Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-05-03
Earthquake in California.

on the Pacific coast. The follow
ing incidents in addition to those
already published, are given:
ACCOUNT BY AN EYEWITNESS.
Mr.. A. G. Diggins, Of San Fran
cisco, was at Independence, Inyo
county, at the time Of the earth
quake. He says. that OH the day
proceeding the earthquake very
high winds prevailed ut Indcpcn-
dencc and over the whole of the
valley, but at night it subsidized and
became perfectly calm. The first
trcmor awakened him. but before
he could spring from his bed it was
demolished and fell to1the floor, the
center table tumbled over, and the
house pitched and roexcd like a row
boat in rough sea. The building
was strong frame one, and conse-
quently was not thrown down. He
describes the noise which accom-
panied the shock as appalling. 1t
seemed as if the mighty mountains
skirting the valley were breaking
up and rolling into plains below
the sound was in the air and under
their feet, and its reverberations
through the tumbling mountains
were as terrific as the noise itself.
He says the first shock was a COM
pound one, osclllatory and vertical.
He ran into the street, and in the
clear moonlight saw that every
abode and brick house in the town
was in ruins. The ground hcaved
and vibrated, and then as the awful
sound died in it's far-off' echoes those
who had escaped from their crum-
bling dwellings, aghast and almost
specchless with terror, hoped the
catastrophe was over. But almost
instantly, away to the south, down
the narrow valley towards Lone
Pine, was heard a sharp and thun-
dering explosion rs Of a thousand
columbiads fired at once. The
people braced themselves for the
shock, nearer and nearer came the
appalling noise, and as the shock
advanced thousands upon thousand
of huge rocks tumblcd from the
crags on either hand and crashed
with deafening din into the ravines
and upon the edges of the valley
below. Then came the noise under
their feet, and with it the awful,
sickening, and terrifying uplitt and
swing of the earth. The-peoplc ran
to and fro; some screamed, some
prayed, others stood still and watch
cd the course of things with stoical
Indifference. They soon learned
that but one or two persons had
been killed there, and yet none knew
what the end might be, for the
earth vibrated constantly. At short
intervals would be heard away off
in the direction Of Lone Pine and
the lake that terrible boom! as if
the very mountains themselves were
splitting in twain. Not only did
tens OF thousands of rocks and
boulders rolling down the noun
tains add to the confusion of the
scene, but in the Sierra, on one side
fthe valley, avalanche after avail
anche of snow was sent laundering,
booming almost screaming, down
from the regions of enternal frost
and ice to the CULTS below. People
living near Independence, at points
where they could see plainly the
sides of the mountains on either
hand, told him that at every sue
ceeding shock they could plainly
see in hundred places at once
bursting from the rifted rocks great
sheets of flame apparently thirty or
fifty feet in length, and which would
coil and lap about moment and
then disappear. He says these
flames could not have been caused
by friction Of rocks and boulders
coming down the mountains, for in
his own neighborhood there were
plenty of these, but no fire visible.
In one place he saw an immense
ledge or drift of whitened and
broken rocks forced out of the
mountains and fall like an immense
dump from some mining tunnel
down its side. When daylight
came the entire valley south Of In
dependence and towards Lone Pine
was filed with smoke and dust, and
in places, people said, the fumes
of sulphur were almost suffocating.
The clouds of smoke extended from
Fish Springs south, as far as the
eye could reach. Numerous springs
were dried up instantly and others
broke out in other places, while the
flow of water from all was greatly
increased. In one little stream
three or four inches deep the water
was thrown upward to the height
oftwo or three feet over foot-bridges.
A man had several RATS moorcd IN
the river near Independence, laden
with lumber, and each was thrown
high and dry. Mr.. Diggins saw
springs of water forced out Of the
mountains where bcforc the rocks
had been as dry as powder houses.
From the time of the first shock till
daylight, the noises and shocks
were incessent. At one place large
sections of the valley had subsidized
about ten feet, leaving an abrupt
perpendicular bank a, the sides. In
many places the ground was thrown
into ridges and mounds five or six
feet high, and in every direction
were signs of the destructive agen-
cies that had been at work-all,
however, decreasing in number and
extent as they travelled north.
Cattle and horses were thrown pros
tratc during the heavier shocks,
and their believing and ncighing
were pitiful to hear. &
Curiosities Of Animal Li1o.