350 L. MARTIN ^ALASKAN EARTHQUAKES OF 1899 



At Skagway, 160 miles east of Yakutat, the shock of September 3 

 caused buildings and telephone poles to rock from north to south for 

 3% minutes/"^ at 3.17 p. m. Pools of water sloshed about in the streets 

 and beer splashed out of vats in the brewery. The shock lasted long 

 enough for F. S. Williams, the deputy collector of customs, to run from 

 the second floor to the street and wait for the shocks to end. It made 

 people stumble while walking and cracked the putty around large plate- 

 glass windows. A small water-wave was reported in Lynn Canal. 



Klondike Trail. — At Whitehorse, 170 miles northeast of Yakutat, in 

 Yukon Territory, Mr. G. S. Fleming, the government telegrapher, felt a 

 slight shock at 3 p. m., lasting 30 or 40 seconds. His dog crouched in 

 terror at the beginning of the tremor and ran home whining. 



At Tantalus (Carmacks), a station of the Royal Northwest Mounted 

 Police, 190 miles northeast of Yakutat, the post diary records that a 

 slight shock of earthquake was felt during the afternoon. 



At many other points on the trail to the Klondike district this shock 

 was also observed.^^ 



Canadian Coast Range. — In the Surprise Lake district, about 240 

 miles east of Yakutat, John Bimms experienced violent earth tremblings 

 on September 3.^® Dust from distant mountains suggested smoking 

 volcanoes, but may have been due to avalanches. After-shocks occurred 

 occasionally until September 7. 



Pacific Ocean ivest of Yahutat. — Three different vessels report severe 

 storms or other exceptional conditions at sea west of Yakutat, near 

 Kodiak, etcetera, on September 3. The newspapers suggest a connection 

 between the earthquake and the storms. ^^ There seems no good reason 

 for such association, as no evidences of the earthquakes were observed on 

 these vessels. 



YaJcataga and, Controller Bay. — At Yakataga, 100 miles west of Yaku- 

 tat, S. E. Doverspike, a prospector, states that treetops snapped and 

 earth-waves were felt, the ocean beach was raised three feet, and there 

 were 48 shocks during the ensuing six hours. Captain Durkee, of the 

 schooner Bellingham, which was anchored off Yakataga, says the first 

 shock was heavy and continued by shocks every ten to fifteen minutes; 

 avalanches were seen ; a current ran offshore at the rate of 3 or 4 miles 



1* San Francisco Chronicle, September 10, 1899 ; Seattle Weekly Times, September 27, 

 1899 ; New York Tribune, September 12, 1899 ; Chicago Tribune, September 12, 1899. 



1=5 New York Daily Tribune, September 12, 1899 ; Chicago Daily Tribune, September 

 1?. 1809. 



i« San Francisco Chronicle, October 5, 1899. 



" New York Evening Post, September 26, 1899 ; Seattle Weekly Times, October 4, 

 18^^. 



