The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-05-04
EARTHQUAKE IN CALIFORNIA
The Severest Shock Since the
Lively One Of 1868.
Several Towns Badly Damaged
and Many Persons Injured.

The earthquake which shook up northern
and central California a few mornings
since was the heaviest and longest known
there since the great earthquake OF 1853
while the damage caused was far
greater. Many persons were bruised,
and there was large loss OF property
in Dixon, Winters, and Vacaville,
three towns Of the Sacramento Valley, as
fires followed the overturning of stoves and
lamps. The shock occurred at twelve min,
utes before three in the morning. and lasted
forty-fve seconds.
It was especially disastrous in the three
towns named, because of the insecure founda-
tion in that part Of the valley. The soil is
rich alluvial bottom, deposited by the Sacra-
meuto River, but underlying it is quicksand.
This unstable foundation is proved by the
fact that heavy railroad trains sometimes
depress the track and cause assures in the
moist land ON each side. This instability OF
the land is the only explanation for the
heavy damage in these towns. Places not
twenty miles away escaped almost un-
harmed.
vacaville was the centre Of the shock,
Main street presenting next morning pic.
t,1re that beggarsd description. 1t was
blocked with brick, lumber and tangled
wires. There is not a brick building
on the south side of the street
which was not mora or less wrecked,
and some Of them are q total loss.
The vibrations were at first from south west
to northeast, and then changed suddenly to
north and south. Fronts OF buildings
tumbled into the streets, chimneys were
twisted and torn as if struck by a Kansas
into the streets. That there were
no fatalities is little short Of mar
vellous, though there were number Of mar.
row escapes The fronts are out OF Odd
Fellows Hall, Masonic Hall, Chittendens
grocery store, Hacke's hardware store,
Kambo's cigar store, ..Ames & Thomass
grocery store, and Joe Donovan's barber
shop. Daviss butcher shop was
q total loss. Will Patterson and Tom
Rogers were sleeping in rear room and
were buried beneath brick and mortar, but
escaped alive and almost unhurt. Kay Benz
nett's saloon is also total wreck. 1t was
two-story brick. and three young mon
were sleeping in ths upper story.
The front and sides of tho struo-
ture fell outward, leaving the beds standing
on the verge. ]. NJ. Miller's drug. store.
Hewitt's 1ewelry establishment, aud Blum
Brothers grocery were greatly damaged.
The Platt block. the finest In town,
was almost totally destroyed: In
this block were the Opera House,
the Postoffice. the Wells-Fargo Of
fee. Crystal Brothers dry goods c. X:
Madd's grocery, the Enterprise office and
McCabe's tin shop. The Brunswick House,
a large two-story structure J. W. Kennedy
proprietor, suffered severely, almost every
inch of plastering being shaken from the
walls Of the lower story. The total loss In
town is estimated at from S150,0O0 to $780,
600.
In Pleasant Valley, the shock was ter
rife, and not chimney is standing IN the
entire valley. The residence OF General
Gates, about three miles from Vacaville, was
totally demolished. -,
The new Presbyterian church in VacavEle
was damaged to the extent of $500, and
chimneys were toppled from the Christian
Church and adjoining buildings. J: A.
Malones frame building on Main
street was turned and thrown three feet
toward the north by the violence OF the
shock. His daughter had her arms badly
injured. Business in Vacaville was almost
suspended, men being engaged in clearing
away the wreck. A temporary postotdce
was improvised. Estimates from San Fran
cisco are that the total loss will be 81
100000.
In San Francisco the shock was severe, and
the guests in the big hotels were badly
frightened, but no damage occurred. In
the eight-story Chronicle building the last
form had just been locked up when the
shock came. The building swayer1 like
pendulum, and the frightened printers ex-
pected to see the ceiling drop, but nothing
was even cracked.
A severe shock ef earthquake was also felt
at Stockton, Cal, at 2:50 in the morning.
Tor a time people were almost panic strick-
en-, but no damage is reported. At Nevada,
Nicolaus, Auburn, Chico. and other places
the shock was severe.
The indicator at Chsbot Observatory,
Oakland, CAL, shows that the earthquake
lasted ftty-eigh ght seconds; vibration east to
west.
The earthquake shock visited Winters at
2:45 o'clock IN the morning, causing general
destruction to property. A large brick hotel,
bank buildings, Bartholets two-story build
ing, and in fact every building in town was
damaged. The loss will reach at least S5O,.
900. No one was hurt The contents OF
stores and dwellings were all piled on the