The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1868-12-29
Correspondence,
From the Pacific.

/ Z
NEVADA, Nov. "a, 1868.
Drifting with the tide Of events, we
find ourself in some new locality every
time we assume the privilege Of in'ruiing
Il brief sketch Of matters AMI things, as
they occur in the Journal Of our eXperi-
cnce. Since we last wrote you, the whole
country and this cost especially, has
been convulscd with great cXcitemrnls,
and the antics Of n mysterious and ctcrN
nal power. Politics, earthquakes, and sill
verados, has been the 90 Cor the last few
weeks, and have kept everybody witle-
awake, and on the move. Politics for
time was paramount to. and absorbed
every other interest. Both parties had
their instruments tuned up to concert
pitch, and never ceased to sound their
sweetest notes until tie lastYota WAS cast,
and the polls declared closed. We lisien-
cd at least to less than five hundred
speeches within the term Of SIX weeks.
To give you an idea Of the lntarc,t taken
IN the election, and lis results, we will
mention this fact A g,n;lomln, works
ing for wages in Goll-Iiiil County, left
his work on the morning Of the ) |, walk
ed ten miles TO the preccnct where he
belonged, voted for Grant and Coliax,
and returned in the same evening. maks
ing walk of twenty miles. This ndi.
vidual has since been declared by all the
papers, Major General of political pat
rotism. Large amounts Of money changed
hands on the result OF the election in
California. The Democrats wer1 very
sangunc that they could carry the state
for Seymour; but the Republicans could
Sce-niOle votes for Grant, and so bagged
the coin. Leaving politics, we will refer
briefly TO the two great earthquakes in
San Francisco, of which you were doubt
les apprised some weeks since, by teIe-
graph. The first shock was much more
severe, and damaged property TO a greats
er extent than was admitted by the
press. We were informed by an eye
witness that Montgomery, one of the
principal streets in the city, for ten seconds,
swayed from right to left, and for the
time the zig-zlg motion was 50 rapid,
that it seemed to be crawling like sers
pcnt. In other parts of the town the
ground trembled for a moment, then took
sudden rotary motion, which in several
instances twisted chimneys half way
round, still leaving them standing. Prop
crty was damaged most in the lower parts
of the city upon made ground. Chin
neys, cornices and fire walls, were thrown
down, the falling of which killed four
persons, and endangered the lives of many
more. Had the first and heaviest shocl,
occurred later in the morning, when person;
were out upon the streets proceeding tc
business, doubtless hundreds would have
been killed. Vallejo, an old gentleman
who has resided IN California sixty years,
says he has witnessed in his day, tive
earthquakes that would not have left q
building standing in San Francisco. So
the inhabitants OF this city need not bt
surprised, If in some, not very distant day
they have a more intimate acquaintanc,
with the shakes. In addition to hom,
terror which was kept alive by numerou
successive shocks, report reached Tho
city that Panama had been desirved BY
an earthquake; that it had been burie,
with tidal wave; that the waters of Tn
Pacific had met those ofthe Atlantic owe
the lsthmas of Darien; That the gen
tie Chagres rolled con its sweet windin
way to the sea-" anl the sorage shark
and the o!eaginous whale tapped thei
tails in glce that the sportivc dolfn
played leap frog through the orang
groves that the strong backed sturgeo
scratched himself against the thorne
cactus that the slimy eel was wrigglin
joyously through lnxuriant fields of flow