The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1872-04-18
An Earthquake.


Dispatches from the volcanic district
in Inyo County, 400 miles southeast from
San Francisco. give additional details of
the earthquake disaster of Tuesday last.
The shocks continue, though with decress-
ed violence. 1t is remarkable that only
the single slight shock of Tuesday was
felt In central and northern California
Cerro Gordo is badly damaged. Some
buildings were thrown down. but only
one man was killed Lone Prairie ap-
pears to have been directly over the CEN
tire of the disturbance. Among the kill
ed at the latter place was MIR. Grey,
aged AZ, Dative of Texas. The remain
der were all Spanish Americans The
first slrock is described as like park of
artillery fred directly beneath the town.
Col. Whipple. who was in the second
story of an adobe house, states that he
had Just time to Jump from bed and ge:
to the doorway when the house appeared
to erumblc to pieces beneath him. He
was buried among the ruins, but succeed
ed in extricating himself from the debris,
suffering from several painful but not
dangerous wounds. The scene beggars.
Nearly the whole populace were buried
beneath the ruins. Cries fer help and
| screams Of pain from the wounded filed
tie 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. Oyer SOC
distinct shocks were felt between half
| past clock and sunrise. In fact, the
earth was in constant shake and trem
BILE for over three hours.
A chasm was opened extending 81
miles down the valley, ranging from three
| inches to 40 feet in width. Rocks were
torn from their places and rolled dowI
into the valley. Everywhere through
the valley are seen evidences of the ter
r;ble CONFUSION of nature. AT Swansea,
Col. Tregallas, of the smelling works
was killed. There is much desolatior
among the inhabitants. A Lone Pine
dispatch to-day, from Vissalia, says sew
eral shocks were felt in the city last night
and are still coming from the southeast
Persons anticipating the finding of i'm
mense chasms in the mountains east oil
US as soon as the snow disappears enough
| to admit of investigation.
! Rumors ola volcano In active operation
having been seen from the summit Of
Green Hood mountain, 60 miles south o.
| Visalia, are in circulation. but are consid
cred at least dubious. The Indians il
that vicinity have all left, fearing the re-
cnrrence of general CONFUSION Of nature
which, according to tradition. occurred
created what is now known as Owen:
river valley, but what was before chair
of mountains The section affected by
the earthquake is sparsely inhabited
mainly by people working silver bearing
lead mines.
Additional advices from Inyo county
place the number of killed by the earth
quake on Tuesday at 80, and the wound
ed at 100. In Desert county, stretching
from Owens lake to the Mexican line
are craters of ipnumerable volcanoes not
long extinct. Several mud volcanoes are
active. 1t is supposed by some that these
old volcanoes may be eruptive again.
| A gentleman from independence, as
serts that smoke and ashes from volca.
no are distinctly seen southwark of that
place, and word has been brought there
that lava was seen flowing down the
mountain. The report is not authentica-
ted. The shocks continued, decreasing
in force up to Thursday morning, when
| over 900 had been counted.
At Tibbett's rancho, Is miles above In
dependence, 10 acres of ground sunk
seven feet below the surface of the sur
rounding country. Big Ovens lake has
risen four feet since the first shocks
Owen river ran over its banks, deposi-
ting 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 sunk seven or eight feet.
leaving wall of earth extending for
miles in length where formerly was leyel
plain. Innumerable cracks were made
throughout the valley. Kern and Owen s
rivers turned and run up stream for sew
eral minutes, leaving their beds dry, and
finally returned with largely-increased
volume. There has been no parallel to
this earthquake since 1872, When the
missions of San Juan, Capestrano and
La Purissima, in southern California
were destroyed.