Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-12
SMOKE SEEN ON MT. BAKER
Volcanic Mountain in Washington
May Have Fired Up.
CABLE TO ALASKA IS BROKEN
High Buildings Rocked in Seattle,
Tacoma, Bellingham and Van
couver-Forts Badly Shaken.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
SEATTLE. January 12.-With force suf-
f1cient to rock the largest buildings and
to throw the people into state Of panic,
Washington and British Columbia were
yesterday afternoon visited by earth
tremors. No fatalities are reported, but
one shock has been sufficient to stir even
the most conservative to a high pitch of
excitement.
The tremors were felt noticeably in Sc
attic, Port Townsend, Vancouver. Sunlas.
Tacoma and Bellingham. They were first
felt at 3:4 clock and lasted from seven to
| thirty seconds Remembering the horrors
of the San Francisco disaster and the
more recent Italian earthquake. the people
dashed from houses, Offices. buildings and
stores, seeking safety in the open streets.
But one shock was felt.
At Bellingham the shock was so severe,
however. that brick buildings were SO
badly shaken that plaster fell to the floor
People ran into the streets and hurrfediy
sought the open country.
San Juan Islands Shaken.
Reports from the San Juan Islands state
| that the shock was severe there.
| At Port Stanley, Lopez. Eastsound,
Olga and other places buildings were
damaged to, considerable extent. No
casualties are reported.
| In Port Townsend. where water pipes
! had been frozen. the earthquake broke
| the mains and flooded the houses. For a
time it was feared the city's entire water
supply would be shut off. so great was
the damage being done.
Officers at Fort Worden state the in
vestigation so far made shows no appar'
ent damage to the fortihcation was
caused. although both Fort Worden ano
Fort Flagler were badly shaken
Alaska Gable Broken.
The Signal Corps officers report the part
| ing of the Alaska cable several hours
| previous to the shock here. Investigation
| will be made to ascertain if there was
any connection between the circumstances
| 1t Is reported that Immediately after the
| shock smoke was seen rising from Mount
Baker. supposedly extinct volcano.
At Blaine several buildings were slight
ly damaged by the tremble. Reports show
| that the force of the shock extended over
an area Of at least fifty miles square. and
In several places two distinct shocks. sep
arated by more than a minute, were felt
Mountains Of Volcanic Origin.
There may be an outbreak of volcanic
activity along the northern Pacific coast
at almost any time but it is hardly
looked for by scientists. Shasta. Rainier
Mount Hood, Mount Baker and all of the
other noted peaks in that region are oi
valcanic origin. but there have been nc
| outbreaks of any moment in the memory
| of the white settlers. The Indians have
a tradition that Mount Shasta has smoked
in times past, but the officials OF the bu-
reau of ethnology admit that Indian ira
| ditions are, as a rule, unreliable.
| Mount Hood Is one of the peaks that
| has smoked within recent years. and
| one of the field parties of the geological
| survey got some pictures of it while
smoke was coming from the fissures ir
the rocks. Further up, in Alaska, there
are some fairly active volcanoes. and a
| whole island was destroyed there about
| two seasons back between the close and
! the opening of navigation.
| The reported disturbance around Noun,
Baker may possibly be followed by
greater activity either there or elsewhere
in the region, but 1t is not thought that
| there is any fear of the Pacific coast de-
| veloping a second Pompeii. or being any
such menace to the surrounding region
as the volcanic peaks bordering the grea,
area of disturbance on the Mediterranean