EARTHQUAKES.

Colonist, Volume XV, Issue 1532, 31 May 1872, Page 3

EARTHQUAKES.

EARTHQUAKES IN CALIFORNIA,—MANY LIVES LOST. (From the San Francisco Bulletin^ Visalia, March 30. From Colonel Whipple, who has just arrived by stage from Lone Pine, we learn the following particulars of the terrible earthquake which visited that section on the 26th instant. About 230 a.m., the inhabitants of Lone Pine were awakened by a loud explosion, followed by a terrible upheaval and shaking of the earth from south to north. In an instant the whole town was in ruins, not a building being left standing. Colonel Whipple, who was in the second story of an adobe house, states that he had just time to jump from his bed and Igeb to the doorway when the house appeared to crumble to pieces beneath him. and he was buried among the ruins. He succeeded in extricating himself from the debris, suffering from several painful but not dangerous wounds. The scene which ensued beggars description. Screams and groans rent the air in all directions. Nearly the whole populace of the town was buried beneath the ruins ; cries for help and screams of pain from the wounded filled the air, while from the ruins those who escaped were calling for help to rescue fathers, brothers, wives and children, and were agonizing to hear. The first shock was followed in quick succession by three others. Over three hundred distinct shocks were felt between half-past two and sunrise; in fact the earth was in a constant shake and tremble for over three hours. A chasm was opened extending thirty-five miles down the valley, ranging from three inches to forty feet in width. Eocks were torn from their place 3 and rolled down into the valley. Everywhere through the valley are seen evidences of the terrible couvulsion of nature. Cerro Gtordo was badly damaged, many buildings cracked, some few thrown down ; no persons badly injured. Swansea wa3 also totally destroyed ; buildings all down to the ground, and furnaces all thrown down. Colonel Tregallas, of the Swansea works, was killed. The Superintendent of the Swansea Company sent twenty men to Lone Pine, and sixteen were sent from Cerro G-ordo to assist in extricating the bodies from the ruins. All accounts agree in placing Lone Pine over the ceatre of commotion. Before each shock could be heard an explosion which sounded immediately beneath their feet. Over six hundred distinct shocks were felt within fifty-eight hours after the first. There is much destitution among the inhabitants of Lone Pine and vicinity, many having lost all but life. In the vicinity of Mount Witney, residents describe the explosion as a park of heavy artillery fired beneath their feet, whicn run along the mountain range, north and south, until lost in the distance. Eumora of a volcano in active operation, being seen from the summit of Q-reenhood Mountain, sixty miles southeast ot here, are in circulation; but their authenticity is considered at least dubious. The Indians in that vicinity have all left, fearing the recurrence of a general convulsion of nature, which according to tradition, occurred there some hundreds of years ago, and created what is now known as Owens Eiver Valley, and which was before a chain of mountains. At Independence oqe man was killed and many persons more or less injured. The buildings were all badly strained and cracked; chimneys and walls thrown down; goods were pitched from the shelves in stores, and ! everything breakable dashed to pieces. Some I few buildings were prostrated. At Fort Independence a child was killed and several persons wounded. It is estimated that over two hundred buildings were thrown down in all. Not an adobe or brick building is supposed to have escaped destruction throughout the whole country of Inye. At Tibbetts' ranch, .fifteen miles above Independence, about forty acres of ground sunk about seven feet below the [surface of the surrounding co'intry. Big Owens Lake has risen four feet since the firsc shock. Owens Eiver ran over its banks, depositing shoals of fish on shore after it receded. For a distance of three or four miles through Lone Pine the earth cracked, one side remained stationary, while the other sank seven or eight feet, leaving a wall of earth extending over three miles in length, where formerly was a level plain. Innumerable cracks were made throughout the valley, Kern and Owens rivers turned and ran up stream for several minutes, leaving their beds dry, and finally returned with largely increased volumes of water. Some of the shocks were preceded by a deafening report as though the mountains were being rent in two, others were accompanied by a low continuous rumble as of a train of cars running under ground. None of the sufferers ever experienced anything so frightful in all their earthquake experience. On "Wednesday afternoon, March 27th,. while the survivors at Lone Pine were interring their dead, the cemetery was in a constant tremor, with occasional shocks. While 1 burying one family of five persons—a mother and three children and a cousin—a severe shock occurred, which filled the grave, and sank the ground on which stood the mourners some six inches. New Yobk, April 17. Letters from Lone Pine, California, say the whole of Owens Valley has been moved southward fourteen feet. Over 7000 shocks-. had occurred to date, and they still continued, but not with sufficient force to do any damage. The earthquake of Mar.eh.26 hurled,

