PREVIOUS DISTURBANCES. SOME DISASTROUS SHOCKS. A REMARKABLE COINCIDENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2719, 25 April 1906, Page 33

PREVIOUS DISTURBANCES. SOME DISASTROUS SHOCKS. A REMARKABLE COINCIDENCE.

California has previously suffered fronu. seismic disturbances, and in lookjhg up th« dates of these shocks a curious coincidence is shown. On April 19, 1892, San Francisco was treated to a very severe disturbance. Again on April 19, 1902, another shook was reported, and now on Aprir 19, 1906, news reaches us of still another and more disastrous disturbance. The shock experienced in the city of San Francisco on April 19, 1892, was tJ;** severest " since the historic earthquake in 1863. when the earth moved in \va\os in Mission streer. The worst result of th*. "'shako' was the downfall of the front wall' of the old Academy of Sciences huildiuf , Tons of brick and mortar fo'l_ into t! ] streets. The noise scarced policemen o. 4 beats blooks away, and nearly geared th •. life out of a theatrical pa-ty that ff.u. vu - on a late trip through Chinato.; n. '!'}:•• Bulletin of the United States {'o\cc\"3? Survey is responsible for this stfetetrcni. The earthquake began with a thump tha.' seemed to knock the eaith to the we^t , then for alxmt threa seconds the worlc soemed to he sliding convulsively back inif place. Altogether it took 13 niinulcj fo< the earth to get over its fluttering. ,\ well-known authority says: "It v. d~. cue ol

&oser? fearthqaakes thai roar. Before the , shaking, there was a .noise as of heavy 'waggons being hauled over high ground a long way off. The shock was felt shortly before -3 o'clqck' in the morning. As a matter of fact, it was much more serious 50 to 75 miles north of the city. Strange to relate, there was no lo3s of life. In the country towns wrecked brick -structures were everywhere. A good many people stated that for some time after the shock the air was filled with sulphurous fumes, which were emitted from fissures in the -ground. "The earthquake .was felt throughout the country, and great 'destruction of property resulted. Mild jshocks continued for days after the first visitation." Southern California in particular is highly seismic, and 40 or 50 years ago San Francisco was, according to one authority, "built of wood for fear of earthquakes." ■Writing in his book " Earthquakes," published in 1904, Major C. E. Dulton gave the -following information: — "During the nineteenth century there have been 10 earthquakes in California that were destructive, causing the fall of chimneys, the partial Tuin of- houses, and some personal injury. Of these' 10 four were a degree • worse',: causing the complete ruin- of i»any - houses and ' the loss of some lives. Of these four one was classed as in the iii-'st rank, causing the ruin of buildings, great toss «of life, cracks in the ground, and slips from the mountain. This last was the Owen's" Valley or Invo shock of March 26, 1872f From the year- 1850 to 1886 Sao Francisco felt 254 shocks, most of them ' ,very slight. Besides these, there were in - the State of California in the above years 514 other shocks not included in those left in the city. It is evident, therefore, that, though not highly seismic, California has " some claim to rank as one of the disturbed regions. But it cannot compare fcvith Japan, which registers shocks _ and ,remors at the rate of from 1000 to 15' JO a fear."