Seattle, WA Area Storm, Oct 1934

Many Perish Near Seattle When Storms Sweep Region

Flooded Cities, Damaged Buildings and Death Recorded

Hurricane Subsides

Missing Persons Reported Clinging To Log In Puget Sound

Seattle, Oct. 22.-(AP)-Laid prostrate by an October storm which reached a recorded velocity of 83 miles an hour, western Washington and Oregon counted a storm loss today of at least 16 dead and shipping and property loss in mounting figures.

Today the hurricane-like gales had subsided, but two flooded cities, damaged shipping, wrecked buildings, power and communication line tangles, much fallen timber, debris strewn areas-and the death list-remained.

List of Victims

The known dead:

CAPT. BERNARD THOMAS and four members of the crew of the small purse seiner Agnes, which sank of Port Townsend. The others lost were LEONARD TORGET, LEONARD BERG, ED PETERSON and HOWARD ANDERSON, all of Seattle.

MR. and MRS. CARL CHRISTIANSEN, each 45, of Tacoma. A power line fell on a radio antenna they were repairing.

MR. and MRS. JOHN DYBAL, operators of a fish trap at the mouth of the Skagit River. It was wrecked and their house on the piers went down.

R.M. JOHNSON, of Portland, guest at a Bellingham hotel. He was working on the roof and the edge gave way.

ELMER LEE, 30, Bremerton. A tree wrecked his car, crushing him. His wife and a guest escaped.

CHRIS PAETOW, 25, of Portland. His boat overturned while he was duck hunting.

JUN KOOK TUNG, Chinese, killed when a side of the Alki hotel here collapsed.

JOHN RENO of Seattle and WILDER LARSON, Bellingham, drowned while duck hunting at Stanwood.

An unidentified Averett man, also drowned in the same party.

Other Reported Missing

In addition, Sheriff Faulkner of Everett, in reporting the three drownings, said he was also investigating reports that seven others were missing, four of whom had been sighted clinging to a log in Puget Sound.

Striking with fury shortly after daybreak yesterday afternoon the storm swept over this region all day, subsiding only after nightfall. The 83-mile-an-hour velocity was recorded at the Tacoma municipal airport; a velocity of 70 miles was recorded by government instruments at an airport here, and a 60-mile wind at the downtown weather station.

Ogden Standard Examiner, Ogden, UT 22 Oct 1934

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Northwest Swept By Gale Which Takes Heavy Toll

Sixteen Dead, Seven Are Missing and Damage to Property is High

Western Washington and Oregon Count Loss in Storm at High Figure

Seattle, Oct. 22-(AP)-A roaring gale which blew out of the Southwest at daybreak yesterday, today had left a death toll of at least sixteen and caused unestimated property damage in the Pacific Northwest.

High Velocity Wind

The wind reached a recorded velocity of eighty-three miles an hour at Tacoma, while seventy miles was recorded at Boeing field here.

Clouds scuttled through a dark angry sky while the wind bit and tore at buildings, trees and shipping and intermittent rain lashed the earth.

The gales subsided today but two flooded cities damaged shipping, wrecked building power and communication liens tangled, much fallen timber and death list remained.

Continued