The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1868-11-11
CALIFORNIA CORRESPONDENCE.
IrRON OUR nEeuIAR cORnEsrosDEsr.l
SAN Francisco, Oct Is, 1865.
tn. Gre.f gh~h.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 3, 1865.
The Great Shake.
The 21st of October, 1868, will long be re-
membered by our people as an earthquake
day, which casts entirely into the shade the
earthquake of October Sth, 1866. AT five
minutes of ga. NJ, the shock commenced and
lasted at least 30 seconds. Its effects 10 diff
ferent parts of the State have been fearful
In the city four were killed by falling build
ings, and many wounded, and at Hayward's,
on the opposite side of the bay, one man, the
Deputy County Clerk, was bnried in the ruins
of the Court House. The destruction to
property in the city has been variously esti-
mated at from $780, to $500, 600 but it is
impossible to approximate to the real dam
age. The shock was felt most severely on
what is called ''made land" and it is said
that no properly constructed buildings have
been damaged, and that those on solid ground
show no signs of the earthquake. Brick
buildings are shaky and not much sought after
just now, while wooden houses are in de-
mand. A general system of propping up is
taking place throughout the city, and some
of the streets are declared dangerous, and
passage through them prevented. Two Sc
we're shocks of earthquake were felt on the
21st, two during the night, and many lighter
ones have occurred since, so frightening our
people that buildings are now emptied In a
very short space of time. Business was gen.
orally suspended on the 21st, trade being
completely demoralized. The city put on a
holiday appearance, while crowds wandered
about to look at the ruins, and men and we-
men congratulated each other on not being
among the list Of the killed.
The most exaggerated kilograms were sent
from this city to other parts. One to Nevada,
that half the city was in ruins, and the ques-
ton came from the Atlantic side, "Is it 5000
or $4,000 killed by the earthquake?' The
Chamber of Commerce fastened to telegraph
the true facts of the case to the large CONNER
cial centres of the world, placing the whole
amount of damages at $500, 900, figure far
below the real damage.
Damaged Buildings.
1t would be impossible to enumerate the
buildings which have been rendered useless
by the late earthquake. There are very few
in the lower part of the city that have not
sustained more or less damage. Very many
will have to be torn down and rebuilt, in-
Guiding many in the process of construction.
The City Hall has been so badly cracked
and injured that 1t is considered dangerous,
and the various courts and offices have been
removed to different parts OF the city, the
former to the large wooden building erected
by the Mechanics Institute for the late Ex-
hibition.
The large Custom House building, which
was built on made ground, and rests on piles,
and which was badly damaged by the earth
quake of 1865 and repaired at an expense ex-
eeeding $4,000, was SO injured by the late
shake that it is said the whole structure will
have to be torn down. The Custom House
desks have been removed to the new Hay
ward building on California street, and every
thing there appears sin heap" The Post
Office, on the first floor of the Custom House
building, has been examined and declared
safe, although the employees and the public
generally kept at safe distance for day or
two after the shake. The Bank of California
was badly although not permanently injured,
and the fancy work about it has been re-
moved.
Some buildings have been most strangely
abused by the shake, and damaged by the
sinking of the ground under them, which in
some places has sunk ten or twelve inches,
while one building on California street has
sunk down some twelve feet or more.
In the Interior.
the earthquake was felt to greater or less
extent, bat it seemed to eliminate in its
greatest fury at San Leandro and Hayward's.
In the latter place nearly every building was
more or less injured, while stronglv-built
one-story brick grain warehouse was COM
pletely destroyed, not one brick was left upon
another. At Oakland the shock was said TO
have been q little harder than in the city;
DIlCh DullulbSo III ludL plhCC DcluS ilIOWu
down, and chimneys generally thrown to the
ground.
The Lesson
which this great earthquake should teach us
is an important one. 1t is foolish for people |
to become so frightened as to leave for other |
parts of the world where dangers of death |
are more frequent than in our State. Storms,
and lightning, and the extremes of
heat and cold on the Atlantic seaboard cause
more deaths than have ever taken place here |
from earthquakes, or are likely to take place
for several generations.
The earthquake lesson should be needed by
1ur architects and builders. San Francisco
mas too great future before it to risk 1t on
such useless ornaments as projecting cor
lices, such absurdities as fire walls and lofty
.hlmneys, or even fourth and fifth stories.
The architecture of our city should all be
changed. We should have an original archi-
ecture of our own. The Egyptians built to
uit their religion and their country; the
ireeks did the same. The Byzantine style
vas the creation Of men laboring for the same
md as the Greek architects, but under differ
mt circumstances The various styles Of