New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-05-02

loss of life or destruction to property, which,
Heaven knows, was sufficient. In this place
it was soon ascertained that every adobe,
brick or stone building, in town, was wholly
or partially destroyed The upper story of
the courthouse, a two-story brick, received a
send-away to the south, the lower walls left
standing, but crushed and cracked to the
foundation. County Clerk Hammerstrand
and Under Sheriff Moore were sleeping in
their offices on the first floor, but could not
get out until after the crash. This was most
fortunate for them, for the upper walls fell
outward, under which they would have been
buried; an instant later they had these to
climb.
The editor of this paper was awakened from
deep sleep to consciousness of the cries
of his terrified wife, or to even partial con-
ception of the terrible commissions of the
earth. With feeling of indescribable ter
ror, he reached the floor. Keeling and stag
gering like a drunken man for tlme-meas-
ured by the sensations it were an age-he
vanly sought to grasp from his crib sleep
ing child. 1t was an impossible task, for as
he staggered forward the crib rolled away,
and then came a shock that sent him back
against the bed. By some means to him UNI
known he finally got the child in his arms,
and started for the kitchen adjoining, light
frame. AT the moment crash was heard in
the office, directly overhead, where stood
couple of presses weighing over 2 GOO pounds,
which seemed to be breaking through the
floor above. Unlocking the outside door, he
threw the child to the heaving ground, and
returned to meet his wife, as she staggered
out with her sleeping babe. Amid the falling
plastering and crashing crOckery all escaped
without a scratch. The whole time thus oc-
cupied probably did not exceed fifty seconds,
and then the worst was over. The Junior
editor, who sleeps upon the same floor, was
awakened by the first movement, and opened
and passed through two locked doors with
the utmost difficulty, reaching the street in
safety, just as occurred the crash of the fall
ing buildings.
The nearest point to this place, where
complete destruction ruled rampant, is the
Eclipse Mill, where the superintendent,
Henry Tregallas, was killed in the ruins of
his house. When found by the terrified en-
ployes his arms were locked around the
almost inanimate form of his wife, both buried
in the debris, she badly injured, nearly suf-
located, and he quite dead. Every building
on the ground, save the frame mill, is RACED
to the earth, and it is absolutely wonderful
that none but Mr.. Tregallas fell Victims.
The greatest loss of life and destruction of
buildings occurred in theoOwn of Lone Pine,
1S miles south of this place. Every stone
and adobe building, comprising about three
fourths of that unfortunate place, Twas leveled
to the earth. Owing, probably, to the soft,
springy nature of the ground upon which it
stands, the destruction of even the class of
buildings above mentioned, was more COM
plete than elsewhere. Many of the dwell
lings, and with one or two exceptions, every
business house in the town was built of
adObes, and hence the great loss of life.
There were over 80 persons killed and
wounded in that place alone. The large
store of Loomis Bros, crowded with goods,
fell and buried up Rockwell LOOMS. The
debris caught fire close by where he was
lying, and near to large quantity of powder
in kegs. He owes his life, as many others,
to deed of heroism performed by William
Covington, who, in the midst of the quakings
and terror of the scene, and at the imminent
risk of his life, refused to abandon his help
less friend, and never ceased his efforts until
he had eXtinguisned the fire then tapping the
powder kegs, and got the wounded man out.
1t was a noble act. The worst hurt, though
not the only one sustained by Mr.. Loomis,
was in having one ear and a large portion of
his scalp torn away.
1t is quite out of the question for us TO note
the circumstances of the wOndrous escapes
and deaths of so many, or even to give names
of the sufferers, though many of them will be
found in another part of this issue. Soon
after daylight committees were organized to
look after wounded and dead, and to care for
the exposed property in the ruins. This last
was a wise precaution on the part of Deputy
Sheriff Begole, as was subsequently proved,
for amid all those terrible surroundings and
continued quakings, there were men so mex
pressibly mean as to rob the dead, one being
caught in the act.
Fissures in the earth are numerous and
extend all over the valley; no hurried de-
derful physical effects everywhere visible.
Vast creyasses have been opened, new lakes
formed, sinks of from ten inches to twenty
feet and covering acre after acre; cracks eX-
tending miles, the river partially damned
and turned, and the foothills are in places
rent with wide cracks.