Mountain Gives Way on Lake Whatcom
A landslide in the middle of the night destroys a picturesque farm and leaves its owners fighting for their lives in the frigid lake water.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
WHATCOM, Nov. 19.—A frightful landslide occurred on the mountain north of Lake Whatcom, opposite Reveille Island, yesterday morning at 2 o'clock, resulting in the serious injury of Mr. and Mrs. Warren Burgess and the destruction of their house and farm. The ranch was situated on the side and base of the mountain, the dwelling having been built on a small ledge on the edge of the lake at the outlet of a small creek. At 2 a.m., a tremendous roar was heard, and Burgess and his wife, who were in bed, found themselves struggling in the water. Many acres had slid from the side of the mountain, and all the improvements, the house, garden, and much of the standing timber, had been pushed into the lake. The couple managed to reach shore and were picked up shortly after by the steamer Thistle, bruised and alive. Burgess is in the hospital, terribly injured with a compound fracture of the leg and internal injuries. The place is a cove, and the lake is full of debris from the slide. The accident occurred during a heavy storm.
“At 2 a. m. today a tremendous roar was heard and Burgess and wife, who were in bed, found themselves struggling in the water.”
Landslides remain a persistent and dangerous reality in the Pacific Northwest, particularly during the wet season. The geography of the region—steep hillsides meeting water—frequently tests the limits of residential development in ways that have not changed since 1892.
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