immense rocks down the cliffs into the Valley of the Yosemite, smashing great pine trees to splinters, but detracting nothing from the scenery of the valley. An Indian runner brings a dispatch from the mouth of the Colorado river, which says the earthquake caused immense waves to roll tip the Gulf of California, breaking the schooner Alice Drake loose from her anchorage. San Francisco, April 26. The Inyo Independent ot April 20, relates these singular circumstances: —Scientific men everywhere are busy in investigating the enuse of those terrible convulsions of the earth—• .u-diquakes, and there is a faint hope that sonic! nog of value may bededuced from their inquiries. It seems to be generally conceded that electricity in some form is the prime cause of these movements of the earth. It is much to be hoped that some person or persons, possessing the necessary scientific attainments, will pay thia seciion a visit. No better place or opportunity was ever presented to American scientists to investigate these phenomena on their own soil, than this county has afforded during the pa3t two or three weeks. Por the information of such, we will mention a few facts, mainly relating to electrical phenomena, that have occurred within our knowledge. A few daya after the big shock at Orro Gordo, very loud thunder was heard during a violent snow storm. With the exception of the snow, the same thing occurred here, and perhaps at other places in the valley. This is remarkable, because almost unprecedented. Immediately following the great shock, men whose judgement and veracity are beyond question, while sitting on the ground near the Eclipse mine, saw sheets of name on the rocky sides of the Inyo mountains about a half mile distant. These flames, observed in several places, waved to and fro apparently clear of the ground, like vast torches. They continued for only afi w minutes. In this office one day last week, while one of the proprietors was running a large number of sheets of flatcap paper through a job-press, the sheets after leaving the press were affected by the movements of the operator's hand, as a strong magnet would affect iron filings. When his hand was near them the whole pile, or at least a hundred of them from the top, seemed 1o float in the air like tissue paper in a slight breeze. The top sheet would raise at each end up to the hand when held four inches above it, and thus by attraction be moved entirely away from the others. At times during the night sparks of fire were repeatedly emitted from a woollen shawl on I being touched by the hand. At the Kearsnrge mill, located at an altitude of nearly 8000 feet above the sea, the following occurrence was noted by Harry Clawson and P. J .Toslyn:—The former, while sitting with his knee within about three inches of a castiron stove, felt a peculiar numbing sensation, and supposing his limbs were " asleep," essayed to rub them with his hand. As soon tin his hand touched his knee he felt a shock, and immediately after and for a number of seconds, a stream of fire ran between both knees and the stove. We will here, on the authority of a man who had an opportunity of knowing, state that the items going the rounds to the effect that no movement of the earth was observable threehundred feet under ground in the mines, is not correct. At Cerro Gordo, ami also afc the Eclipse mine, the ro.-king motion was distinctly observed, especially in the timbering. Small particles ' of rock were detached, and in both places the miners went to tne surface in alarm, but at Cerro Gordo they soon resumed work as before. No subsequent shock has been remarked at that depth. THE SYJiIAN EARTHQUAKE. London, April 8, A telegram from Constantinople, reporting the occurrence of a most fearful and fatal visitation by earthquake in the east, reached this city during the morning to-day. The dispatch states that the city of Antioch, in Syria, has just been visited by an earthquake, causing terrible loss of life and an almost general ruin of property. One-half of the city was totally destroyed, and 1500 persons swept from existence suddenly. A rumbling noise, of almost unearthly pound, pervaded Antioch at an early hour this morning. The people became alarmed and startled. They were not permitted a moment for reflection as to the cause, when the town was visited by three successive shocks of earthquake and earth-waves, the force of which caused the buildings to vibrate and rock to and fro, Houses commenced to topple over, and the inhabitants rushed from the falling buildings terror-stricken and shriekingin dismay. They endeavored to force their way from the town to the open country, but very many of them perished in the attempt. The Kiver Orontes rose and swept over the lower portions of the city. The two bridges which spanned the river have be?n carried away, and great portions of the city walls thrown down. Great distress prevails in that portion of the city which has not been demolished, and the inhabitants are sadly in need of the assi,tance which is being forwarded to them rapidly from the cities and towns more adjacent to the scene of disaster.