The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-23
THE LATE ALASKAN EARTHQUAKE.
A Display of Seismic Power the
World Has Seldom Seen,
From the Scientific American

From the Scientific American
For weeks preceding the violent valcanic
eruption in the Island of Hawaii. severe
admonitory earthquakes were felt all along
the western shore of the North American
continent from the Isthmus of Panama to
Puget sound Along the coast of Califor-
MIA numerous shocks of uncommon sever
lty occurred and continued until the out-
break of Mauna Loa on the morning of
july last, when they appeared to sub-
side The quietness was only temporary.
however, though the scene of disturbance
was transferred from equatorial to Arctic
attitudes. Alaska was the theater for a
display of seismic power such as the world
mas seldom witnessed, which, had it hap
pened In regions less remote or had been
populated by others than a few scattered
bands OF aborigines, would have been a
catastrophe at which the world would
nave grown pale at the bare recital For
tunately the dreadful upheaval had wit
nesses among white men, and what would
nave been an incident of horror to be pre-
served among the traditions of a few ter
ror-stricken Indians was carefully OBJ
served by men whose probity places their
recital beyond the suspicion of a doubt
The effects of the shocks were noticed far
at sea by navigators from which the
enormous extent of the disturbances can
be easily calculated
The Puget sound country was coincident-
ly shaken, and from all accounts it would
appear that with Mount ST. Elias as a
center the region affected by the shocks
was fully 1900 miles in diameter The
effect has been to permanently change the
contour of portions of the Alaska coast
Many wei known islands have been swal-
lowed up and others risen in their places
Landmarks well defined and known to
n ST
peared, and every glacier from Juneau
and vicinity, including all those known to
tourists in Glacier bay and elsewhere
have suffered mut,lation, which DESTROYED
their wondrous beauty and leveed their
mighty 1amparts for thousands of feet
back from the sea. In the Northwest ter
ritory Volcanoes are reported to have been
seen in ranges where they were never be
fore observed. Puget sound was violently
shaken, and in the distant islands of the
Alaska archipelago severe earthquake
shocks excited intense alarm. Along the
coast near Mount ST. Elias the upheaval
was accompanied by huge and devastat-
ing waterspouts, while enormous tidal
waves rushed in from the sea with over
whelming power. Great rocks fell from
the sides of the mountains and crashed
into the valleys below. The earth moved
with the awful velocity and undulation
of the waves of the sea. shaking noun
huge forests that covered their slopes
The date OF the earthquake was Sep
TENDER 10, though warning shocks, had
been felt for some time previous. Three
white men were prospecting on the shores
of Disenchantment bay, which lies at the
foot Of Mount st. Elias and contains the
great Hubbard glacier which has been
observed only by scientists and explorers,
lying as It does, far beyond the route Of
tourists and about 30 miles west of Yaku-
tat bay. The prospectors were camped
on a ridge separating a large freshly water
lake from the ocean. violent shock
threw down the obstruction. and the
great food from the lake swept down the
bank, carrying the three men along with
It. Concurrenfly, a great tidal wave swept
into the bay, which washed the men back
again and left them high and dry upon
the side Of "A mountain.
They describe the oscillation OF the
earth as terrific, and were witnesses to
the destruction Of the whole front Of
Hubbard glacier with it's face Of solid
ice extending several hundred feet above
the tide. For a mile from the sea the gla-
cier was fractured and thrown in the
bay. The men fed 10 Yakutat bay, 50
miles distant and reached that point az
ter journey beset with peril. At Yaku-
tat bay, Rev. Sheldon Jackson, educa-
tional superintendent Of Alaska, happen
ed to be visiting. lie graphically describes