, 1865-11-04
THE GREAT EARTHQUAKEI IN
; CALIFORNIA.
Full Details from Our Own Cor.
respondent

the city ofSan Francisco was yesterday visited
by the most tremendous earthquake which
was ever known In this vicinity. Being anxious
TO furnish you with as many Of the details a.
possible at the earliest moment, Twill content
myself with stating & few leading facts. md
send you the Aua's account of ths matter.
which includes partial List Of the buildings
damaged. :,,t,..
The town Of San Francisco may be divided
INTO three parts, answering to your North,
South and West Chicago.
The North or upper part consists Of Tele.
graph, Russian and Clay street Hills, Russian
being the largest, and Is occupied almost ex-
clutively by residences. Here the damage Ii
very slight indeed.
The south-or, more correctly speaking,
the east part Ut corresponds, however, with
your South Chicagoe lying east Of Montgom-
cry, south of Vallejo md north Of Mission
streets, Is mainly whit is known MS "made
GFond''-that is to sny, 1t was formerly q
part Of the Bay Of San Francisco, md was
made by sinking hundreds OF old ships which
were abandoned here by their crews in the
carly days Of the gold excitement, and filling
in with rock aud earth from the hills above.
The original bottom Of the bay was, of course,
slfmy mud, and the ground thus bnilt upon It
is unstable, and but poor foundation for
heavy buildings at best. This part Of the city
contains four-tlfths Of the wholesale stores aud
busincss houses, and In this section hardly q
building has escaped damage. In the major
ity Of cases the walls arc cracked more or
less, glass broken, and the plastcrtng thrown
NcyF1 hf1A$ $41a Aar 1r r
great many cascs, however, the damage Is
50 extensive that the walls will need to be
pulled down entirely. This Is the case at The
City Hall, which Is totally unsafe, and ou:ht
to be pulled down to the ground at once an-
other such a shock will surely level It,
The sonthwest-corresponding to your
West Chicngo-which includes all that part
south Of Market street. Rincon Point, which
Is Included In this district, Is tolcrably high
hill and solid ground. Here the damage was
slight, the United States Marine Hospital,
standing on tie eastern extremity, which Is
the finest building, being but slightly dam.
aged. Tha greater portion Of tllis part of the
city is low, fat and marshy, In many places
tiled IN, and here the shock was felt Ia full
force, the ground being raised in some places,
and In others settling several feet, while wide
assures are opened in some Of the more shaky
and boggy parts Of the fats where the founda.
ticn Is evidently quieksand. The buildings
In this part Of the town are mainly frame nud
the damage is principally confined to glass
and plastcring. With these explanations
your readers will understand the description
In the dAo, which send you. II contains
necessarily an account OF but small portion
Of the damage done; 1t will be weeks before
the full list can be made mp. thInk that
s.5U, 600 would be small estimate for the
total damage done, and it may provo double
or treble that amounL As matter of
course all is excitement, and everybody Is In
the streets to-day. Legitimate business Is Mt
stand-stin. At ten last evening there
YVES a slight shock, and At twenty
ayc minutes to eleven, T. m, to-day,
one Of more marked severity though not to
be compared with that Of Yesterday. It, how
ever, sent everybody fleeing into the open
streets for safety, and panic ensued In some
OF the public schools, making 1t necessary to
dismiss the scholars aud send them home for
to-day. Twas standing at the front of the
City Hall, yesterday, when the great shock
came. My feet we're on An Iron grating in the
sidewalk which lets light into the basement,
aud my first impression WAS that the grating
was loose and that Was falling into the eel
lar. Just then saw everybody running and
heard the low moaning rumble Of the Garth
quake. Preached the opposite side Of tie
street before the second and heaviest shock
walls Of the City Hall swaying and c1ncking,
axd hall IT.
lation, and listened to the roar Of falling
walls, plastcring, glass, etc, all over town,
md the screams Of women and children, with
a feeling of sickness, and, I may say fear,
which never before experienced. An hour
afterwards I saw everybody laughing and
oking on the streets orer the atIair, and in
one place, on California street, noticed gang
Of Chinese coolies, the most expert wreckera
In the world, already at work carrying the
broken boards aud timbcrs ont of store that
The walls might be tom down to avoid aeci-
acnts- Such Is life In San Francisco. also
enclose dispatches from various parts Of the
State showing you how the interior towns
we're affected.
