and injnring of FIVE small
steamers tied up alongside the docks
which caved in.
a second section of the Northern Pa
clfc's Puget Sound freight warehouse
caVed IN shortly after IL o'clock. This
section was 120 feet in length, and it
leaves but forty-ive feet of the warehouse
remaining, just north of the section which
went last night.
Fart OF the warehouse went into the
water and part of it remains suspended
on the docks edge. All the freight was
removed to-day. The slides. last nights
and to-nighs's, occurred just little be-
lore low tide. 1t is feared more of the
made land will 60.