The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-03-14

streets, occupied by Sweetzer dutchinge Co., the
bank Of Messrs Burgoyns Co., were separated about
three inches The direction Of the shock very tortu
nate; had it been In direc i'm parallel with the
streets either way its effect would have been das
trous.
houses were terribly frightened and in many cases
rushed wildly into the street for safety The RRssette
which is a small In itself the of great
| excitement Men, women ano chilcren rush
ipg through the bals their night clothes seeking
| safety from the supposed darger.
being injured The plasterng was uside-
Iaby cracked and torn of from the walls OF Wilson's
Nicholas hotel the Merchants Exchange building and
| the CITY BALL
The shock was more severely felt at Oakland than
fele, and various rumors aoat of damage to the
works at For; Point and Acstrsz IlAud and
also the Farollones said to be affected materially
The vibrations attended with heavy report re.
seabpg the discharge Of distant artillery bu.
thu us, and producsc deep, low rumo'ing sound.
on the street to-day and we have yet to inset the st
person Who was not affected by the shock 1t appeared
| locality have heard The small dwellings, in
that vicinity rocked like CRADLE and persons
most violent sarhqs.ke that has been koown 10 San
Francisco since its settlement by the Americans.
There s,C were several slight shocks e during the night
occurred about nine O'Clock and the nd about two
O'Clock, and followed by the grand convuson
| toned above
| ITS EFFECTs IN THE CITY-PARTICULARs AND INCI-
DENTS.
The 18th of February 1856, will be long remembered
by the residents of San Francisco the day when a
most powerful earthqu felt in its vicinity We
lay before readers such further incidents have
wonderful effect OF this fresk of nature may placed
upon record for future reference
The last ten days nave been remarkably pleasant In
this locality and many persons familiar with these
currences have frequently expressed the opinion that We
gentleman of this city who has scent considerable
time In South America and other volcanic Countries
marked on Thursday evening that he would not be
priced to witness copvustn at any oment, there
was every indication OF one.
We have .een fov,ras gentlemen who experienced
sight shocks during the succeeding night at different
times, ard very considerable shock felt at two
O'Clock Friday mornir g. hree hours aud halt prior to
the grand shock whica has the panfol of
interest Consideration since its occurrence As
where ntate occurred at about ,werty three minutes
past five O'Clock Friday orring. The shock was pre-
| ceded and attended At its commencement by very
heavy and distinct report, which somewhat oled
distant thunder or arsery In other words, it vas
sort Of combination o. thoee sounds, and such i'm
press the east imaginative with profound ave- not
The vibrations, which were nearly from north to
SOUTH lase abou. twenty seconds and forcbls
as to awaken nearly every sleper IN the city We have
only heard of one person, among all inquiries hs
net tensible Of the shock C-rtain it is that every
derfu motion ef the earth Persons sleeping in the most
substantial brick buildings in the heart of the ctytha
arranged In compact block-wsre suddenly awaken
ed by the great violence Of the convulson.
ITS EFFECTS.
We have learned Of serious injury to property,
the loss Of any lives but the effects Of the earthquake
plainly vieble from end OF the to other
The principal damage done Is to the walls Of the plaster
bui6ir gs which less cracked in large
portion Of buildings and il msny instances the plaster
ing has fallen Off The fail of the fire wall from the top
OF the store Of Messrs Good win Co. It the corner Of
Front and Oregon streets is perhaps ths most striking
evidence of its power The wall about 100 fee. long
four feet high and one foot thick being all that end
ed above the roofing, and thrown In body upon
sidewalk about six eight feet r,m the base Of the
row of nail kegs that were sArdng on the sidewalk
IN font OF store on Battery street were moved out
| from the building twelve inchss
heavy salamander safe at atterson's Exchange was
moved from It's usual position several inches.
man sleeping in the Merchants Exchange Building
Several clocks in different buildings stopped en-
tre and others caused 10 vary from the crre;t time
from their positions in many instances from six inches
| TO two feet.
In multitude of instances, great disturbance was
made with cIockefy and glass ware, and in 1t
was thrown to the floor and broken. Several families
bad their night bells rurg.
On Sacramento street. the store next the Appraisers
office wrenched that the had to be open
ed with q crOwbar.
Goods we're thrown from the shelves in the hardware
store OF Sessis. Treadwel Co.
crockery store on ansome street was shaken that
large amount of crockery fell to the floor.
Alta flee saloon Ja.kson street bottles thrown
hom the shelves upon the floor.
gentleman up town sgrarg upon the floor from his
bed after the first shock, and violently thrown
against the opposite SIDE OF the from he
standing.
Office in af notion but the shock disturbed the
working of the engine ana other machinery that for
svsrynng = came 70 Compists ,s SOP TINS en-
menced operations in earnest and the press return
cd 70 ts duty throwing off sheets usual at the rate
OF six thousand per hour.
Instances Of persons being thrown of bed Of clocks
stopping bre aking Of Windows cracking of walls and
disarangng Of household things entirely
menton1 The whole city was uproar
ana the entire population a good deal alarmed while
many nearly frantic. People rushed wildly into the
streets in their night coshes, and amazed and
tonnded at what had happened.
The markets had just opened, and those within lett
tn fuOn in ha aouapa
Many amusing incident Is are related Of the occupants
Of the large public houses. The sudden alarm OF Are
could not produce half the CONSERVATION that prevailed
them All sges and sexes rushed pell nell to this
of egress in their eagerness to get out of the build
mg without ever sopoing to gather up their hing
1t seemed though every dog in towa set up hide
GUS yell after the convul,ion.
The shock was felt by ths vessels lying in the harbor
and the waters of the bay h ads cted and
tated.
At san Antonio and other places over the bay the
shock Is repre- cscnted as having been very severe
1t will Be observed that the great feature of damage
has been the cracking OF psstercd wss and this has
brick walls have bee seriously injured 70 sch 80 that
the hand could be thrust into the cracks
We learned last evening, that many persons who
occupying in large brick buildings, have taken
Temporary quarters in wooden tenements fearing that
dance with the tradition of the old Californian 100
THE EARTHQUAKE ELSEWHERE.
Dr. Trask the State Geoogist wishing to ascertain the
terday morning, telegrapned through the State Tse-
graph Conpny to the rious points mentioned below
Sacramento Garytville PlscervilIe Downievile, Ne
vada Diamond Springs Columbia and Sonora report Tn,
shock clt while ut Stockton the sh ock felt at Oh
25m very Light" and at San Jose, at the tme
"quite severe"
The Doctor thinks that will hear Of the earthquake
on tie southern coast
Particulars OF the Explosion Of the Stcam-
boat Belle.
The last California mari brought the news OF the
explosion Of the Belle the Sacramento river
on the morning Of the 9th ns but without any par
,iculars The following Details from the Sacramento
Union, painfully interesting:-
terrible calamity only equaled by the awful disas
ter which DESTROYED this Pearl year ago. occurred
the Sacramento liver tho morning of the Ii inst
cramento at seven O'Clock Red Bluffs At 79 O'CLOCK
when opposite the Russian Ford, eleven miles above
the town, the boiler burst and instantaneously the
sticam was strewcd with msngled bodies and fragme
Of the wreck.
Mr. J. A. Powell 'arner at Grand Island Ranch,