The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-10-04
SHOCKS
Recent Earthquakes in
Alaska.
Great Spruce Forests Uprooted for
Moved Half a Mile.

along the coast of Alaska, the Rev. s
Sheldon Jackson. United States Edu-
cational Agent for Alaska. writes as
follows from Yakutat under date of ,
September II:
The first shock was experienced on ,
Sunday, September 3, but, being slight,
caused no alarm. During the follow
ing week other shocks were felt. and
people began to get nervous. On Sep
TENDER 10, at 9:20 a. m, the shocks be-
came so violent as TO cause genuine ap-
prehension. During the following five
hours there were fifty-two distinct
shocks. eliminating at p. m. in a
shock so severe that the people of va
| kutat were hurled violently across their
rooms, or. If outside, thrown to the
ground. while pictures fell from the
walls and clocks and dishes crashed |
| from the shelves and houses rocked |
and swayed and whirled, while the
mission bell rang violently in the Ska
kline Church tower.
| "Panic-Stricken, the inhabitants re- |
| gained their feet and attempted to flee
to the hills, only to be again thrown
| to the earth, all the while creaking.
Rolling and running they sought safe
ty. Gaining the hills and looking sea-
ward, they were transfixed with hor-
ror as they saw a great tidal wave. APP
parently wall of water thirty feet
high. approaching with the speed
of a race horse, that would engulf their
village and sweep away their homes.
Before the shore was reached the earth
opened in the bottom OF the harbor.
and into this chasm the tidal wave
spent its force. and around IL the sea
swirled like n great maelstrom. This
saved the village from destruction.
The tide would rise ten feet in the
space of four or five minutes and in an
| equally short time go down again.
These sudden fluctuations being fire.
quently repeated, tents were pitched
on the hills back of the village and
nearly the whole population are camp
ing out, fearing that another tidal
r wave may come. From the 10th to the
l present there have been frequent
i shocks. one having occurred this fore
noon.
Near Hubbard glacier. on Olsen
chantment bay. were encamped three
miners. A. Fleuer. w. Rock and J. w
Johnson, and mile from them. at m
elevation of siXty-four feet above the
' sea, Messrs. +. Smith. Cox & Son. J
l Falls and ID. Stevens. When the hea,
Wy shock of Sunday. the 10th. was ex.
perienced, the Fleuer party had rugged
a machine and were taking the oscilla
~ | rinnc nf na,..h 10 Nh
~ without a moments warning. the!
were thrown violently across the tent
At the same moment a. large fresh
4, water lake back of their camp anC
= about forty feet above il was spill
open and the waters were thrown upoI
the camp, and before the miners coulC
regain their feet they were bein.
swept out to sea.
There, almost at the same instan
n they were met by a tidal wave, which
picked them up, and not only washe'
! them ashore, but over a hill forty fee
high, landing them on the crest of a di
vide. Regaining their feet they RAJ
along the crest with the tidal wav
boiling and seething at their feet alon
side of the hill. Afterward one OF tn
party found his baggage and clothe
one and one-half miles up on noun
tain side where the wave had lei
them.
Great spruce forests for miles alon
the shore were uprooted. broken int
pieces and massed into great piles wit
a roar that was deafening. Large rock
weighing forty tons or more were roll
ing over one another down the noun
tain like so many pebbles. Huobar
glacier, with its two and a half mile
of sea front, thousands OF feet thicl
extending four miles back to the sun
NIT of the mountain, broke from II
moorings and with a grinding ind'
scribable roar that shook the su
rounding hills moved bodily from ha
to three-quarters OF a mile into u
sea- Mountains were thrown dow
81. the sea opened and portions OF island
- disappeared.
"The earth opened in many plac
M after the great shock had passed al
miners began to arrange to get ava
A boat with oars was found mile
the mountain side. where II had bee
carried by the wave. With TINS anoth
boat was secured that was hoating
81 the bay. In these two small boats th'
4 started for Yakutat bay. forty-n
az miles away. The first night they ma
n. camp on q large moraine, one ana
half miles from the mountain, out
earthquake during the night loosen
a landslide that covered not only =
one and half miles % plains. put al
their tent. Digging out the tent n
- provisions, they took to their poa
On the second night they were term
by strange noises that issued from I
earth and their tent was blown
shreds by the strange winds IN
Tx seemed TO blow from every point
Is, the compass. and as the clouds we
EW mourning down torrents OF water. tn
RS f,ed 70 their boats. Forcing their boa
ED for twelve miles through fields OF fire
ED forming ice and thirteen miles OF rou
sea. they at length reached fakutat
safety.
D. "Rumors are afioat that a portion
Cane St Elias and Khantaak lsla
hove disappeared in the sen. Witho