The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1895-04-06
WORST STORM FOR YEARS
the Disturbance of Last
Monday.

wind will sometimes blow steadily for
days without any considerable amount
of dust being raised bl ii, while, on
other occasions, when the conditions
are apparently the same, the air will
be full of dust causing the sun to give
but q sickiy color. sometimes even Civ
ing an appearance to the earth as in
times of eclipse The dust usually flies
high. the lower strata Of air being about
as free from dust as ordinarily. Last
night was an exception, the dust being
next to the earth flying in quantities
that made 1t almost impossible to face
the wind which forced IL along. the
whole landscape presenting a CHASTITY
hue until the darkness Of night settled
down
The extent of these storms is far be-
yond that commonly supposed The
dust is taken from the great plains of
the Columbia, in the vicinity of Walla
Walla. and when the storm continues
for several hours--as ii frequently does
1t is swept northeast across the fields,
forests and mines of Washington and
Idaho; crosses the interna tional bound
airy and shades the meadows of the
northwest territories; frightens the in
habitant of Manitoba with it's similar
ity in appearance to that of a cyclone;
still pushes on above the trappers of the
Nelson and Severn rivers; casts its
faint shadow on the sailors on Hudson's
bay. 1900 miles from its starting point.
and still continues its course onward
to-no one knows where.
Examine the trees anywhere along
this line of march Their bark is gritty
full of small particles of sand Mill
men and choppers will tell you that
their bark dulls tools much more rap
idly than in regions outside of this
track The sand of the Columbia dulls
the ak of the woodchopper on Hudson's
bay
Yesterday their nature was a mys-
terry; today every telephone operator in
the Palouse country can tell you. They
are electrical storms. When thunder
storm is passing over a country all the
telephone bells are Kept ringing just as
the saunders of the telegraph are kept
clicking. The disturbance Is only local.
the bells of instruments afar Off. even
on the same line. being unaffected. Last
night the bells in all the offices in the
territory reached by the storm were
kept jingling. Other duststorms have
passed over us without this phenomena
but they were high up--too high to af-
feet the Instruments A few years ago
there was a storm similar to this one,
but the telephone lines were but few
and the storm did not strike until a late
hour.
The duststorm Is the Palouse version
of a cyclone. It's path is wider; It's
course is many times longer; it blows
straight instead of with a rotary mo-
ton; it moves nothing possessing much
stability; but both owe their existence
to that subtle force of nature which man
has harnessed, hut the mystery of which
he can not fathom.
MEDICAL LAKE.
Medical Lake, April 1.-The hardest
windstorm that has been known for 10
or 70 years visited this place last night,
terminating in a rainstorm.
ROSALIA
Rosalia. April "A fierce wind and
duststorm passed over Rosalia last
night at 6 o'clock. The wind blew
hurricane and filled the air with dust
as far as the eye could see. 1t imme-
diately became dark. and lamps had to
be lighted. and some few people who
have experienced cyclones before re-
paired to their cellars, but no serious
damage was done. The fire bell. how
ever, was turned over and II rolled into
G. p. lotions yard Several outhouses
were blown down. The streets are as
clean as if they had been swept with a
large broom.
MOSCOW.
Moscow. April 2.-This city was visit
ed last evening. shortly after 6 o'clock.
by the most severe windstorm that it
has experienced for years. The storm
came up very suddenly and ragged with
great violence for over an hour. To
add to the dismay and confusion, an
alarm of fire called the department to
the Farmers bank building in the
heart of the business portion. Luckily
it proved to be only a fiue burning out
Had it proved anything more serious,
the departemnt would have been able
TO do little against it. AS 1t was. the
sparks were carried hundreds of feet by
the storm. 1t is feared that considerable
damage was done in the country out
side. The storm was accompanied by
rain.
LATAH.
Latah, April 2.-The windstorm that
passed over here last evening did con-
siderable damage to buildings. Several
barns were unrOofed and smaller build
ings were overturned.
ROCKFORD
Rockford, April 2.-One of the hercest
windstorms ever known here struck us
last evening about o'clock. bringing
with IL a dense cloud of dust The roar