The Sudden Tidal Surge at Tatoosh Island
A quiet visit to the lighthouse boat house turns into a desperate struggle for survival against the Pacific.
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.
From Captain Gilbert of the Winch-hell, who gives Captain Floyd of the Tatoosh Lighthouse as his authority, we learn that a tidal wave reached Tatoosh Island on Thursday, the 8th inst. It seems that Mr. Martin, who had gone down to the boat house, was overtaken and nearly drowned before he could save himself. He called for Captain Sampson and others to come down and help to get the boat (a valuable one, belonging to the lighthouse) safe, as the water was in the boat house. While they were endeavoring to secure it in some manner, they were warped by a large wave standing on the bank. Boat, rigging, some lumber, and a large canoe were washed out to sea and lost.
“Boat, rigging, some lumber, and a large canoe were washed out to sea and lost.”
Coastal flooding and 'rogue waves' remain a constant, unpredictable threat to Pacific Northwest maritime infrastructure. While modern forecasting provides more warning than in 1877, the raw power of the Pacific Ocean hitting the rugged shores of Washington remains as unforgiving today as it was for the crew at Tatoosh.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.