Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1872-04-06
California Earthquake.
MANY PERSONS KILLED AND
WOUNDED,

| WV ~ ~ GD'
San Francisco, March 80. - Despatche
from the volcanic district in 1nyo county
give additional details of the earthquake
disaster on Tuesday last The shocks still
| continue, though with decreased violence
1t is remarkable that only slight shocl
was felt on Tuesday in Central and North
ern California. Cerro Gordo was badly da
maged, having several buildings throwi
down and one man killed. Lone Pine ap
! pears to have been directly over the centr
of the disturbance. Among the killed q
the latter place was Mr. Gray, aged a
years, and native of Texas. The remain
der were all Spanish Americans.
The first shock is described as resemble J.
a park of artillery fred directly beneath tn,
town. Col. Whipple, who was in the sc
cond story of an adobe house, states tha
he had just time to jump from bic bed ant
go to the doorway, when the house appeared
to crumbc TO pieces. lie was buried
among the ruins, but succeeded in eXtricat
ing himself from the debris, receiving seve
veral severe but not dangerous wounds
The scene beggars description. Nearly the
whole populace was buried under the ruins
Cries for help, and screams of pain from
the wounded beneath the ruins filled the
air, while those who escaped were calling
for aid TO rescue fathers and children.
The first shock was followed in quick
succession by three others. Over three
hundred distinct shocks were felt between
half past two n. IN. and sunrise in fact,
the earth was in Il constant tremble for ov-
cr three hours. A chasm was opened to
the extent of 30 miles down the Valley, and
varying from three inches to forty feet in
width. At Swanzua, Colorado, Tregelos,
pf thn Sp1plt tinT Nnrlyc u.n lilln1 4
desolation prevails throughout the vicinity
of Lone Pine. a despatch to-day from Vi
salia says that several shocks were felt in
that city last night and are still coming
from the southeast.
Persons anticipate finding immense
chasms in the mountains east of us as soon
as the snow disappears enough to permit
investigation. There arc rumors of vol
cano i'll active operation having been seen
from the summit of Greenhood Mountain,
sixty miles south of Visalia. The Indians
in that vicinity have all left, fearing the re-
currenCe of Il general convulsion Of nature
which, according to their traditions, occur
ed in that region one hundred years ago,
and created what is known as Ovens Riv-
er Valley, but which was before q chain of
mountains The section affected by the
was sparscly inhabited, mainly
by people engaged in working silver-hear-
ing lead mines.
Further advices from Inyo county place
the number killed by the earthquake at
thirty, busides one hundred wounded. In
the desert country, stretching from Owens
lake to the Mexican line, are innumerable
craters of not long extinct volcanoes be-
sides several mud volcanoes, and it is sup
posed that some of these old volcanoes may
be i'll eruption again.
\ gentlemen from Independence asserts
that smoke and ashes from n volcano were
distinctly seen southward from that place,
and word had been brought there that lava
was seen flowing down the mountain, but
this report is not authenticated. The shocks
continued decreasing in force up to Thurs
day morning, when over one thousand had
been counted.
AT Tibbitt's Rancho, fifteen miles above
independence, forty acres of ground sunk
seven feet below the surface ofthe surround
ing country.
Big Owens lake has risen four feet since
the first shocks. Owens river ran over its
banks, depositing shoals of fish on shore,
and afterwards receded. For distance of
three or four miles, through Lone Pine, the
earth cracked. One side remains stationa-
ry, while the other side sank seven or eight
feet, leaving n wall of earth, extending over
three miles in length, where formerly was
a level plain. Iunumerable cracks were
made throughout the valley.
Kern and Owens rivers turned and ran
lP stream for several minutes, leaving
their beds dry, and finally returned with
largely increased volume. There has been
no parallel to this earthquake since 1912,
when the missions of San Juan Capistrovo
md La Parisina, in Southern California,
Wore DESTROYED.