Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-09-12
SOME REMARKS
About Earthquakes In General and Califor-
mia Quakes I'm Particular.
Ne1g York Times.

1 hOdoS WV NAhS vi NAAH NANNS - NNS
of its true character, and hence hone of US
enjoyed it. To be sure, we heard a rumble
and a rattle and felt a terrible jar, which
shook the building, but supposed it was
only another be falling down stairs The
fact is there are about 80 small boys here
in a permanent state of eruption, and no
such insignificant phenomenon as an earth
quake can be expected to attract immedi-
ate attention, and the Major says he feels
as though he had been swindled. lido not.
l passed 10 years in California, and in
those days earthquakes were in fashion,
and sometimes occurred with such violence
| and frequency IS to be monOtonOus, and l
really think | can be content to live IN a
| sbockleSs neighbOrhOOd, worry along with
cyclones and epidemics, and leave the APP
I petite for subterranean excitement to youn-
ger and more enthusiastic natures. There
is something i'll bred in an earthquake. 1t
comes right along without sending in q
card, and in good old Pacific coast the hrSt
warning a citizen got was TO have n yard or
80 of chimney drop down his back and see
his house swap lots with his n%eighbOr'S.
Travelling from Los Angeles to Fort TeJon,
when | was a small boy, remember seeing
a fissure 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 50 miles long, and quite
as interesting as it was cracked up to be.
At Fort TETON. in 1859, we had a pond OF
several acres area just back OF the barracks
and an earthquake came along one night
and drank it NJ much to the disgust oil
several thousand bullfrOgs, who were com
PEELED to get up q four-mile jumping match
To a swamp down the valley. But the first
treat shock | went through was that OF
October ;, 1865, which shOOku up the whole
State of California, scared Oregon half to
death. and even excited comment III Ne
vada and Utah. 1t came along about l
O'Clock in the afternoon, accompanied by
the usual rumble. | was IN the %ynaSlum
trying to break my back on the flying ira
peze, when my attention was suddenly
called to the fact that j was violently
thumped against the the side OF the build
inc, and then that a lot OF loose timbers
were floating rapidly down from the raft
ers. | ran to the campus, saw the chapel
bowling to the dOTmitory and the clock
tower TRYING to waltz, and heard the
wretched timbers shrek and groan; then
the bells rang out a wild and dlsc0rdant
peal, and falling chimneys and shattered
class were added tothe tumultuOus clamor
of the frightened Professors and the yell
ing of 400 fitting boys, while above all
this chaotic sound rose the mighty roar OF
the convulsion, Us of the grinding OF
acres of flint and the rushing OF many
winds. Then suddenly boys and build
ings recovered their perpendicular, and the
Rector came out from the cellar, and after
he had recovered his breath told us that 1t
was an earthquake, but that we mustn't be
scared, for we were all III the hands OF Il
benignant Providence, and-here 4 second
shock came along and the Rector Skipped
down cellar again.
The next great earthquake happened
along at $40 on the morning OtOctOber Il,
lS6S. | was in Il third-stOry room OF the
Occidental Hotel, i'll San Francisco, ana
enjoying n cigarette, when 4 slight rafting
of the sash drew my notice. 1t cOntlpued
nine or ten seconds and then ceased. | knew
the shock was over, and congratulated my
self on having had nerve enough to lie abed
while il lasted. Suddenly the building
rose vertically about Il yard and descended
again with Il thump which brought down
every inch of plaster in my room. Thenlt
rose again, and this time shattered the
window. The third upheayal fetched down
half the chimney, and thought 1t was
time to get up and see what thcOthcr half
intended doing. Then the hotel INDUCED
i'm q liz, varied by an occasional wind
pirouette, and the motion was something
| ike that OF Il runaway street car oil the
trace, but more active and noisy, and
sounds from the corridors convinced me |
WAS not the only resident who was enjoying
il. 1t was rather early i'll the morning,
but somehow everybody seemed TO have
walked up full OF activity and enthusiasm,
and there were scrub races along every hall
to see who would get down stairs first, and
the prevailing scenery was something Ike
/ that of a ballet. | had a squirt down two
I flights with Il fat lady wrapped in Il blank
. ct and held my own pretty well, but she
| cleared the last nine stairs in one motion
and won, but lost the blanket. When we
| all arrived i'm the rOtunda the clerk said he
thought it was and earthquake, and Slldl
lasted lust St seconds and | was sorry
WAS | hadn't arisen SOOne and been down
in time to see the 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 com
poundeda general prescription on the floor;
every mule and horse on the street had Ia
ken it into his head to run away, and the
th~roughiare was lined with spOkes and
harness; the sidewalks were a mass OF
broken glass, pulverised chimncyS, and
MASTER; there was 4 crack on Market-Strect
two blocks long and q foot wide, and sew
eral witnesses were ready to he sworn To
the Statement,th during the upheaval
they had seen itOpen and shut like a clam;
eight CHASTITY corpSes were carried to the
mOrguc, victims of n misplaced belief that
IL was safer To run out of 4 building than
stay within; there was nOt less than 81
shocks during the day; everybody camped
in the streets that night, Il there was Il
reign of terror generally for a week. The
damage in window glass, crOckery, plaster
and brickwOrk amounted, II is said, to
so, 900, 900, but | think the surprise it
gave was worth more than twice that
amount.
Ifs man wishes to act according to rule
during earthquakes he had better make up
his mind beforehand and commit the plan
to memory, for scientific observers have
noticed a general tendency to hurry and
disorder during an active uphcaval. Old
Californians, when IN unusually sharp
shock comes, get in the doorway or undo
an arch, avoiding thus the falling plaster,
and the position is u safe one unless the
walls themselves crumble. To run out
doors is highly dangerous; n Is apt to
catch the broken glass and falling chimncys
to say nothing of walls and corniceS.
Perhaps. after all, the safest way isto 60
up in a balloon the day before and stay
there till the trouble is over.
The Major is, of course, d~readtully cut
I'M because he did not know the nature OF
this last earthquake until after it was
over, for, he says, he would like to have
studied the character and direction of the
oscillations; but Dick says he was with the
Major during the shock of 81, and the
Major promptly recognized it by going
down stairs nine at n time and oscillating
in the direction of fresh air. The Major
~