Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-20
THE EARTHQUAKES CENTER.
Vacaville the Greatest Sufferer by the
Destructive TemblOr.

vacaville the Greatest Sufferer by the
Destructive Temblor.
SACRAMENTO, April ia special dis
patch from Vacaville to the Bee says:
This town seems to have been the CEN
ter of the great earthquake shock. The
main street presents this morning pic
ture that beggars description. The
thoroughfare is blocked with brick,
lumber, mortar and tangled wires.
There is not a brick building on the
south side of the street that is not more
or less wrecked, and some of them are a
total loss.
The shock struck the town just IL
minutes to O'Clock, and lasted fully
three. quarters of minute. The vibra-
tiOns were first from southwest to north
east, and then changed suddenly to the
north and south. The fronts of build
ings were tumbled into the street, Chin
neys were twisted and torn as if struck
by Kansas cyclone, and the entire
population rushed into the streets. That
there were no fatalities is little short of
miraculous, although there we've num-
Der of very narrow escapes.
The fronts are out of the Odd Fellows
hall, the Masonic hall, Chittenden's
grocery store, Hacke's hardware store,
Rambo's cigar store, Ream & Thomas
grocery and Joe Donovan's barber shop.
Davis's butcher shop was total loss.
Will Patton and Tom Rodgers were
sleeping in rear room and were COW
cred by several feet of brick and mortar,
but escaped alive and almost unhurt.
Ray Benefits saloon is almost a total
wreck. 1t was two-story brick, and
three young men were sleeping in the
upper story. The front and sides of the
structure fell outward, leaving the beds
sitting on the verge.
Miller's drug store, Hewitt's jewelry
establishment and Blum Brothers. gro
Gerry were greatly damaged
The Platt block, the finest in town,
was almost totally destroyed. In this
block were located the opera hall, post
Office, Wells, Fargo & Co. Office, Crys-
tai Brothers dry goods store, G. R.
Maddi's grocery store, the Enterprise
newspaper Office and McCabe's tin shop.
The Brunswick house, large two
story structure, j. w. Kennedy, pro-
prietor, suffered severely, almost every
inch of plastering being shaken from
the walls of the lower story. Dooley's
exchange escaped with less loss, though
Its mirrors and other glassware were
about Knocked out.
Some citizens have made figures on
the total loss in town, and the estma-
tion places it from $3.50, 900 to 5000, 900.
News OF disaster comes from all direc-
tions in this section. In Pleasant valley,
between here and Winters, the shock
was terrific, and it is said that not a
chimney is standing in the entire valley.
John Thistle, jr., who lives in Pleasant
valley, left lamp burning when he
retired. When the shock came the
lamp was overturned and the house
with all it's contents was DESTROYED, the
occupants barely escaping with their
lives.
The residence of Mr.. Carl Gates. about
three miles from Vacaville, was almost
totally demolished. Rev. O. O. Felkva
of San Jose was visiting there, and he
was very severely injured by falling
bricks and timbers. He was frightfully
cut about the head and face, having no
less than dozen wounds.
The residence of w. j. Dobbins, near
town, is complete wreck. Miss Lou
Dobbins was caught by the falling
debris. but escaped with fractured
ankle and few painful bruises.
Fred Hutton's brick residence was