Nebraska advertiser., 1868-11-19
CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE.
Personal neutrality-suspicious.
pherfc Phenomena.

A private letter received by a gen
tleman in this city from his nephew
in Oakland, near San Francisco, gives
the following interesting account of
some personal experience during the
recent earthquake in California:
SAN FRANCISCO, October %, 1868.
81 had Just left home, and had
reached the street in front Ofmy house,
when / heard a noise like q strong
rushingrwind through the trees,
and on looking up 10 the oaks found
their branches in a'fearfUl cOmnlotion.
As the morning was very sunny, and
there was no indication of wind, /
thought 1t strange that a gust should
spring up SO suddenly. Presently /
felt the earth rock, and then knew
that 1t was an earthquake, / stood
still a few minutes to watch the thing,
and it rapidly increased in violence,
and soon 1 saw chimneys tOppling and
falling. / beat a hasty retreat home,
and found the family just coming out
of the house very much frightened.
BY this time the work was done, and
old Mother Earth resumed her wOnted
serenity, the shaking having contin-
ued about one minute.
al think / have felt more alarming
motions at previous shocks, but this
continued much longer, and it is to
this fact that the increased damage
done must be referred. We had three
chimneys broken of, but not thrown
down. One was so badly cracked
that I had it taken down. The other
two were cut offsmoOth, twisted round
,1.0v,A g rAar, sy,al,1- - ,cA-1A--ls--
/ had several vases broken, &C., but
aside from this sustainednO loss. Will
liam's and Dicks houses were I'M
harmed. About One-half Ofthe CHM
neys were cut off, and of this number
say One-third thrown down. Some
buildings loStptheir Prevails and avn
ings, and much glass was broken in
Oakland, but the damages were not
severe.
1.-THE papers give so full account of
the damages done in this city thak 1
will refer you to the enclosed account
for the details. In taking a ramble
through the city l am surprised at the
little damage done. In my part of
the town no apparent harm is done.
The buildings whose walls have been
seriously cracked are being braced up.
No well built edifice has been harmed
to any extent worth mentioning.
There have heeU a great many rumOrs
| of loss of life, but as far as l know the
fatalities-number four in this city and
oneat San Leandro. r-
"By the way, our trade yesterday,
the day after the shake, was unusually
large"
.rr---o-rr-- nm rCv-v-nT.~C nurEanru
QUAKE-THE VAPOR.
The San Francisco Bulletin has the
following:
''For several weeks preceding the
earthquake the climate phenomena
have been more remarkable alOng.this
coast than at any given period for
many previous years. The atmOs-
phere has been dull and Oppressive,
and so charged with vapOr as to at
tract general attention. IL is not an
uncommon occurrence to have a few
DAYS Of smoky atmosphere in the au-
tumn, a few weeks before the rains
set in. This usuallay results from fires
in the woods, which are often extern
sive in the coast range. And although
there were sever fires in this region
and more extensive ones in Oregon,
they do not furnish any satisfactory
solution TO the atmospheric phenOme-
ma under notice. The vapOr extended
seaward from n hundred to three
hundred miles westerly, and landward
in an easteFly direction, beyond the
slope Of the Sierra, making a breadth
of not less than five hundred miles.
I'VE find the same phenomena as
far north as Washington TerritOrOry
in the Puget Sound region, and as far
south SIS San Diego county, the south
ern limit of California, or extending
along the coast for a distance o ffifteen
hundred miles. The territory where
the same phenomena, has been wit
messed is probably much larger than
that described. We have only named
such extreme points as we have heard
from at this date. The atmosphere
WAS dense. and so charged with smoke
or other vapOr, that after nlghtfaIl
vessels navigating the bay and Sacra-
! mento river were obliged TO wait IOI
DAYLIGHT. Vessels attempting 10 en-
ter Goose bay, in the southern part O
j Oregon. were detained outside OF the
bar, in some instances, for i've OF SIX
weeks. At other coast ports great dit
fculties were experienced in making
the entrance even at midday. The
atmosphere had what old settlers
termed a burnt SMELL but was mort
oppressive at times than that knoWn
to result from the burning OF IoreSVs.
cit is now reasonably certain thai
this condition of the atmosphere was
not caused by fires either in Oregon Oh
this State. There have been no 7
sufficiently extensive to account fol
these p~ecuIiarities- There have beer
fires, extending alsng the coast range
for forty miles. and vet the smoke wa
noticeable in this city hardly more than
a week. The phenomena must De re
ferred to some other cause having, 8
close connection with the earthquake
of yesterday. It is said that h same
atmospheric peculiarities T recog'
niZed in South America as immediate,
" proceeding an earthquake. AND
there are many in this vicinity VINO
talked c0nfaantly4AboHt earthquake