St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1892-04-28
CALIFORNIA; EARTHQUAKE.
Rev. Henry E. Jewett VividIy Describes
the Calamity.

the Calamity.
EDITOR OF THE CALIFORNIAN:
Your readers will have heard
through the daily press of the great
earthquake which occurred this
morning. Some particulars will
interest them.
My own experience was similar to
that of many others. At ten minutes
to three O'Clock l was awakened
from sleep by violent shaking and
rolling and twisting Of the bed.
Every thing in the room was in COM
motion. The whole house seemed to
be in the throes of dissolution
An Undesirable noise filled the ears.
The end of all things seemed posi-
bly, near. Crash succeeded crash.
When would all this end ? But it did
end in a few seconds.
After reassuring words to Younger
members of the family came a search
! for the results Of the earthquake.
Two chimneys had fallen, one to
! the ground and the other into the
house, crashing through the roof of
the ell, making an opening three
feet square in the roof, and breaking
through the ceiling of the dining
room. Another chimney was slight
1y damaged. Within the house vases
|
to the floor. Much chinaware was
broken. All movable articles were
| tossed about.
Many slight tremors followed the
great shock, but we all rested till
daylight.
An early visit to the village of
Vacaville, two miles distant, brought
to view a most distressing scene.
All the brick buildings in the place,
except the Congregational church,
were ruined. In that much plaster
ing fell, and three chimneys were lv
ing upon the ground. The fine public
school building, containing eight
large class rooms, has its walls so
badly injured that the house has been
pronounced unsafe, and it may have
to be rebuilt from the ceiling of the
first floor. The front wall OF every
brick store and office, with one or
two exceptions, has fallen into the
street, exposing the entire interior
to public gaze The sidewalks are
piled with bricks and mortar, the
floors of stores are a confused mass
of goods and timbers Most of these
stores must be levelled with the
ground, as the side walls are badly
cracked. In nearly every private
house, walls are stripped of plaster
ing, bric-a-brac and crockerv are
broken, and a few homes are wrecks
About half dozen people are in
jured The marvel is that none were
killed. One young lady was buried
beneath bricks that fell upon her bed,
and is now Frustrated with the ex-
citement and injuries received. Two
others in the same house were in
jured by falling bricks. In another
house two men were pinioned by the
fallen debris, and were not released
for nearly an hour Other marvellous
escapes are reported. In one house
lighted lamp was overturned and
the building was burned to the
ground.
But have given enough details to
enable you to imagine the greatness
Of the disaster
l have spent over twenty years in
California, and have experienced
many earthquakes, but today, for
the first time, speak with bated
breath of that which hitherto l have
regarded somewhat lightly
While l think the earthquake, terri
BILE as 1t sometimes is, may we'll be
preferred to the cyclone, l cannot
pass through an experience like this
of today without feeling the impo-
tence of man when the Omnipotent
manifests his power over this earth
This earthquake, so severe here,
was quite light in San Francisco,
sixty miles distant. II it had been
as sharp there as here a fearful
destruction of life and property
would have ensued.
A few hours previous to the earth
quake l gave my hand in parting to
a group of friends from St. Johns
bury. Had they remained here
twenty-four hours longer they would