The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-25

Port Townsend, Wash, Sept 24.-Con-
corning the recent earthquake along the
coast of Alaska, the Rev. Sheldon Jack
son, educational agent for Alaska,
writes as follows from Yakutat under
date of Sept. II:
THE first shock was experienced on
Sunday, Sept. 5, but being slight caused
no alarm. During the following week
other shocks were felt and people began
TO get nervous. On Sept. 10, at 500
a. m, the shocks became so violent as
TO cause genuine. apprehension. During
the following five hours there were
fifty-two distinct shocks, eliminating
at 3 p. m. in a shock so severe that
people of Yakutat were hurled violent
ly across their rooms, or if outside,
thrown to TIE ground, while pictures
fell from the walls and clocks and dish
es crashed from the shelves and houses
rocked and swayed and whirled, while
the mission bell rang violently in the
Skakine church tower.
"Panic-stricken, the inhabitants re-
gained their feet and attempted to flee
to the hills. only to be again and again
thrown to the earth, which was all the
while creaking and rolling, and run
ming they sought safety. Gaining the
hills and looking seaward, they were
transfixed with horror as they saw a
great tidal wave, apparently a wall of
water thirty feet high, approaching
with the speed OF a race horse, that
would engulf their village and sweep
away their homes.
The Earth Opened.
Before the shore was rea ched the
earth opened in the bottom of the har-
Dor, and into this chaSm the tidal wave
spent its force, and around it the sea
swirled like a 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 sud
den fluctuations being frequently re-
peated, tents were pitched on the hills
back of the village and nearly the whole
population are camping out, fearing
that another tidal wave may come.
From the 10th to the present there have
been frequent shocks, one having oc-
CURED this forenoon.
Near Hubbard glacier, on Disen-
chantment bay, were encamped three
miners, A. F'leuer W.. Rock and ]. w.
johnson, and a mile from them, at an
elevation o. sixty-four feet above the
sea, Messrs. 7. Smith, Cox and son, j.
Falls and d. Stevens. When the heavy
shock of Sunday, the 10th. was expert
enced, the Fleur party had rugged a
machine ana were taxing the OScllld-
lions of the earthquake waves, when,
without moments warning. they were
thrown violently across the tent. AT
the same moment a large fresh water
lake., back of their camp and about
forty feet above ii, was split open and
the waters were thrown upon the camp,
and before the miners could regain
their feet they were being swept out
to sea.
Saved BY Tidal Wave.
There almost at the same instant,
they were met by a tidal wave, which
picked them up and not only washed
them ashore, but over a hill forty feet
high. landing them on the crest of a
divide.
"Regaining their feet they ran along
the crest with the tidal wave boiling
and seething at their feet alongside of
the hill. Afterwards one of the party
found his baggage and clothes one and
,lne-half miles mn on the mountain