The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-30
STORM TURNED TAIL
AND WHIPPED INTO
THE PACIFIC OCEAN.
No Blizzard In Seattie-forecnsfer
Pacue Sent Forecaster Salisbury
n Sensational Prediction, but
Ii Has Not Yet Been Verified.

Weather Prophet Salisbury sighed ali
yesterday afternoon for the storm that
never came.
Under inspiration from Portland he post
the following sensa tional bulletin In the
morning:
Hoist inforrna ton signed 10 4. n. Storm
Of more than ordinary energy central along
Washington coast. off-snore gales along
coast. hsgh south ID east winds over sound
and Strait.
Prophet Salisbury had consulted his ba-
ror.leter and the Indicator was falling. He
had drawn his maps ana there was low
pressure area over the Sound and the adj
jacent ocean coast There was high
pressure area over in the eastern part OF
the state and the low pressure was crowd
ing upon il. In fact, there was every logi-
cal indication that the storm would get a
big 'sgo' on il outside the Sound and then
sweep with great gust almost diago1ally
across the state.
Besides, the East was having storms,
mighty ones. with big lists for the
morgues, and terrible warnings 10 those
VINO go down to the sea in ships. 1t seemed
only right that Seattle and the north Pa
cihc coast should have its share.
F'orecaster Pague had had knowledge Of
these things down in the Webfoot metropo-
lis. and the Webfoot metropolis is only
hundred miles from the mouth OF the Co.
lunihia. Where the weather phenomena
usually give their first onlinous signs So
there was every reason why Prophet Sails
bury should expect much.
Precisely at 10 o'clock the atmosphere
began TO whip itself into something lively.
Gusts swept around the corners and lifted
skirts and blew hats into the mud. The
clouds lowered themselves gloomiIy over
the waters In the sound: and cold, drifting
rain beat against the houses.
At O'Clock aerial matters were still stir
ring. and the prophet felt that he had not
prophesied in vain.
Yet poor is the prophet who does not
leave himself some excuses whereby TO
save his reputation. To Post-Iutelligen-
Ger representative Mr. Salisbury cautiously
stated:
You can't tell much about it until it
happens. a storm IS as uncertain as an
eddy. and instead of shooting across the
country, this affair of today may take n
notion 10 turn complete tail and run in the
other direction. II often does so In these
parts"
In fact the prophet explained that a Pc
ouliarity of the weather prognostications
In this vicinity is the frequent exact rever-
sal of indications. Storms which in every
way gave promise of playing the mischief
Ey making a dash from Victoria down to
Portland and "a side sweep through the
sound, and then "A grand break across the
diagonal Of the state, reverse their inten-
tons at the outset and veer oft into the
ocean.
Perhaps there is something forbidding
in the contentment and application to their
own affairs of the people or this vicinity.
The storms seem 10 have some serupes
about making a disturbance. They
''whack' it 10 the denizens Of the Atlantic
coasts; they come so faithfully when pre-
dicted along the shores of the Great lakes
that the Chicago forecaster got his job as
chief Of the United States service on his
reputation for accuracy: they put in fatal
Hcks around the gulf. and they destroy en-
tire cities in the West Indies in due con-
fornlify with weather bureau predictions.
But a. Seattle ii is different.
What was a diref,l threatening at .
O'clock began to sober down into a few
drops OF rain at 2:3o. At 3 o'clock the sun
was breaking through the mists At
o'clock the sun owned the earth and the
storms Were no more.
Six O'Clock and hftoer. minutes IL the
prophets hour for hearing from the chill
dfen of his provision. At that hour eigh-
teen signal stations report TO him That
he was not going TO have his storm was
as evident at o'clock to Mr.. Salisbury as
it was TO the average citizen. His barome-
ter had begun TO climb upward with the
recession Of the wind and rain. and
prophets OF weather swear by their ha-
forneters- For few moments at about .
O'Clock the little pointer that makes the
red marks on the segmented record sheet
had traced downward. but IT quickly start
ed upward again. And that was The end
Of the hope for the storm
AZ o;l5 O'Clock the reports which came
IL registered a rise In the barometer fn thA
storm incubator AZ the mouth OF the CO.
iumbia; along the Puget sound points the
Signs were the same. The oncoring storm
had turned tail and retreated TO tho north
over The OCEAN. The wind 10 the south
/ had diminished and the unsettled condi-
tens moderated everywhere
There was no storm
Nothing was left FOR the pronhe. TO do
bar 10 gather his signs for the morrow.
Ana OF The signs for the morrow the
f. prophet saith: Windy and rainy. Low
barometer central over the sound No
prospect Tor worse weather than during
tie past twenty-four hours"