Evening journal., 1898-01-14
THE rAkou OF ALASKA.
A storm Worse Than a Biixznrd, cy
clone md Typboon Combined.


A storm Worse Than BIix1nrd, cy-
clone and Typboon Combined.
A new kind Of storm has come out of
Alaskan regions to increase the hard
ships Of the lives of gold hunters. 1t is
called locally ''talSou," and, according
20 the stories of those who have Just
come down from Juneau, it is neither
cyclone nor a typhoon nor a blizzard
nor even an area of high pressure. They
say that it is as bad as all of these rolled
into one and then multiplied by itself
rs long as it lasts. The talkou always
blows from the mountains into the sea,
and the cold, high destructive wind lasts
half an hour or longer.
The coming OF n recent takou was
heralded by wild, screeching, crash
ing tumult from the mountain forests.
Then the storm burst on the ambitious
but infantile cities along the coast, and
tents were torn from the ground and
went sailing Off In tatters; cabins were
thrown down, and the logs Of which
they were built were swept from their
fastenings and blown so far that they
have not since been seen. A number
of people were injured, but none seri-
ously.
The talSou seemed to grow worse as
1t howled its way on into the channel,
and was at it's greatest force about mid
day when it struck the Detroit steaming
from Dyea to Juneau. The Detroit was
well filled with passengers, anumber Of
whom had just made their way with
great hardship out of the Yukon gold
fields. The talou blew its breath
against the Detroit, and the little craft
tipped over on its side. Then It righted
IN time to receive the full force of the
storm, which tossed the boat about like
n toy. The engines worked without
effect, and the officers and crew we're
powerless. The passengers rushed
about with white faces, some praying,
some raving with fear, and everybody
constantly expecting that In another
moment the boat would be wrecked.
The tempest tossed the craft and its
frightened people this way and that,
threw it up above the boiling waves land
| splashed 1t down again, and finally, as
II tired of the plaything, dashed it high
and dry on the beach on the lower end of
Douglas island, so feet beyond the
highest water mark. And there the
boat still lies, while the owner wonders
If he shall have to wait for another
talSou to get il down into the water
again.
When the tempest reached Juneau il
was still travelling seaward with n ve-
locity of nearly IS miles an hour. II
was loaded with dust and tho spray Of
the sea, and combination of the TIVE
in the form of mud, and It carried grave
and tho branches of trees in assorted
sizes and pelted people who didn't rur
for cover with hailstones as large a.
pigeons eggs. There is hardly a hous'
in the city that does not show some ef
feet of the storms bombardment Th'
steamer Topeka was docked at the Pa
cific mail wharf with five stout cable.
out. The ship quivered an instant un
der the blast, and then the five cables
parted as if they had been as man,
strands of sewing silk, and the bi.
! steamship started of at headlong speed
The two anchors were hurriedl.
dropped, bat the boat was hurried alon.
by the tempest at such q rate that sh
was driven half way across the harbol
a distance of about two miles, befor
, the anchors took hold. Her runnini
gear was disarranged, part Of her uppe
works were stove in, and one of he
boats was smashed. As yet no fatalitie
/ have been reported, although a numbe
l of people received injuries.
= The taloou is well-lSnown to old resi-
dents of the extreme north, and b.
every one of them it is more dreade,
than is the blizzard by the people O
Dakota and Nebraska, but it is lon
time since one has ragged as farsouth a
= Chicago Inter Ocean,