Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-09-06
SEISMOLOGY.
Earthquakes in General and Cali
fornia Quakes in Particular.

From the Neao York Times.
CATsKILL, n. Y, Sept. 2.-There is a
great deal of lamentation here over the
fact that although every one in the house
felt the earthquake no one was aware Of
its true character, and hence none of us
enjoyed it. To be sure we heard rum
BILE ana ra tile and felt a terrible jar,
which shook the building, but supposed it
was only another boy falling down stairs.
The fact is there are about fifty small
boys here in permanent state OF erup-
ton, and no such insignificant
phenomenon as an earthquake
can be expected to attract i'm
mediate attention, ana the Major
says he feels as though he had been
swindled. L do not. l passed sixteen
years in California, and in those days
earthquakes were in fashion, and some
times occurred with such violence and
frequency as to be monotonous, and |
really think L can be content to live in
shockless neighborhOod, worry along
with cyclones and epidemics, and leave
the appetite for subterranean excitement
10 younger and more enthusiastic ma
lures. There is something ill bred in an
earthquake. 1t comes right along with
out sending in a card, and in good old
Pacific coast days the first warning a
citizen got was to have a yard or
so of chimney drop down his back and
see his house swap love with hi s
neighbor's. Travelling from Los Angeles
to Fort TETON, When / was small boy,
remember seeing a assure from 20 TO 100
feet wide and Of unknown and sunless
depth, which was caused by one of the
little shocks of the last century. 1t IS 80
miles long, and quite as interesting as it
was cracked up to be. At Fort TETON, in
1859. we had pond OF several acres area
Just back Of the barracks, and an earth
quake came along one night aud drank it
up, much to the disgust of several thou
sand bullfroGs. who were compelled to Get
up tour-mile jumping match to a
swamp down the valley. But the first
great shock | went through was that
of Oct. 3, 1865, which shook up the
whole State of California; scared Oregon
half 10 death, and even excited comment
in Nevada and Utah. 1t came along about
l O'clock in the afternoon, accompanied
by the usual rumble. l was in the gym
pasium trying 10 break my back on the
flying trapeZe, when my attention was
suddenly called TO the fact that | was vio-
lently thumped against the side Of the
building, and then that a lot OF loose tim
bers were floating rapidly down from the
ratters. L ran TO the campus, saw the
chapel bowling to the dormltory and the
clock tower trying to waltze and
| heard the wrenched timberS shrek
and groan; then the bells rang out
a wild and discordant peal, and falling
| chimneys and shattered glass were added
| to the tumultuous clamor of the fright
ened professors and the yelling OF 400 fiit-
| ting boys, while above all this chaotic
sound rose the mighty roar OF the con-
| vulsion, as OF the grinding of acres OF flint
and the rushing of many winds. Then
/ l. hi a
their perpendicular, and the rector came
| out from the cellar, and after he had re.
| covered his breath told us that 1t was an
| earthquake, but that We mustn't be
| scared, for we were all in the hands of IA
benignant Providence, and-here second
shock came along and the rector skipped
down cellar again.
! Toe next great earthquake happened
| along at $40 on the morning OF Oct. 81,
1868. l was In a third-story room of the
| Occidental Hotel, in san Francisco, and
enjoying a cigarette. when sllg mt rat
| thing OF the sash drew ny notice. 1t con-
| tinued nine or ten seconds and then
ceased. l knew the shock was over, and
congratulated myself upon having had
| nerve enough TO lie abed while it lasted
| Suddenly the building rose vertically
about Il yard and descended again with a
| thump which brought down every inch
rose again, and this time shat.
tered tue window. The third up
heaval fetched down half the chimney.
| and | thought il was time TO get up and
see what the other halt intended doing.
Then the hotel INDUCED IN jig, varied by
an occasional wild pirouette, aud the mo-
| ton was something like that of a rum
away street car oil the track, but more
active and noisy, and sounds from the
corridors convinced me was not the only
! resident who WAS enjoying it. 1t was
rather early in the morning, but somehow
| every body seemed to have walked up to full
activity and enthusiasm, aud there were
scrub races In every hall to see who
would get down stairs first, and the
prevailing scenery was something like
that Of a ballet. / had a squirt down
two flights with a fat lady wrapped in Il
| blanket and held my own pretty well, bu t
she cleared the last nine stairs in one mo-
ton aud won, but lost the blanket. When
| we all arrived in the rotuuda the clerk
| said he thought IL was an earthquake, and
said it lasted Just tifty-siX seconds, and
! | was sorry / hadn't arisen sooner and
/ been down in time to see that clerk pull
! out his watch and time the phenomenon.
! At the corner was a large drug store. and
/ the earthquake had taken all the bottles
/ at once and compounded a general pre-
| scrlpton on the floor; every mule and
horse on the street mad taken it into his
| head to run away, and the thoroughfare
was lined with spokes and harness; the
sidewalks were "A mass OF broken glass,
! pulYerized chimueys and plaster; there
was a crack on Market street two blocks
! lOug and u foot wide. and several wit