The San Francisco call., 1909-02-08
THUNDERSTORM
MOVES TRACKS
OF RAILROADS
Three Binding Flashes of Light
ming Followed by Hail and
Torrent of Rain
Landslide Buries Twelve Miles
of Southern Pacific Line at
Teiiguas, Near Ventura
Rails at OceanO and ROadbed OF
Cliff House Cars Also
Washed Out

vessel al sea when this great flash
filed the station.
Electrical Storms Rare
several times before in my expert
ence / have received electrical shocks
Of greater or less severity. but never
one that had the effect this lightning
fash did. The scars that I have TO
show for my experience with lightning
are peculiarly adapted TO make me re-
member this adventure
1T is rare that such an experience
is had. In the west, along the coast,
electrical storms are rare. We have
not been prepared for them In the
east we have adequate apparatus TO
protect the appliances. The mast and
the wires acted as a lightning rod and
I got the full benefit. I am thankful
that I was not Killed"
Railroad Tracks Damaged
Three binding flashes of lightning
followed by as many peals of thunder
startled the residents OF coast cities
from Red Bluff to Santa Barbara shortly
after 5 o'clock yesterday morning. A
heavy hailstorm lasting 10 minutes
came next and was in turn followed by
a torrent Of rain which did great
deal of damage TO the railroad tracks
along the coast
TRACK BURNED IN POLE
At Burlingame a fash Of lightning
struck the 125 foot ffagpole at ST. Mat
thews military academy, burning
spiral track an inch deep from the
ornamental ball at the top.
At Te5iguas, near Ventura. a land
slide buried more than L miles Of the
Southern Pacific track and delayed all
trains from s TO u hours. Train %.
due in this city at o'clock yesterday
afternoon. did not arrive until nearly
midnight.
AT Oceano, between Santa Barbara
and San Luis Obispo, zoo feet Of track
was washed out.
LANDS END ROADBED SLIDES
On the Cliff House line Of the United
Railroads near Lands End. the road
bed slipped several inches and de-
layed traffic for several hours while a
gang Of workmen repaired the founda-
tons under the rails. The massive
rock at Lands End has been slowly
slipping into the sea for many years.
400 feet having been recorded as lost
since 1890.
A rainfall Of three inches has been
recorded in the last SO hours in the
region around Los Angeles, while the
total IN San Francisco in the same
period has been but So Of an inch
A heavy fall Of snow is reported in
the Sierra Nevadas.
Bridges Carried AWAY
Los ANGELES, Feb. Railroad
.~aa5fs. 9-,ases carried. carried away, train service
abandoned on some lines and rnenv-
streets Hooded have resulted from a
ooWnpour that continued intermfttent1v
Tor two DAYS. Nearly two inches of
ram Tell Saturday afternoon. Saturday
lght and today. but tonight the sky
c.eareo and apparently the storm has
passed eastward.
A bridge over the salt Lake raflroad,s
branch TO Pasadena collapsed this
afternoon Just after a train had passed
over. The bridge began TO sag he
neath The engine and the fireman
Jumped. The engineer. however. STAYED
AT ms post, increased the speed and
pulled the train to safety as the bridge
tumbled into the stream
An outbound overland train on tbe
santa Fe was tagged Just in time IA
prevent ITS plunging into a weakened
pIldge. across branch of the Arroyo
river. The westbound Ca1ifornfs 1irn-
fted, heavily laden with tourists We 9
Tagged between Los Angeles and Pasa-
dena
While crowd of passengers from
the Santa Fe trains were standino-
about the bridge floating timbers hrolre
2 pole Of the Pacific light and mower
company and high power wires. carry
ing 10000 volts fell. sending the by-
ISLANDERS rushing to a place of safety
The Pacific electric companv's bridoe
over the Arroyo was damaged ana
streetcar traffic between Los Angeles
and Pasadena was delayed. A hip
stream of water Is rushing down +be
Arroyo and all transporta ton COM
panies have large forces of men ont
watching bridges and culverts.
WashOuts at Arroyo Grande
ARROYO GRANDE, Feb. Thu
worst storm Of the season TODAY
caused washouts on the broad and
narrow gauge railways Traffic is sps~
pended, only the new bridge in Arrovo
Granoe standing intact The county
roads in ali directions are almost i'm
passable. Immense damage had been
done TO land bordering the creek AT
Oceano. and the lower end of the valle,r
is submerged. The southbound trains
are held there.