1hayc hitherto been accustomed to regard
merely as subjects for jokes, but
am free to say that no longer regard them
In that light. A1raAovrs.
From The Alta Ca1isoruiau, Oct. Dbl
At precisely fieen minutes to p: m. yesterday,
lest earthquake ehoc3s felt in this vicinity by
"ihe oldcrt tnhahltanta." Heretofore our earth-
anakes have been ,nuine Affairs, startling for ia.
moment, bat nonife serious In their results, md
more snhject for Joking and quizz1ng 1mong
fiends and ecouat1tauces than ofserions anxiety
o anybody. This demonstration ,wa., however. 81
rF1fR Ing Aa1 Vtx
decidedly more stirling and lasting. A. this
saFthquake IL likely to be regarded hereafter
tcntard bJ which 10 compare Other demonstrations
u greater Or lees severity It may not be out Of
TIE WEATHER PRECEDING n.
Last week Was, taken altogether, one Of the hot
eachinc : to 50 degrees. Ffidsy vas yery hot "a
u nearly night. when \ cold wiod ret In from the
aorthwrrt: Saturday was 4nite warm and sill |
lnd On Sunday morning eooa st.er daylight % ehowet
tuhdent 70 enectua!ly lay The dust for The day
:EHed. From sun1tse throughout The day the sky |
f1rsh, bsacing breeze from The southwest. Motifs |
ng OF that dead close std1ng atmosphere which Il |
:s:nersl!y eupgosed to precede an earthquake, was
7uI suoKs.
The hIst shock occurred at precisely dIteeQ min.
ties 10 p. H., and lasted Perhaps i've seconds.
The grornd uudulated Violently. The waves Of mo-
IGN .eenng& & to b, a. usual: trom Northeast te
declare that II was The reserse OF from
Fest to East- This shock made The windows rat
WY Hpna the Vicinity 81 Esh.waled bnildin.s. ~
mt did no teions damage.
The second shock, which was far more eevete.
led By loud sliding noise partially due to tsilinc
sal1s, glaEs and pAsE1ng, and partially, apparent-
7, originating tn ths Garth, The vibration Of this
vsyed in The ar like willow branches in lie wind.
NtndowB, wherever pnched or slightly trimmed,
se,e wrecked in IN instant: .plaetering came down
q ahoWers, beas Innc. walls cracked, and general
'nds, vibrating East and West, and then al va.
sver.
MATERIAL Kr1EcTs or TIE sHAkE
Il is impossible al this time 10 give anything
Ike concise account Of the damage done by the |
anhqnake Of yesterday. The main damage MS
cry feEons damage being noticeable above Du-
'ont ftrect and north Of California The made
and part Of the city, cast OF Montgomery street,
he mos. eerelels. Many slIghtlJ-buih,
buildings, or buildings erected on un.
fonndatioue, were more or les injured,
he really sube tanIally constructed bni!dEnEr even
hoee Of nye or si1 eiosles IN height almost mith-
taaRn ON Soex II Iii 6
more or less cracked tn places: md again. whole
block in The immediate vicinity, will be found to
scursofy examination 10 be most severely In
ured, zrc the following:
The City Hall building, which Il badly damaged.
he wall Is 90 badly sprung as 70 lei the raeIs out
several places The inner walls are badly cracked
I'D shattered. and s1ce cracks appear In the rear
oscillation Of The Nali wa 60 s7cat as 10 cause the
Ire hell to sufke once quito distinctly. Until tho
3uiidtnE has been carefully examined BY architects,
to te safely and the extent Of the repairs which
nay be Necessity.