Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1868-11-17

| sights, cOngratulatlng each other that 1t was
no worse, and chatting and laughing and run
ming about generally, as if at show or fair
The impression stranger would gain from the
faces of those on the streets would be that
some pleasurable excitement had occurred
| Certainly there was nothing in the appearance
of our people to indicate that great calamity
had befalen them, or that their confidence in
| the stability of San Francisco had been shaken
tor moment.
THE SHOCK AT OAKLAND.
The earthquake at Oakland was very severe
A gentleman who left there this forenoon COM
munlcates the following: Hundreds of chin
neys were thrown down, and many houses more
or less damaged. Brick buildings were very
badly damaged, but fortunately, none fell. No
lives were lost, but few persons were injured
by the falling of chimney, but none seriously
The draw Of the railroad bridge was thrown
twelve inches out Of line, SO that the cars can
not cross. At Alameda the asylum was badly
damaged, all the chmneys being thrown down.
Three distinct shocks have been felt since the
first one. After the first shock strong sui
phurous smell was perceptble.
Jabez Clements sends us the following: I
was on the Alameda wharf when the shock oc
CURED this morning, and as everything was
quiet around had an opportunity to observe
the phenomena particularly The motion
seemed to be cross wise of the wharf, and was
so severe that it was difficult to stand-impos
sible to stand still No sound accompanied the
motion, except that occasioned by the vibration
Of the timber of the wharf A few seconds af-
ter the motion ceased loud noise was heard in
the direction of Oakland-such as might be
caused by the falling Of building. The water
of the bay was perfectly smooth at the time of
the shock. and no perceptible disturbance of
a CJ1rfn f>0 Euor OF fha odo
where the ground was almost level and the
water consequently shallow for considerable
distance, the ripple was hardly noticeable |
was informed however, that the shock was felt
on the steamers very distinctly, and that the
engines were stopped, the officers supposing
that some accident had occurred to the ma
chinery. The tall chimney of the workshop of
the Alameda Railroad vibrated more than
foot from perpendicular line, but was not
thrown down.
THE EFFECT IN SACRAMENTO.
From the Sacramento Union, October %.
Our city received a pretty heavy earthqpake
shock about one minute to O'Clock yesterday
morning, the vibration being southeast and
northwest. Those of our citizens still in their
beds were aroused from their slumbers sum-
marily, and evnced in some instances most
ludicrous desire to know what was transpring.
Many others became frightened at the rattling
of shutters, windows and crockery ware, the
ringing of door>bells shaking of gas fixtures
and everything else that would shake, and made
good time for the centre Of the street. Pedes-
trians walked with wary eye cast toward the
Prevails of buildings, not desiring at that early
hour to be seen with bricks in their hats. The
Capitol building at Seventh and [ streets, re-
ceived an unpleasantly severe shake. The
water in the river receded at first, and then
rose again with a rush, causing considerable
commotion among the various craft lying at
the levee. 1t is thought the duration of the
vibration was about twenty or thirty minutes.
We are happy to be able to say, however, that
no damage was done, with the exception of the
loosening of a little plaster in few old build
ings. A light shock was felt at 10 80 A. NJ
LATER PARTICULARS PREVIOUS EARTHQUAKES
ON THE PACIFIC COAST.
From the Sacramento Union Oct %.
The earthquake which was felt in this city
yesterday morning at 1859 o'clock, with suf6-
cent severity to excite alarm but not teri or,
was much more startling at San Francisco and
in the Bay counties Our own first dispatches,
received two hours after the shock, show that
it was severest in Alameda county, about twen-
ty to thirty miles south Of San Francisco In
San Francisco, though the damages to proper
ty were at first roughly estimated at several
millions, the result was not so fearful nor so
destructive of life as was apprehended. The
casualties reported sum up twelve persons
killed and seven pretty badly injured The list
of buildings thrown down or damaged foots up
large number-large enough to justify fear
that the first reports of losses may not have
been exaggerated That part of the city be-
tween Montgomery street and the bay, built
| Ill O.,
the shock of October, 1865, and but little dams
age was sustained in the upper part of the city,
where the foundations are laid in solid ground
In Oakland, San Leaudro, San Lorenzo, Alva-
rado Redwood City, Sam Mateo San Jose,
Petaluma and Vallejo the shock was quite as
severe as in the lower part of San Francisco. =
1t was also felt in Stockton with good deal Of
severity, in Sonoma, Sonora, in Marysville
| lightly, and more heavily in Grass Valley The
motion was horizontal and continued from ten
| to twelve seconds, increasing in violence to the
last. 1t was preceded by a rumbling noise,
which, however, may have been caused by the
rafting of buildings and not by anything going
on under ground. Here in Sacramento, those
who observed its effect out in the streets say
flag stats and trees vibrated ten feet, and that
the water of the river rose and fell a foot and
half. The clocks in many houses were
stopped, and the chronometer clocks in several
establishments being stopped, show the exact
time of the occurrence to have been just one
minute before A. M. In San Francisco there
were five slighter shocks felt between the first
and 500 p NJ. Each of these was felt here as
well, but they produced no alarm. The wealth
er could not have been more delightful than on
this occasion. Here there was a perfectly clear
sky, with a temperature at about &c degrees
| No wind preceptible. 1t continued clear, calm
and warm all through the day, and was almost
sultry at last night This condition is nota-
bly, that in which nearly all our great earth
quakes on this coast occur Just before and
after that of October s, 1865, the same wealth
as yesterday at this season of the year nearly
always minges with its delights a lurking sus-
picion that mischief is brewing below
This has undoubtedly been the heaviest
earthquake experienced on the coast since the
American occupation, though nearly 200 shocks
have been noted down from 1850 to 1868. Of
all these there were but four Or five of an excl
ting character-one May Is, 1851, another
February Is, 1866, which threw down build
ing on Battery street; another in December,
1868, and the most noted of all (prior to the
one Of which we are now writing) that of Oc-
tober 8, 1856, Of which the first reports esti-
mated the damages at $3.50, 900, but which
caused no loss of life.
The record of the earthquake Of October,
1865, on file in the Union of that month, shows
that it, too, was felt with considerable severity
here, at Stockton, Petaluma, San Jose, San
Leandro, and Santa Cruz, but not at all felt as
far south on the coast as Los Angeles, or the
San Joaquin Valley at Visalla, or in the noun