Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-04-11
THE CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE.

the st.tc-Hcavy Loss OF Lilo and
Property.
Dispatches from the volcano district
in Inyo county, 400 miles southeast of
San Francisco, give additional details
OF the earthquake disaster on Tuesday
last. Shocks continue, though with
decreased violence. It is remarkable
that only the single slight shock of
Tuesday was felt in central and north
ern California. Cerro Gordo was badly
damaged. Some buildings were thrown
down, but only one man was killed.
Lone Pine seems to have been directly
over the center of the disturbances.
Among the killed at the::latter place was
Mr.. Grey, aged AZ, native of Texas.
The remainder were all Spanish Amer.
leans. The first shock Is described as
like park of artillery fred beneath
the town. Col. Whipple, who was in
the second story of an abode, states
that he had just time to jump from his
bed and reach the doorway, when the
house appeared to crumble to pieces.
He WAS buried in the ruins, but sue
ceeded in extricating himself from the
debris, suffering from fearful, but not
dangerous wounds. The scene beg
CARED description.
Nearly-au the populace was buried
beneath the ruins. Cries for help and
screams of pain from the wounded filed
the air, while those who escaped from
the ruins were calling for help to rescue
fathers, brothers, wives and children.
The first shock was followed in quick
succession by three others. Three hun
dred distinct shocks were felt between
half past two o'clock and sunrise. In
fact, the whole earth was in a constant
shake and tremble for over thirty hours.
A chasm was opened extending thirty
five miles down the valley, ranging
from three inches to forty feet in width.
Rocks were torn from their places and
rolled down into the valley. Every
where through the valley are seen evi-
dences of the terrible convulsion of ma
ture. There is much desolation among
the inhabitants. A Lone Pine dispatch
says that several shocks were felt in
hat city Friday night, and are still COM
ing from the southeast. Persons an
ticipate the finding of immense chasms
in the mountains as soon as the snow
disappears enough to admit of in
vestigation.
Rumors of volcanoes having been
seen in active operation from the sum.
NIT of Green Hood Mountain, sixty
miles south of Visalia, are in circula
ton, but are considered at best dubi-
GUS. The Indians in that vicinity all
left, fearing recurrence of general
convulsion of nature, which, according
to tradition, occurred there some hun
dred years ago, and created what is
now known as Owens River Valley, but
was before chain of mountains.
The section affected by the earth
quake is sparsely inhabited.
Additional advices from Inyo county
place the number of killed by the
earthquake on Tuesday at 80, and the
wounded at 100. In Desert county,
stretching from Owens Lake to the
Mexican line, are craters innumerable
of volcanoes not long extinct. Several
volcanoes are active. It is supposed
by some that these volcanoes may be
eruptive again. A gentleman from In
dependence asserts that smoke and
| ashes from volcano were distinctly
seen southwark of that place, and
word has been brought there that lava
was seen flowing down the mountain.
The report is not authenticated. The
shocks continued to decrease in force
up to Thursday morning, when over q
thousand had been counted. At Tib-
bets rancho, fifteen miles above indie
pendence, forty acres of ground
sunk seven feet below the
surface of the surrounding coun-
try. Big Owens lake has risen
four feet since the first shock, depos-
iting shoals of fish on the shore after
it receded. For distance of three or
four miles through Lone Pine the earth
cracked, one side remaining stationary
while the other side sunk deep, leaving
a wall of earth, extending three miles in
length, where formerly was q level
plain. Innumerable cracks were made
throughout the valley. There is no
parallel to this earthquake since 1872,
| when the mission of San Juan,
Capestrance and La Paressima, in
Southern California were destroyed. It
is, of course, matter of common con-
versation in California, but creates not
the slightest apprehension outside of
the district affected.