The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-07-05

breaking with appalling suddenness
and almost unprecedented fury, the
most severe storm known on Great Salt
lake within the last quarter Of a cen
tury swept over America s Dead sea
at 6;45 O'Clock Yesterday evening, i'm
periling hundreds of lives. throwing
5000 pleasure-sccl1crs into panic,
flooding the lower floor OF the great
Saltair pavilion, and doing considerable
damage TO property at the resort.
The tempest, which came with al
most the quickness OF bolt from a
thunder cloud, caught the steamer
Irene. laden with n party of ffty-siX,
noarly twenty miles from the resort.
but the boat wcathered the gale and
came safely to the landing. The steam
er Vista, with only the crew on board,
was dragged more than half mile
from her moorings and beached south
west of the pavilion. One of the gsso-
line launches riding at anchor was
swamped and sunk. A hundred or more
of the bathers who were caught uu
awares had TO fight desperately To
reach the piers, and many were saved
only by the most strenuous efforts on
che part OF the attaches,
- Force Of Wind Demonstrated.
Perhaps the best demonstration Of
tho great force of the wind, which it
ss estimated reached velocity of fifty
miles per hour, was the blowing away
of the long walk, built on piers that
extend a distance of 900 yards from
the main portion OF the pavilion to the
bunk houses used by the seventy to
eighty employees. This was picked up
bodily and hurled into the raging lake.
George B. Gordon, cafe waiter, who
was crossing the walk at the time,
clung to the wreckage, and, when near
ly exhausted by the force of the heavy
waves, was rescued and dragged to
shore by Electrician c. II. Spain, who
managed to throw him a rope.
Time Of Terror for Bathers,
Several hundred bathcrs were en- Joy
ing the water Mt the time the storm
broke. Those who knew the lake we'll
and had not yeDtured far out did not
fare badly, as they quickly realized the
danger of the situation. But when 1t
is considered that all was calm only
fifteen minutes before the wind at its
height lashed the surface of the water
into great breakers six feet high; that
the density of the storm cloud cut of
the sunlight, rendering 1T almost utterly
dark, the plight Of the women and chill
dren, aud even the men novices, can
well be understood. Only the most
heroic and prompt work on the part
hD. Il t,it, Il p,,fs
at the bath houses prevented loss Of
life.
Some Marrow Escapes.
Mrs. r. A. Booth, wife Of the fore
man of big Salt Lake shoe company,
perhaps had the closest call. She WAS
a considerable distance from the pier
and was unconscious when rescued. Still
oblivious TO her surroundings. she was
taken to her home, but was reported at
an early hour this (Mondny) morning
rs having rallied and being out of dan
ger.
a husband and wife who eluded all
inquiries as 10 their identity and who
were beyond their depth when the gale
became fierce, were picked up by Err
nest Larson in motor boat. The gaso-
line was too low 10 make headway
against the terrible wind from the west
and they were driven to the shore fully
n half mile from the pavilion, from
which point they faced the heavy pelt-
ing rain, clad only IN their bathing
suits, back to shelter.
Ropes Save Many.
Aside from the work done by the
motor boats. the prompt eXpedient of
throwing ropes TO many bathers who
were beyond their depth proved cfiica
cious. The waters, driven in from the
west by the force Of the wind rose
with alarming rapidity around the piers
to the bath houses and even the most
experienced bathers confessed them.
selves alarmed under the circumstances.
The lake, usually calm and placid, be
comes n vcritable type of the ocean in
a Storm Only the inexperienced tried
TO battle with the salt-saturated waves.
The almost complete darkness added to
the terror Of the bathers, many OF
whom became so panic stricken that
once regaining the pier, without wait
ing to don their everyday garments,
they sought shelter under the dome OF
the big pavilion.
Anxiety for the Irene.
After ali the bathcrs had been ac.
counted for. tho greatest anxiety de
yeloped for the safety Of the Irene,
gasoline launch. which with fifty
six aboard. had left in the morning for
an all-day' trip All kinds Of baseles5