The Californian Earthquake. EXCITING EXPERIENCES.

Evening Post, Volume XLIII, Issue 134, 8 June 1892, Page 4

The Californian Earthquake. EXCITING EXPERIENCES.

dollars. Tho firefl at ono time throatoned to entirely destroy tho town. Thore were scvoval narrow escapes from death. Three men wero buried among tho ruins of shop 1 ?, two being badly injured. Many people thought the end of time had arrived, and in the largo hotels and boardinghou<<cß pandomonium reigned for a time. At Woodland great damage was done in all directions, tho shock being the most severe ever felt in that portion of the State. It was a series of intermittent vibrations— at first almost north and south, and changing frequently from east to west, producing a sort of circular sensation. Tho town of Winters looked as if a cyclone had struck it, hardly a brick or stone building escaping injury, and many being wrecked. The loss was estimated at from 50,000 to 60,000 dols. At a great many other smaller centres tho earthquako was more or less severely felt, and in somo places chasms wero rent in the earth. In San Francisco the shako did not do much injury, the principal items being the throwing down of an old wall and a damaged milkman. The wall was part of an old building which was in process of being pnllod down by workmen. It had had a queer history, starting as a church, thon becoming an Academy of Sciences, and whon tho earthquake camo along it was being demolished to make room for a concert and boor hall. Tho people who thought tho earthquake was duo to tho desecration of the ex-church must have had hard work to fit thoir theory into tho milkman's case. The latter was delivering milk when tho door made a jump at him, and thon dodged bnuk as ho tried to catch it A cage containing a parrot then fell down, and hit him in the eye, cutting his forehead and cheek. The bird escaped. Of course a great many people were badly scaled, and innocent visitors from the Eastern States, where such goings on are unknown, poured out of the hotels in all stages of undress. The quake is described as beginning with a thump which knocked the earth westward, and then for some seconds it slid back into its place, but before it got there there was another thump, followed by a smaller one. Tho earth took thirteen minutes to get over itd fit of ague.

A Parsoo witness was lately called to give evidence in regard to a fraud case in one of the London Police-courts. The usher proceodod to swear him in tho usual manner, whon Mr. Armstrong, the solicitor for the defence, called attention to the fact that the witness had not kissed tho book. The witness replied that he was a Parseo. and could bo sworn by raising the book. Mr. Armstrong — Do you believe in the book you have in yonr hand ? Witness— No, but [ nan bo nworn on it ; it is a sacred book. Mr. Slade — You must bo sworn acnording to your roligious belief. Witness — I was sworn at Marlborough-street Police Court by meroly raising my hand. Mr. Armstrong — Thero is no sun in the Borough, so that will not do. Witness— l can bo sworn by holding my hand up to the sky, or, as we aro fire worshippers, 1 can be sworn by standing by the fire, or I can take some of tho firo in my hand. Mr. Armstrong — You are very accommodating ; you tako it any way. (Langhtcr.) The Magistrate and tho Clerk consulted a number of books, but were unablo to find out the propor manner to administer tho oath. Mr. Nairn (the Clerk)— l think wo can get over the difficulty by asking tho witness what form of oath will be binding on his conscience. Witness — I have the seal of my prophet on my watohclmin, and I can swear by that. The usher then administered the oath to the witness whilst ho was holding tho seal in his right hand. A contemporary writes :— lt may be intorosting to victims of the Picturesqne Atlas agents to learn that tho company formed to publish the work was a huge succoss. Big dividends were paid, and whon tho work was completed the capital account just balanced. If it had been wound up shareholders would have got back tho whole of thoir capital in addition to what thoy had previously received in dividends. But instead of liquidating, the company bas entered npon other enterprises, for which the articles of assoo ation givo authority This work however, does not, it is said, roquiro moro than half tho capital that was necessary to carry on the original business, and the New South Wales Supremo Court was recently asked to confirm a resolution reducing the amount from .£75,000 to .£37,500. Mr. Justice Manning found himself beyond the guidance of authority, and bad to follow tho lead of common son«o. He therefore confirmed the resolution, and thus indirectly sanctioned a thing which the law forbids being done directly. The point is an important one, and the quostion arises whether the principle embodied in it is a safe one for general application. The law provento a company using any part of its capital for the payment of dividends, and as the assets of the Pictnresque i Atlas Company only balanced the liabilities to oapital aocount, not a ponny of that money was legally available for distribution. Mr. Justice Manning, however, practically sanctioned the payment of a dividend of 50 per cent, out of capital. If the principle is to be carried out generally, what ovidenco would a Court require that the capital which the shareholders asked leave to put in thoir pockets was not, by tho Companies' Act as well as by moral rights, tho property of other people ?

