Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-09-25
TRANSFlxED WITH HORROR
Terror o. klaskans at Earthquakes and Tidal
Waves.


Port Townsend. Wash. Sept. g.
Concerning the recent earthquake
along the coast VI Alaska. Hoy. sheldon
Jackson, educational agent FOR Alaska,
writes as follows from Yukutat under
date % September 18th!
The nrHt shock was experienced on
sunday. September 3rd, but being
slight caused no alarm. During the
following week other shocks wcrv felt
September 10Th. at $3.50 "a. M o. the
shocks became 50 violent ~ to cause
genuine apprehension. During the fol-
lowing i've hours there werc nfty-twO
distinct shocks eliminating at .. m
Ia shock 90 severe that people ~
Yakutat were hurled Violently across
their rooms, or " outside thrown TO
the ground while pictures fell from the
walls and clocks ana dishes crashed
from tie shelves nnd houses rocked
and bwAycd and whirlod. while the
mission bell rang Violently In the Ska
Tine church tower.
"Pnnlc-strickon. the inhabitants re-
gained their feet ana attempted 90 ilrc
to the hills. only 60 be again ana again
thrown 60 the earth, Gaining the hills
ana looking seward they were trans
liked with horror as they saw "A great
tidui wave, apparently wall % water,
thuty feet hlgh, approaching with the
speed Of a rucUhorHc that would cnHulf
their village ana sweep away their
homes.
Before the shore was reached the
earth opened In the bottom of tho har-
Dor and into this chnHm the tidal wave
spent IT, force, and around {. 90. fnn
HWiricd like "a great muolstrum. This
saved the village from destruction.
tine tide would rise ten feet Ia the
space Of four or nve minutes. and In an
equally short time go down again,
These sudden fluctuations being frp-
qucntly repeated, tents were pitched ON
the hills back OF the village. and near
~ the whole population are camping
out, fearing that another tidal wave
may come. From the 10th 10 the pres
ont there have been frequent shocks.
one having occurred this forenoon.
Near Hubbard glacier. ON biscn-
chantmCnt bay, were cnmped three
miners. a, Fieur, w, Rock and J, W.
Johnson, and mile from them. az an
elevation OF HSty.four feet above the
j. Falls ana ID. stevens. when the
heavy shocks Of sunday. the 10Th. was
experienced. the Fleur party had rugged
machine and were marking the os-
citations OF the earthquake waves.
when without a moments warning
they were thrown violently across the
tent.
AT the same moment a large fresh
water lake back uf their camp and
about forty feet above Il was split open
ana the waters were thrown upon the
camp, ana before the miners could re-
gain their feet they were being carried
out TO sea. There, almost at the same In.
slant. they were mot by tidal wave
which picked them up and washed
them not only ashore, but over a hill
forty feet high, landing them on the
crest of "a divide.
"RcgaininF their feet they ran along
the crest with the tidal wave boiling
aud rcething al their feet alongside OF
the hill. Aftcrward one Of the party
found his bnggage and clothes one and
one-hnlf miles up ON a mountain side,
whory the waves had left them. Great
spruce forests for miles along the shore
were uprootcd. broken into pieces and
masscd IN great piles with a roar that
was deafeninE. Large rocks, weighing
forty tons or more, were rolling over
one another down the mountain side
like so many pebbles,
Hubbard glacier, with ita two aud a
half miles OF sea front, thousands "
feet thick. extending for miles back to
the summit OF the mountains, broke
from It's mooringn and with grinding.
Undesirable roar that shook the sur
rounding hills, moved bodily from half
Mountains were thrown down, seas
opened, ana portions OF Islands disap-
pearcd. The earth opened In many
places, after the great shock had
passed, ana the miners commenced
preparations TO set away. a boat with
oars was found mile up the noun
tain'a side, where Il had been carried
by the wave with this another boat
was secured that was floating In the
bay.
I'm these two small boats they start
ed for Yahutnt bay forty-nve miles
away. The frHt night they made camp
on large mornine one and a half
miles from the mountain. but an earth
quake during the night loosened a
landslide that covered not only the
one and half miles Of plains but also
their tent, Digging out the tent and
provisions, they again took TO their
boats,
ION the second night theyc were ter
rihod by strange noises that issued
| from the earth. and their tent was
blown 20 ahrods by tho strange winds
that seemed TO blow from every point
Of the compass, and clouds pouring
/ down torrents OF water, they ned 10
their boats,
'Foroing their boats for twelve
miles through fields OF fresh forming
/ Ice and thirteen miles OF rough sea,
they at length reached Nakutat bay In
| safety.
"Rumors are anoat that portion Of
/ Cape ST. Elias and khantnnk island
| have disappeared In the sea, Without
| Doubt, when scientific exploration Of
| the Mount 81. Elias region II had, then
| will be found many physical changes,
II aaaN a.