Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1912-10-22
TELEPHONE WIRES, SHADE AND
FRUIT TREES SUFFER AS
RESULT OF BIG BLOW
LAST FRIDAY.
COUNTRY TELEPHONES HURT
Wind Plays Havoc With Outside
Lines; 40 Phones in Dallas Out of
Commission For Time Being; I'm
Drccedented Wind Smashes Win
dOws and Signs

Sweeping up the oregon coast
from the South leaving devastation
and ruin in it's wake, hurricane. of
unusual violence for Oregon, struck
this vicinity about o'clock on Friday
night and prevailed with more or
less intensity until early Saturday
morning when it blew itself out 1t
is estimated that the wind attained
a velocity of fully 40 miles an hour
throughout. the Willamette valley and
at times the blow was even greater.
Saturday morning found much dam
age as the result of the storm which
was accompanied by a heavy down.
pour. Telephone lines were down,
shade trees were broken and many
apple trees injured owing to the
breaking of the branches loaded with
fruit In Dallas the damage was
mostly confined to telephone wires,
Manager Sundberg stating that 40
phones were rendered useless for the
time owing to the branches of shade
trees blowing across the wires and
grounding them. Early Saturday
morning the work of placing the
lines in condition was undertaken
and by night it had been accomplish
ed.
Electric Lines Down.
At the office of the oregon Power
company it was reported that the
company had escaped with but little
damage in Dallas and independence
and Monmouth, although at the lat
ter place one of the service wires was
put out of commission.
The gale howled through the
streets of the city with great force all
during the night and several broken
windows are the result. The window
of the Fair Store, corner of Main
and Oak streets, was smashed and
loose awnings in different parts of
the city We're torn to shreds. Shade
trees were denuded of many branches
and the sidewalks were covered with
lilrcr of broken twigs and other
stuff carried there by the wind. On"
cr the ;. ass globes i'll the sLra,'t lamp
cost In front of Herzog's store was
irulxen ard several signs showed the
effects of the blow. Several shade
trees in different parts of the .city
were uprooted, but no great damage
was done here.
Country Lines Frustrated.
Country telephone lines suffered
the most as a result of the storm. In
all directions poles are down and in
the timbered districts the wires were
broken by falling trees and limbs
which were hurtled through the air
with great force. Considerable dam
age has been done to some of the or
chards where heavily loaded trees
broke under the strain of the loaded
limbs coupled with the fierce on
slaught of the wind. Although the
work of repair has been steadily un-
der way since the storm, it is stated
that it will be several days before
full communications with all the
country districts will be restored.
Worse i'm Other Sections.
While the storm was unprecedent-
ed in Dallas and immediate vicinity,
other sections of the valley suffered
TO a greater extent, according to re-
ports In Salem considerable damage
was reported and from oregon City
comes the report that the electric
lighting system was put out of COM
mission for several hours. In Port
land. too, the full force of the gale
was felt and several wooden
buildings were blown down and much
other damage resulted.
While the gale was raging inland
it appears to have been much more
formidable along the coast where re-
ports indicate that shipping suffered
severely. Several vessels in distress
have been reported off the oregon
coast but. in every instance wireless
summoned help and IL is not believed
that any loss of life will result Storm
warnings displayed early Friday
morning from Marshfield north were
needed by shipping men else havoc
might have been much greater.
Ample warning of the approach Of
the storm was given as the barometer
began falling rapidly early Friday
and by six O'Clock registered but
few points over 29:26.
Tree Pals on Cabin.
Eugene Bider was seriously injured
at Black Rock when a shack in which
he aud several others were sleeping
was crushed beneath a falling tree
during the height Of the storm. The
other occupants Of the cabin escaped
unharmed but Bider was 50 badly in
5ured that he was brought to the hos
pital on Saturday where his injuries
were attended 20. He Is improving
rapidly and will soon be able to leave
the hospital
Roads Blocked With Trces-
It is stated that many Of the roads
through the timbered sections Of the
county ara blocked with fallen trees.
tut the work Of clearing them has
been rushed and il IS believed that
practically all Of the ohstructiOns 20
travel have now been removed