St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1898-01-29
THE TAkoU or ALASKA.
A Storm Worse Than q Dlaxxnrd, Cy
clone and Typfo0n Combined.

THE TAkoU OF ALASKA
A Storm Worse Than a niaxxnrd, Cy-
clone and TyDhoon Combined.
A new kind Of storm has come out of
Alaskan regions to increase the hard
ships OF the lives of gold hunters. It is
called locally "takou," and, according
to the stories of those who have just
come down from Juneau, it Is neither o
cyclone nor typhoon nor blizzard
nor even an area OF high pressure. They
say that tits as bad as all Of tlese rolled
into one and then multiplied by itself
as long as 1t lasts. The takeu always
blows from the mountains into the seq.
and the cold, high destructive wind lasts
half an hour or longer.
The coming Of o recent takou was
heralded by wild, screeehing, crash
ing tumult from the. mountain forests.
Then the storm burst on the ambitious
but ,infantile cities along TIE, coast. and
tents were torn from the ground and
they We're 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. . s.a
The takou seemed to grow worse as
It how1ed its way on into the channel
and was at Its greatest force about mid
day when 1t struck the Detroit steaming
from Dyea to Juneau, The Detroit was
well filled with passengers, a number OF
whom had just made their way with
great hardship out OF the Yukon gold
fields. The talxou blew Its breath
against the Detroit, and the little craft
tipped over on its side. Then 1t righted
in time to receive the full force Of the
storm, which tossed the boat about like
toy. The engines worked without
effect, and the officers and crew were
| powerless. The passengers rushed
about with white faces, some praying,
some raying 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, and
splashed 1t down again, and finally, Of
/ II tired of the plaything, dashed 1t higf
/ and dry on the beach on the lower end Of
| Douglas island, SO feet beyond tht
highest water mark. And there The
i boat still lies, while the owner wonders
i IL he shall have to wait for another
/ takou to get it down into the watel
again.
When the tempest reached juneau j
was still travelling seward with We
4 locity Of nearly IS miles an hour. i
d was loaded with dust and the spray o
4 the sea, and combination of the tw'
Il in the form of mud, and It carried grave
4 and the branches of trees in assortet
sizes and pelted people who didn't ru1
asfor, cover with hailstones as large q
pigeons eggs. There is hardly hous Y.
Il s,sat ~ ttss 81 nr1n,s bombardmenf tn
steamer Topeka was docked at the Pa
|, cific mail Wharf with five stout cable
out. The ship quiyered on instant "
!. der the blast. and then the five cable
parted as Il they had been as man
strands OF sewing silk, and the bi
|, steamship started of at headlong spees
: The two anchors were hurried
/ dropped, but the boat was hurried alon
: by the tempest at such a rate that Sd
{ was driven half way across the harbo
|. d distance OF about two miles, befoi
: the anchors took hold. Her rrnnin
r gear was disarranged, part of her uppt
works were stove In, and one of hss
d | boats was smashed. AS yet no fataliti'
I have been reported, although nurnb'
d OF people received injuries. 81.
{ The talcou is well-known to old res
i dents OF the. extreme north. and /
/ every one Of them IL is more dread'
). than is the blizzard by the people
!. Dakota and Nebraska, but 1t is o loi
time since one has ragged as lar south
It .T,.neau.- Chicago Inter Ocean.