Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1895-03-16
MYSTERIOUS TIDES.
THOSE o. ~rE LAKES THAT 1as
sK'r'~ra C,lL swAsHEs.

Lahe LrIo skipper Talks Interss,t,0,,
ON the Subject.
Aldal waves on the great lakes ar,
pot OF uncommon occurrence. " said ar
ia Lake Erie skipper, "and altbongt
meteorological experts have for more
than 100 years tried to study out tbei,
cause we don't know any more about i,
now than they did at the time the great
wave rose suddenly OH Lake Erie. of
hocKport, and destroyed Colonel Brad.
streets fleet, in October, 1854. That
was the first tidal wave on the lakes
that we have any record of.
II have seen many of these swasbes
rs we call them on the lakes, the last
one about ten years ago, when nv
schooner was swept high and dry at
Fort Stanley by wave that seemed to
rise on the lake like some monster ma.
rlne animal coming from the depths to
the surface. We could see it rushing to.
ward us mile away. 1t came with n
boiling front ten feet high, Kissing like
loud escaping steam as it swept toward
US. That is a peculiar thing about the
lake tidal waves. They do not come
with roar, like the ocean surf, but
with a loud, kissing sound, and there is
only one instance ON record where they
are either accompanied or followed by
strong winds.
That one instance was at Toledo, in
December, 1856, when the wind, which
had been blowing stiff offshore, sudden
ly whirled into bowling nor easter,
and as quick as the change in the wind
that wave leaped out of the lake and
came hurting upon the shore, wild and
angry mass, eight feet high. In every
other recorded occurrence Of these mys-
terious freaks Of the lake waters the sur
face Of the lake has been perfectly calm
and the air scarcely perceptibla
Such was the condition when that
big wave attacked us at Port Stanley,
swamping my schooner and drowning
one Of nay men. The wave reoeded az
fast as it had rushed in, and the lake |
in less than ten minutes, was as smooth |
as q mirror
within the next hour there were |
four more swashes, each one of less |
force and volume, until the last was
scarcely more than q ripple.
almost the first thing remember,
Tor l was but three years old at the
lime, was one Of these tidal waves. It
appeared early in the spring on the Can
Ida shore, off Otter Creek. There was q
,iece Of woods there then, with long
tretch of beach between it and the
axe. My father had 85 ton schooner
ying off the shore half mile or more.
The water was dead calm. when,
without warning of any kind, wave
lifted itself from the bosom of the lake,
q miles ont, and swept shore
ward with its mighty hiss. My mother
nd were with father on his schooner
Is that swash came rushing upon us ii
eemed TO mo as If the leaping foam of
ts white crest was higher than the
,hooner's masts, but know now that
was not more than l2 feet high.
he wave was high enough and strong
lough, though, to sweep the schooner
shore as II IL had been q cocklashell,
nd across that stretch OF beach into the
'oods. where II was left among tina (
'ees, hopeless wreck.
I'm ten minutes the lake was az calm
ever, but an hour later similar
ave appeared at Kettle Creek, 30 miles
om Otter Creek, and tumbled all sorts
lake craft ashore,
~ guess the greatest tidal wave ever
zen on any OF tho lakes was the one 1
=. Foster aud his party Of yoyagers 1
w on Lake Superior, between Copper
arbor and Eagle river. That was IN
ugust. lSi5, This swash was more
IAN 20 feet high. and, like all Of its
nd. sprung suddenly from the lake NJ
,ad calm. II was quarter Of mile
slant from Dr. Fosters boat, which,
hon tho disturbance began, was direct
IN tho path ~ tho wave IL was crest
with foam, aud ouTled over like q q
lghty OCEAN surge Before reaching
10 boat however, the wave turned 20
Iat is nearest extremity swept pGst II I
q distance ~ 90 foot, the water be' I
geen that extremity aud tho boat being
aroely rufiled by tho Influence ~ tho
lshiDK tide
Tho wave was only half mile from
Iofa, but Notwithstanding lts great
~ and velocity u never reached thers
l1 Same mysterious caprice that caused
20 change 10 course aud paas harm
psly by lhe vessel seemed 10 ssise ll
700 more, and II sHpk Tapidly from its
sat hoight as u approached tho fbose
NJ struck lhs bsa0h with 40 mQgs force
rlse ~ water than might have eolae
0m tho wash " . passlgg vessel
~ Ifmelnhsr noiabI. sMAsh 0il Lake
iehigau ai chs mouth ~ the heponl
. 1bat one appeared IA Aprl, 1908,
ID yushed into The ngeE Win tpeb
umendous fHes and Y0lupip lhai Y w
4 ths frlryboal uu $50 hppomlnen /,
As TuOurIeui oscillations N lhnss
,ashes ags Usually ~ deolsaslpr slts
~ fogea, bui lhis one oq ile hupHlslnes
asn thai klpa Tho ebp " lhls llas !
as lust ~ huddeg a. lls hes, bpl lps :
NJ uiupt0s "A Was fgllne ~ W snpillsl :
ays mach larger ihap lhe hlsl olls'
IA ihe $40 " ibe tfepld 81 aNh was
lloasd by . Nags siill lalss' lAAs Vac