The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-06-03
Sweeps Over the State at More
Than 50 Niles an Hour.
a SEATTLE YACHT PARTY OUT.
They Run 10 Shore for shelter and
Escape the Fierce Blast.
wssAiaetsa Msssisg Bsg Trees
Bieva Dewa sad .Bsiiaiass Isjsred
In che Path es the Gale.

The FIRST electric storm which has oc-
Cured on the city for three years broke
about O'clock last night and grave fears
are entertained at the time of koing 10
press that II may have caused loss Of life.
after having marked its trait through
the state with havoc a. far south as she
telegraph wires which il had prossrased
have been repaired. What damage
IL has done in its course through
California and Oregon cannot he
learned until the broken means
of communication have been restored. IL
ragged With intense fury for only about fif-
teen minutes. gradually abAting during
the succeeding hours. bat in that short
time IL had put many valued iives In peril,
and their tate is still in doubt
Late in the afternoon . party composed
Of Mr. aud MrA T. A. Strouf. Miss Mary
Struve. Miss Frances Emery. Mra Will
lam b. Reynolds, Of Vancouver barracks,
Mr.. George Hyde Preston. Mr.. II. +. Me-
serve and Mr.. r. A. Faikinburgh left with
Mr.. Lester Turner on his yacht Edna NJ.
for q sai 70 Eagle Harbor, intending to
return in the evening. Up to late hour
in the evening no sign Of them had ap-
peared and Judge II. g. Ssruve. the
father Of one OF the party. started
with Mr.. John Campbell. Of Port
Blakeley. ON the steamer Fleetwood TO
seaic ch for them. IL was thought that they
might have taken refuge either 1t Eagie
Harbor or At Blakeiey, or 1T the Country
club house on the point south Of the en-
trance to BIakeiey harbor.
This supposition proved to be correct.
for the Fleetwood returned at 3 o'clock
With news Of the safety OF the party
The party had put into Eagle Harbor
just before the storm and were about TO
teave when the storm struck. They waited
until the fury Of the tempest had passed
and then ran TO the Country club where
al made themselves 40 comfortable ~ pos
sibis. They sndeayored to send word TO
their friends IN Seattle from Port Blake
ley. but we're unable to do 20, owing to the
breaking Of telegraphic communication.
The news Of their safety was joyfuliy re-
ceived, ~ there had been intense anxiety
among their friends through the night
The storm has travelled all the way an
the coast from San Francisco, and by
morning had reached Roseburg, Or. In
the afternoon il swept over Olympia, and
about O'Clock dsscsnded on Tacoma.
valleys toward Seattle. and laid out the
wires in its course. sending trees scross
those Of the Western Union.
The approach Of the storm became ap-
parent to the wsathsr-wiss about 5 o'clock,
~ great black banks Of clouds began to
cover the sky and gradually spread until
they completely overhung the city. Then
about 7o'ciock thoss who watched IL from
Queen Anne hill saw the watsr Of the
sound change to duh indigo
color, while in the distance, towards
Tacoma. they saw forks OF light
ming shooting downwards through riffs
in the clouds and sending . lurid
glare over the darkencd waters. At last
great cloud of what looked like brown
dust swept northward. curling the tips of
the rising waves into foam a. IL advanced.
II came around Duwamish head as though
making straight for Queen Anne hill.
but IL suddenly swerved and made for
North Seattle about Battery street.
casting . dark pail over the city
in its course. The trees bent before
1t, the buildings shook and the Salvation
Army tent st Front and Battery streets
was laid level with the ground. IL brought
sheets Of rain with IL, which dashed
against the windows with such force that
they seemed like haiistonss. At the same
time the lightning began to play IN
its awful grandeur, now coming In strsaks
Of fire and now xigzaRging across the inky
heavens ~ though an unseen hand were
writing In letters Of dame At times IL
would break between the banks Of cloud.
which were piled up like mountains. and
spread in both directions, followed by
thunder. now cracking as though noun
tains were being split and now roaring
duly like distant cannonade.
In the short space OF fifteen minutes the
Wind had spent lts force, but the lightning
continued TO Iliumine the hills and the
rain descended In torrents for two hours
afterwards. Then the elements had gone
to rest and the air had lost the sultriness
which made breathing labor earlier in
the day, while the sun was blazing down
with nnsparing rays.
Though the storm came from the south,
that Was not the direction Of the wind.
according to the records OF Observer Alicia
tore Shortly before q O'Clock IL was blow
ing At the rate Of ten miles an hour from
the north northwest. and soon increased
its velocity 10 thirty miles IN hour,
and after only about fifteen minutes
At this rate IL died down BY
degrees to about fifteen miles, and at the
same time veered to the east The ba-
rornetsr had been failing ali day. thus
giving warning. but after the storm struck
il rose more suddenly than has ever been
known in the experience Of observers on
this Coast. During the honr that the
storm vas At its worst quarter Of an inch
Of rain tell
About tbs, when the storm vas at its
worst. . fash shot over the switchboard
In the central telephone Office and In
stantly w. ]. Johnson, the switchboard
man, assisted by the six operators on
duty. vho showed great presence OF mind.
pulled the strings attached 70 the
switches and thus opened them
and saved the board from being
burned out The fash vas caused by
shs burning u two cables ON South Second
street, which we're sxtin guishsd by Frank
Grady. the ilnsmsn- The two cables we're
then cut ON. with the 100 phones con-
nectsd With them and ali the lines wers
opened nnsai the stosul was over. By the
prompt action Of Mr. johnson and the
operators the switchboard Vas saved from
any damage aud the loss vas confined "a
the two cables, which will amount from
500 TO $50.
Although the waves on the Sound
locked very angry, they did very little
damsge ON tas water front. the only aeci.
dent h~lnx the sinking Of Tosie 4 Peters
boathouse st the foot Of Madison street
The abssnce of accidents 10 atssibuted 10
ths fact that the wind wao blowing against