Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-04-23

raE GREAT EARfHQUAKr AT LONE PINE.
SAN FRANCISCO. April s, 1879.

me dkEAT EAkTHQUAkE AT LONk PINE.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 8, 1872.
Col. Whipple arrived in this city last
evening from Lone Pine, Inyo county, in
this State, direct from the terrible scene of
the fatal earthquake which occurred at
Lone Pine, on the 10Th of March. This
gentleman bears bodily marks Of suffering
from his own building having fallen upon
him. and out Of the ruins Of which be had
most miraculous escape. He comes to
this city for the purpose of arousinE the
sympathy OF the people in behalf Of the
survivors Of the fatal occurrence. His
descriptions Of the sensations and terrors
endured during the earthquake are simple
but graphic and thrilling. He saysthat at
the time the first strong shock took place
he was fast asleep, but the force Of the
shock threw him out of bed, and almost
instantly he found the house tottering and
staggering until it fell, complete mass of
ruins. Only one means Of escape was left
him-a small hole through which he saw
the moonlight, and thus guided he escaped,
bruised and bleeding, into the open air.
Upon emerging the most heart-rsnding
sights were to be seen Those who had
escaped immediate death by the crash of
buildings were terror stricken men, women
and children running about bewildsrsd.
Fathers were weeping over the loss Of the
children, and mothers in agony sought
their babes. The wounded lying in the
wrecked houses groaned for help, and
here and there, In the pale moonlight of
the early morning, the faces of the dead
were to be seen In ghastly boldness.
As soon as the CONSERVATION had SUBJ
sided the survivors went to work with the
greatest energy to rescue the wounded
from their perilous positions. and draw
ont the dead from the ruins. In counting
up the number of the dead, thus 80 sud-
denly robbed of life. it was found that no
less than seventeen persons had been
killed instantly, and since then seven more
have died of wounds received. The village
of Lone Pine numbered about 800 inhabi-
tants, Of whom two-thirds received injuries
of serious character. The survivors. at
the time OF the departure of Col. Whipple,
were suffering severely for food and shell
ter, but some OF the nearest towns, dis
tance from 200 to 800 miles, were making
strenuous efforts to relieve them.
| The convulsions of nature caused by
this earthquake are among the most re-
markable that ever occurred in any coun-
try, and will form data for future earth
quake historians. An immense tract of
land in and about Lone Pine fell suddenly
down from five to ten feet, with a concus-
sion which seemed to shake the whole
earth. The suction Of the air was so
strong that men. women and horses were
wbirled about like straws. Owens lake,
some twenty miles long by seventeen
miles wide, rose from three to seven feet,
and consequently has greatly increased in
proportions. Another body of water Of
smaller extent, called Little lake totally
disappeared and its place is now marked
| as desert spot. Owens river, formerly
of large and turbulent power, became so
shallow that it is now easily forded by
foot passengers. All the bridges and
crossings in Owens river valley have been
thoroughly destroyed.
Through the vast chasm caused by the
sinking of the earth between Lone Pine
and Owens lake river runs with consid-
cradle depth and great velocity. Water
was never known to exist in the same
locality before. While the great shock
lasted Owens river ran up stream for sew
eral minutes, and in many instances over
flowed its banks, casting out swarms of
| fish. Another extraordinary freak of the
earth was the flashing of fires in the
mountains, caused by the attrition of
mighty masses of rock hurled from their
Businesses by the force of tho shocks As
the terror-stricken inhabitants looked up
towards the mountains, the fierce and fiery
element dazzled them. 1t seemed as
if so many spirit fiends were holding high
carnival in the wierd hours Of the morn
ing. A volcanic eruption is reported, but
lacks confirmation. The Indians have
tradition that in the days of their ancestors
less than 8 century ago, an active earth
quake could be seen from Lone Pine, and
the formation of the country, being
strongly indicative Of volcanic action. IS
somewhat corroborative Of the tradition.
On Tuesday last, the Goth of March,
when the first shocks were felt, Col. Whip
pie asserts that a dense smoke and fog
covered the whole valley, making the day
as dark as night. and obscuring every OBJ
ject beyond his extended hand. The air
was nauseous and sickening with gases;
the earth groaned like huge giant suffer-
ing from intense pain, and spit forth
flames of fire. These features, with that
terrible land unearthly feeling which
violent earthquake produces in the mind,
warned the people of what was to come.
But when and where the agonized earth
would burst forth they knew not until its
sudden throes as described.
From Tuesday the 26th OF March up to
April I'd yesterday, the latter being the
latest telegraph'dates from Visalia. which
is the nearest telegraph station TO Lone
Pine, the shocks had continued, and the
people were kept in q constant state OF
alarm.
On Wednesday. at the burial of the
dead. sad and appalling incident oc-
Cured. While family consisting of FIVE
persons, a mother, her three children and
two cousins were being inferred, q pow
erful shock occurred, when the grave in
stantly closed and the funeral cortege left
palsied At another time large opening
was made with view Of depositing there
in fourteen dead bodies, and while In the
act some slight shocks also occurred.
The total number Of deaths by the earth
Quake up to the presen..time Is estimated
ut twenty-six; thity-four dangerously
wounded, and large number with slight
injuries Several Of the inhabitants are
mentally wrecked by the awfnl calamity.
About three -fourths of the town is In ruins.