The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-10-22
DAMAGE IS HEAVY
ALL OVER The CITY
Thousands of Trees Are
Blown Down and
Ruined.
CITIZENS PASS THROUGH
A NIGHT OF TERROR
Telephone and Electric System
Frustrated, and City
Is Isolated.

1.-The most destructive ard danger
Gus wind in the history Of Salt Lake ~
This is the designation given by pion-
eer citizens to the great storm Of Sat
urday night and Sunday, and no ono
who attempted to battle against the
force Of its elemental fury will be IN
cllned TO dispute that statement.
Everywhere throughout the city the
damage is great, in many cases OF a
nature not to be easily or quickly estl-,
mated. Morning dawned, gloomy and
qray. with the tempest still raging
fiercely, yet not so intense In It's steady
violence as it was during the hours
from to ) clock when the wind
reached velocity of 90 miles an hour.
Men, women and children, who had
lain awake all night IN terror Of the
immediate destruction Of their homes,
looked out as daylight came upon
scene of indescribable ruin and devas-
tation. Hundreds of the largest and
finest of the beautiful trees that line
the broad streets had been uprootcd
bodily, or splintered by the force of
the tempest. Numerous houses were I'M
rooted, scores Of barns torn into kindl-
ing wood few wooden fences were lett
standing. ornamental shrubbery was
practically annihilated, the wires of the
telephone and electric system were
complete wreck
Caught in the Storm.
To realize lust how awful was the
force with which the demon of the
wind made sport Of the ordinarily
stable structures, one must have fought
II personally, as many Of the night
shift Of the city's newspaper men
did, as they made their way to their
homes after night OF work that kept
one in suspense because of the con
cln pT lpnt
and power.
Two of these night laborers started
10 their homes on the East side few
minutes past clock Sunday morning.
While not then at It's very worst, the
wind had a velocity approxlmaung 10
miles per hour The streets were de-
serted, save for a muifled-up policeman,
now and then to be seen sheltered III
some darkeped stairway.
It was difficult to say where was the
safest place to walk; no place was safe,
some might be considered less danger
Gus than others. On the sidewalk one
had to dodge, in the business portion
of the city, flying signs, torn from Their
moorings by the terrible force of the
wind. bits of plate glass windows
smashed to bits with crash like the
rattle of musketry and run the risk
of being struck down by a falling brick
or stone driven from the top OF four
story structure by the tempest tnat
would have crushed one s skull like an
egg shell.
Danger Everywhere.
Then out in the middle OF the street
there were other dangers that were
even greater to life, for there were elec"
trio light and trolley wires that were
momentarily breaking under the strain,
charged with the fluid that would have
instantly killed any person with whom
it came in contact.
Then turning down State street tho
night men who were struggling 10 get
home that their wives might not he
kept in suspense, were met by
a shower OF sand, gravel rocks
blinded even an auto driver with the
heaviest of helmets and goggles. In
the language of the noted Happy" it
was "sumpin fierce. The pedestrians
skurried from side TO side Of the street,
trying in vain to preserve their normal
gait. Not even rounder with the
most elaborate of ".iags" could have
required AS much Of tho street in which
10 navigate rs did these sclibes.
Four.Horse Team RIMS Away,
Passing the Knutsford hotel came
cry OF 'FLooSout from behind, aud
down the street dashed at top speed a
frightened into frenzy by. the. furious
battle of the elements gud the rattle
and crash of falling sgns and walls.
Going east on Eonrth South street,
you reach the tree-Iiued portion of the
thoroughfare. The newspaper men had
veered up rather close 10 the sidewalk,
seeking the slight shelter Of the dense
foliage, when suddenly half dozen
trees fell with a crash on both sides
OF them. Then pcltcd by flying
branches they tool; to the middle of
the street once more, rrctcrring to
take their chances with n ''live' wire,
n Street Lights Are Out,
The arc lights went out, all, electric
po~er being cut off, and for the re-
nalhder of the mile and q half jour
1eF nome it was truly Il battle in the
deepest of darkness. You fought the
tempest as best YOU could and took
your chances on being struck down by
lalhng tree or flying branch. Your
eyes were blinded both by the terrific
5aofce OF the storm and the clouds of