Shortly after 3 o'clock in tho morning of 19th April an unwelcome visitor made its tippearanco in California in the shape of an earthquake, not (Bays the Christchuroh Press) a puny debilitated littlo thing such as occasionally reminds Christehnrch that things are not always what they seem, and that the earth itself is by no means as solid as it gonorally looks and feels, bnt a full-sized and lively quake, with any amount of vitality and considerable tenacity of purpose. Thoro is this to be said for it, it was not blood-thirsty, and so no one was killed, though several peoplo were injurod. On the buildings, however, it played up vigorously all round. Vaoaville, which is described as "the pride of Solano county," was reduced almost to ruins, and the list of damages sounds like tho result of a bombardment, the total amouut being given at anything between 70,000dols and 150,000d018. The nightwatchman was first to notice the approach of the shock, and his attention was first drawn to a rumbling sonnd like distant thunder or tho roaring of a suddenly released body of wator. Tho night was clear and starlight, and a cold brooze was blowing, when suddenly tho ground began to heave. He graphically described what followed:—"Tho motion at first was from west 10 east,'' said ho, "ond then several violent shocks passed from north to south. I- felt aB if on the deck of a vessel during ft heavy storm, and 1 put my hands to the ground to prevent myself from falling on my face. After that brick walls and ohimneys began to fall all around, and the noise for a minute or two was deafening. Oooasionally I could hear the shrieks of women above the din, ond soon people began to rush into the stroets in their night olothes. They were terrified, and huddled together like bheep, but as soon as the shook passed away tho men in the party regained their nerve, although the women, still remained in a highly exoited state, and would not roturn to thoir dwellings." There were somo miraonlous escapes from death in the town. Two young men employed in a butohor's shop wero asleep on tho promises, when they wero awakened by the building rooking and tho noise of falling brioks. The top of an adjoining saloon fell on the house, and they were covered with bricks and broken beams, though luckily a large beam kept most of the weight off them, and they were enabled to creep through the debris and escape into the street, having only suffered sorao bruises. Another young fellow in another offico, being penned in his room, stayed not upon the order of his going, but burst throngh the lath and plaster wall into a neighbouring- office, and thence into a place of safety. Somo of tho residents of a Mr. Dobbins honso wero in groat danger for sometime. Mr. Dobbins rosoued his danghter-in-law irom her bed, where she was lying stunned, part of a brick wall having fallen on hor, and his two daughters wero discovered absolutely bnried in their beds under 2ft of brick and plaster. They gave no signs of life, but when the debris was cleared away from them it was found that having pulled the bedolothes over them' Wives, they were not seriously injured. Two htUe ohildren in another room wore proteoted from the shower of falling brioks by part of the wooden coiling, whioh had fallen onyto the head of their cot and formed a shield, over them. It was remarked that everything in the shape of brick was damaged, while tho wooden buildings were uninjured, except for their chimneys being thrown down. There were very f ew of the inhabitants of Vacavillo who aid not spend the remainder of the night in tho stroets. Ihe town of Dixon also suffered terribly' and thousands of dollars' worth of damage was done. In this case the horrors of the earthquake were increased by. the mournful tolling of the firebell. lore broke out in soveral plaoes in the midst of the ruins, but the heroio efforts of the firemen soon extinguished the flames, though not until further damage had been Clone to the txtent of several thousand I