Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-08
THE GREAT EARTHQUAKE.
Scenes and Incidents i'm the
Streets Of San Francisco.
Destruction Of Property and
Loss Of Life.
From the Alta Californian. Oct. p.

From the Alta Californian, Oct. q.
At precisely six minutes to eight o'clock
this morning the most severe earthquake
which has occurred since the occupation of
California by the Americans shook our
city. The general excitement prevailing
throughout the city, renders it difficult to
give anything like an accurate account of
the amount of damage done or the number
Of casualties. This is the first earthquake
that has ever caused loss of life in San
Francisco, and the amount of damage
caused is unquestionably greater than that
caused by the shock of October 8, 1865.
When the great shock eliminated
stampede from building in The city took
| place Hundreds of horses on the streets,
frightened By the rush of people, took
fright and ran away, adding to the danger,
and excitement of the moment. As the
| fire and battlement walls and heavy avn
ings were coming down in all the lower
/ part of the city, numerous casualties, more
or less severe, occurred, and there was a
considera bic loss of life. We give the
! different incidents as they came to our
knowledge, and will complete the list as
fast as possible.
W. Strong, whilst rushing from the
! Scientific Press Office, on Clay street, was
struck BY piece of the falling cornice and
instantly killed. He was native of Con-
| necticut, and aged twenty-six years.
VIM. Best, a native Of Ireland, whilst
| working in the yard OF the Accidental
Hotel, was killed by falling chimney.
Chester, of l27 Kearney street, fell while
! coming down the front stairway of that
building, in his endeavor 10 reach the open
air. and fractured his Left leg just above
the knee.
A tinsmith named Mansfield, was killed
by a falling piece of cornice on Gay street.
Blumenthal, proprietor of the Empire
State restaurant, below Kohler's store, on
S4nsome street, was severely injured. He
was about running out of his restaurant
when he was struck on the head by some
of the falling bricks from above and
| Knocked senseless, receiving severe cuts.
He was conveyed across the street to the
| drugstore, and from thence to his residence,
where he now lies in very critical condi-
| ton.
A mason, working on the walls of the
new Cavalry church building, on the
corner CT Post and Powell streets, is re-
ported badly, if not fatally, injured, by
falling from a scafolding.
The streets were filled with people
men, women and children, seeing the
sights" congratulating each other that it
was no worse, undertaking and laughing,
snd running about generally as if at a
show or fair. The impression stranger
/ would gain from the faces Of those on the
| streets would be that some pleasurable ex-
citement had occurred. Certainly there
| was nothing in the appeance Of our peo-
| pie TO indicate that i calamity had be.
| fallen them, or that their confidence in
the stability Of San Francisco had been
| shaken for a moment
When the momentary panic occurred,
at twenty-three minutes past ten o'clock,
| we noticed several women who tainted, or
were unable 10 move for terror, but this
| special excitement subsidized very quickly,
indeed, not lasting more than five minut es
at the utmost.
Levi Struss & Co.'S building erected
bat few months, at the corner Of Kearney
street and ST Mark place, ia cracked
through and through.
| At the Nuclus Hotel, corner of Market
and Third streets, the chimney over the
dining-room fell clear through the roof,
| leaving an opening of nearly ten feet;
luckily a number of the boarders, who
we're sitting at the breakfast table, had just
got up. No considerable damage was done,
except the breaking of large quantity of
dishes and tables.
| At the Office of the Hebrew newspaper,
on Sacramento street, nearly the whole Of
the type was pied, and everything in the
Office was thrown into confusion.
At Reese's block, on Battery street, each
of the fine large stores in this TOW of build
ings received very severe shocks, the walls
vibrating several inches, and the whole
building sank in the same manner. In the
cellar of the store of Mannheim, Scouwas-
ser & Co., the floor gave way over Elk
inches, and the whole cellar was filled with
water in very few moments.
The Synagogue Sheriff Israel, on
Stockton street, was damaged to some ex-
tent, the front aud part of the interior hav-
ing given way.
Tie store Of c. 2. Rank & Co, No. 3l6
| Sacramento street, is shaken completely
to pieces The front stands uninjured, but
the side walls caved in, letting thereof and
second floor down upon the goods for two
thirds of the length of the building. Their
stock is damaged TO the extent of several
thousand dollars Their store at Redwood
City was also ruined, and the roof falling
in, completed the wreck.
Bancrofl's bookstore building, at the
corner of Montgomery and Merchant, is
badly damaged-the front being in danger
of falling. Barriers have bsen put up to
prevent people passing in front OF the
building on the sidewalk. Blake's hat
store on the other side of the street, near
Clay, is in a like condition.
The brick building belonging to Chas.
: Moneypenny, built in 1852, at l3S Natona
, | street, and occupied as boarding house
was ruined One half of the walls were
thrown down, and party of workmen are
now engaged in pulling down the rest. Nc
lives lost.
, The residence of Farmer, 144 Natoma
/ street, is a complete ruin, though still
2 standing. The walls are in such condition
/ that the family have moved out, and the
e building must be pulled down.
e The chimney of the gas'works, cor
G ner of Howard and Fremont streets, fell
t but the damage is not so great as to inter
fere with the supply Of gas, and will soor
= be repaired.
J Sad news reaches us from the country
3 Each dispatch carries a sadder tale. Ii
g San Leandro, Alameda county, the Court
d house fell down, and buried the prisoner
under its ruins. The County Treasure
~ was killed. In oakland a train of car
% was thrown from the track, and nearly al
y the brick buildings were demolished. Lo
, Angeles il entirely in ruins. San Jos
~ suffered severely. In short, we go abou
feeling that our lives are not worth pin
fee. If there are no more shocks and NJ
: tidal wave TO prevent me, | will give 20
- f1rth er news tomorrow.
u The Shot-tower, in the southern part c
~ the city, suffered somewhat, but did nc
fall.
le The back chimney of the County Hoapi
u tai, at North Beach, fell, but no one wa
injured by it.
to A portion OF the gable end of the asyluL
s- for the blind, at the Mission Dolores, fe
a down, but nobody was injured.
he The chimney OF the Mission street schoC
or house fell without injuring anybody.
Is The Mission wooden mill were reporte
It badly damaged, but we are assured tha
IT. the rumor is an exaggeration.
al The new walls of the building of Wei
man, Peck & Co., on the east eide of Fror
- street, one door north of Clay, are shake
a to such an extent as to reader the pr
- misses untenable.
IS The whole of the battlement walls {
&c Kohler's building, on Sansome street, b
,or tween Clay and Commercial, fell in.
"a The walls of the old American theate
n, on the corner of Sansome and Hallet
,os streets, were badly shaken. The archwa