New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-27
HILLS AND DESERT SHAKEN.
TIE CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE.
no DAMAGE DONE TO INHABITED PORTIONS o.
THE sTArE-MoUNTAINs LOST THEIR
pEAKs-A VOLCANO SAID TO
HAVE BURST FORTH.

HAVE BURST FORTH.
Los Angeles. Call March 13.-On the night Of Feb.
mary % South California shaken by an earth
| quake II did no damage, except to the nerves OF
tourists from the East who at the ume "ere All Ill
| bed and who when aroused by the trempies rusheo
out OF hotels and houses regardless whether tey mao
| Oh any clothes or not.
Ac far az can he learned the shake extended from
the northern edge of Los Angeles County we'll down
,nto Lower California and particularly forcefu In
that region so full OF mysteries, the Coloado DESERT
This region, extending from the western iii Oh sun
Dernardiao and san Diego counties to the Coioaoo
| River and southwark well into the peninsula, Is vir-
tually terra nc0gnita though II has oeeh uaVeheo
many times there have been little or no ehaoie da,a
recorded and its features are less constantly
changing.
had an interview yesterday with Archibald Camp
bell an DID, rugged desert man., who lives AT Camp''
I'm san Diego County, mining camp from winch inc
SIN baked stretches OF the desert can be seen INF "
the east and south. Mr.. Campbell had Just returned
from tnp TO an oasis In the sandy waste cahea
81 rancho Valecltos,' and he had experienced the
novel sensation Of seeing nature play game OF shs
with mountain tops. made running notes Oh MS
story and give 1t In his own words:
"Yos, It was a most interesting trip. LETT campo
m the morning of February 23 having to go to VAL
,citos on some business We descended to the desert
from the Laguna Mountains. The elevation at inc eop
Of the trail is 800 feet at the foot of the trail gooo
sone,s throw from the top, 1000 feet ana NJ Vaeci'os
| 1,475 feet. .,.o ..,,,
"There we're four party, and we went in'o oap
ab0nt O'Clock The day had been clear, but iei"e
her noticing Just before went TO sleep that the Say
was cloudy. and thought presaged rain
After being asleep some time, was arouseu o' INV
adobe house We in rocking like Doa' oo p'A|.
falling about me, and the r1fters creahhs' hi's
thought that horses, which had beeh pAoeu N 'ns
next ROOM had got loose and were kicking at the wall
7 dyvhaf was
made rush for the OPEN There every thing was shaAhs
swaylng under our feet, and the air filled Win du'
continuous roar much like the boom OF surf on beach,
hut much more regular and louder ms WAS ih'er-
persed with the bang Of heavy rocle falling from the
mountains beside and an occasional CRUSH When e'
Gently hinge masses of earth and stones broken
| loose.
1.-THE shock that aroused us was the heaviest
| lighted a match and looked at my watch, ana hoee
| the time as IL 40 The waves OF mouon aPPearoa "
run from the northeast; they kept coming with vary
ing intensity the remainder Of the night, with par
,cuarIv heavy one at about O'Clock which made the
rocks and earth roll down the mountains In very d'-
| agreeable At this time 1t was nsht enough
to see and | tell you 1t was rather bloodcurdnns "
see those mountains, which Will average ''ooV iee'
HIGH rolling and twisting and bending as II they "er'
drunk Everything was shaking The sand PLAN re-
sponded 10 the noddng Of the peaks never felt so
small and helpless in my life. Why, saw masses OF
rock and earth which / am safe in saying must ha'o
weighed hundreds Of tons tumoled on ana sfa''eioA
down the side II they were pebbles cast IRON SONS
| giants hand. 49,.
| There was one mountain about mile southwest
~ Ms which We saw lose half its peak. The fragment
rolled down till It stopped BY another mountain
We visited II the next day and measured the marx lert
on the side by the falling mass. and found II was
quarter OF a mile wide. some OF the masses OF rocA
| were as large az big building
During all the day the tremors kept coming We
| sho
next morning three Of pulled out by another tra 10
the Lagrna trail was gerous nom the constant
fusade of falling rocks. We got TO George Meoaih -
| on the TERRA Blanco, and found his house WRECKED
| Nat Ciounee had just about completed new ADOBE
house. and II was cracked all to pieces, and was
tumbng In. Jesse Gainers's new house was also made
uninhabtabc Peter McCan's house had toppled down,
and Fred Asbecks house. at the junction OF the Vale
citos and Cartso creeks the desert, had fallen IN
| completely.
1.-The Indians are all badly scared through the desert
The Saton episode last upset their faith in the
good spirit who Is supposed to look after their inter-
| ess and many tribes which from time immemorfal
had lived the desert took TO the mountains. Now
this temblor has ruined their faith in the hills They
have all left Jacumba the springs which were their
only OF water supply disappeared with the hFst
| shake, and never came back.
Another fact noticed on my way back was the con-
dtlon OF the bouder which numerous on the SAND
OF the desert the foothills. Every big rock e4-
amined loose In It's bed and the larger the rock
the It had been moved. some having been moved
| a space OF two inches all around
George Carpenter, who is large stock raiser In the
Campo country out the desert day after the
earthquake. hunting for band OF missing cattle He
| states that he found number OF assures which has
existed before These were from twelve TO twen
-four inches wide, and apparently had no bottom In
passage between two walls Of rocky hills where the
| old Yuma stage road passes he found the way CON-
| Dle cked w
down.
II Is interesting question now whether the shake
up has caused the formation Of new volcano. one
sprang into existence In the region inhabited by the
Cocopah indians. the Guf, last year, and after
| splitting fire and smoke for time, subsidized again.
There are number Of rumors exant 10 the effect
that "A new one has been created. Some proSpectorS
have been work the east slope Of the Laguna
Mountains report seeing bright light at night and
masses Of smoke in the day in the vicinity of tho
Cocopah Mountains. As there is nothing to burn in
that country that would make blaze which could 10
seen quarter Of mile. much less forty fifty miles,
il Is reasonable suppose that Of natures safety
valves has been opened there.
The reputation California has being earth
quake country is greatly undeserved. The State
from its earliest days down. has experienced
one hundredth part the damage that experienced
at Charleston, ;. c. The last earthquake OF any
note occurred in 1872, in the spring. and did no
damage beyond that the apocryphal
story OF lone horseman at Inyo, Independence
County, who the earth open under his animal
and Just had time 10 throw himself TO side
his sced sank out OF sight and the chasm closed up
again with Il snap, burying the horse.
Then I'm SOS san Francisco treated TO
citing disturbance. The shocks sufficiently
forcibe to toppe down few shaky walls To keep
the population out in the streets for hours.
but they stopped before anything serious happened.
There has been only incident OF the kind In
ata uhic Of Tho par ~ ayadv
and this happened at probably the seepiest, most
peaceful, spot I'm the country. The thousands Of
travellers who have visited san Diego and Coronado
~ Ill H.. r-nilrn