The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1869-02-04
The Earthquake.


Almeda, Cal. 1t is interesting;
HAYwooD, CAL, Dec. 27, '6S.
= s. = l suppose you are
anxious to learn something more
about our great Earthquake. | do
not know what you have seen in the
papers about it. I do not think they.
did it justice, for l noticed q disposi..
ton on oh the part Of all the papers,
that l saw giving description, to-
cover UP aud make it appear as tri-
fling an affair as possible, doubtless
for the purpose of qnioting in the
minds of those intending to emigrato
to California the idea that we we're
I of a "shakS condition"
| 1t is an easy matter to describe
the effects Of il on the country at
large, but no one can fully describe
the sensations, or their feelings, when
obliged to experience the terrific fear
that the heavy shock ofan earthquake
inspires. Man can face death in
many waysEzcan stand and face dan
gerous wild beasts, aud can stand
with face to the cnemy,with its dead
ly cannon, aud missiles of death flying;
many dangers may surround him, the
elements may seem to be turned
loose upon him at once, yet with all
this there is hope his foot is on
old mother earth. It is necessarily
with Us all foundation, and we all
feel that it Is a good and substantial
one. The good old earth seems to
be final resting place for all things,
mortal and perishable. When this
foundation, the foundation of all
other foundations, commences to
tremble and shake, then hope is sed
aud terror takes its place-a terrific
terror, and one that no one has pow
er to describe.
As it has taken place, ath glad
that 1 witnessed it, but l assure you
| am no CLIFTON in such matters |
have no desire to witness arother.-
| cannot compare it to anything but
an-earthquake.
Financially, we suffered but little,
possibly twenty dollars. Our house
happens to be only one story one
no chamber and somewhat spread out
on the ground. 1t stood the ia,
pretty we'll. Our chimney was sha-
ken down as low as the joists
overhead. 1t came with a crash,
breaking down with its weight the
ceiling, lining, &C., that Surrounded
it. Our buttery suffered some, in
the shape Of broken ctockery. II
threw neatly everything off the
shelves on the floor, and such a mix
turb Of milk, creath, bottles Of vine
gar, Of liniment; different kihds OF
medicine, preserves, canned fruit,
sugar, salt, pepper, pics, cakes, bread
and butter you never saw. Go into
your own buttery and imagine you
see everything thrown from the
shelves to the floor and nearly all the
glass and crockery broken, and you
have an imaginatory view of oul
domicil. | tell you it did not look
or feel much like home. Many 9th.
ers suffered more than we did. 1t wa:
considered the hardest at Haywood
Of any place in the State. A large
brick warehouse about 300x60 feet
built in the shape Fan Il, was made
perfect wreck-not 6ne brick left
upon another, in proper position
A large grist mill was also turned
nearly upside down, tho weight il
the upper story causing it to nearly
turn over. The warehouse had 200.
900 sacks of grain stored in it. The
, house was total loss, but the grain
was not much damaged. The whole
tom was badly rackcd and shattered
hardly house but what was sha'
ken out Of position. They tumbled
= off their foundations, which wor
mostly timber and blocks. Some
houses fell into cellars.
There was no one injured seriously
at Haywood, ard it was a wondol
too but at our county seat the Cour
House, (brick,) fell into ruins ani
killed the Deputy County Clerk =
Many casualties occurred in Sau
Francisco. The earth opened il
many places, and water and quick
sand gushed up. Thefc were plenty
J of cracks from four inches to one foo
wide at the top that could be traced
, for miles, and when these crack,
} crossed d board or picket fence, i
was torn apart and broken, as wei
as the ground. Our road in som,
places passes up the side of stceE
hill aud the bank is cut until the
road is made in some places in the
rock and others in the dirt, and il
both cases it looks all shivered aut
: cracked.