The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1872-04-11
My First Earthquake.
from the s'Innocents at Eome.I

A month after | landed in Sacramento
eojoyed my first earthquake. 1t vas
one which was long called the great
earthquake, and it is doubtless so distin
guished till this day. 1t was Just after
noon, on bright October day. L was
just coming down Third Street. The on
~ object in motion anywhere in sight in
that thick-bu;lt and populous quarter
were man in buggy behind me, and
street car vending slowly up the cross
street. Otherwise all was solitude and a
Sabbath stiffness. As turned the corn
er, around frame house, there was a
great rattle jar, and it occurred to me
that here was an item mo doubt fight
IN that house. Before | could turn and
see the door, there came really terrific
shock; the ground seemed to roll under
me In waves, interrupted by violent
Juggling up and down, and there was a
heavy grinding noise as of brick houses
rubbing together. [ fell up against the
frame house and hurt my elbow. knew
what 1t was now and from mere reporter
lal instinct, nothing else, took out my
watch and noted the time of day at that
moment third and still severer shock
came, and as [ reeled about in the pave
ment, trying to keep my footing, / saw
sight! The entire front ola tall four
story brick building in Third Street
sprang out like a door and fell sp~awling
across the street, raising dust like
great volume of smoke And here came
the buggy-overboard went the man, and
in less time than can tell you the vehicle
was distributed in small fragments along
500 yards of street. One could have
fanced that somebody had fred charge
of chair rounds and rags down the thor
oughfare. The street-car had stopped,
the horses were roaring and plunging,
and passengers were pouring out at both
ends, and one man had crashed half way
through glass window on one side of
side of the car, got wedgcd fast, and was
squirming and screaming like an impaled
mailman. Every door of every house, as
far as the eye could reach, was vomiting
stream of human beings; and almost
before. one could execute wink and be-
gin another, there was massed multi
tude of people stretching in endless pro-
cession down every street my position
commanded. Never was solemn solitude
turned into teeming life quicker. Of
the wonders wrought by''the great earth
quake" these were all that came under
my eye but the tricks it did elsewhere.
and far and wide over the town, made
toothsome gossip for nine days. The de-
struction of property was trifling-the
injury to it was widespread and some
what serious. The ''curiosties of the
earthquake were simply endless, Gen,
tlemen and ladies, who were sick, or were
taking a siesta, or had dissipated till
late hour and were making up lost sleep
thronged Into the public streets in all
sorts of queer apparel. and some without
any at all. One woman who had been
Washing uuhGu StII. uUNI Tue street
holding it by the ankles as lift were
dressed turkey, Prominent citizens who
were supposed to keep the Sabbath
strictly, rushed out of saloons in their
shirt sleeves, with billiard-cues in their
hands. Dozens Of men, with necks swath-
ed in napkins, rushed from BARRIERS shop
lathered to the eyes, or with one cheek
clean shaw cd and the other still bearing
hairy stubble Hprses broke from sta
bles and a frightened dog rushed up
short attic ladder and out on to a roof
and when his scare was over had not the
nerve to go down again tie same way he
had gone up. A prominent editor flew
down stairs, in the principal hotel, with
nothing on but one brief undergarment-
met chambermaid and exclaimed-"O
what shall | do Where shall [ go p
She responded with, naive serenity-''If
you have choice, you might try cloth