Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-06-12
AROSE FROM THE SEA
San Maguel Increased i'm Area by
an Earthquake.
UNEXPECTED GIFT FROM NATURE
Capt. Waters Strange Experience
Sandy Beach Replaced by High Cliffs
-Harbor Disappeared.

The following article taken from the
New York Herald will undoubtedly
prove very interesting to Californians:
There is something new ON the face
of the earth. 1t is piece of land
which rose out of the sea by the agency
of an earthquake and became part of
the territory of the United Safes.
The Mexican Volcano Orizaba was
in eruption last month. At the same
time seismic disturbance was felt in
a small group of islands off Santa
Barbara county, in the southern part
of California. The principal islands
are San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Santa
Cruz. The water separating them
from the mainland is called the Santa
Barbara Channel.
San Miguel is the island of which
the new land is joined 1t is the prop
erty of Capt. w. G. Waters, an old
salt. According to his narrative. he
was reading E. P. Roe's novel, "The
Earth Trembled," in his ranch house
ON San Miguel VIXEN the thing de.
scribed in the book happened.
1t was in the evening of March
that the captain felt the first shock of
the earthquake. The following day,
Sunday, he walked out in he direction
of the small harbor of San Miguel,
called Cuyler's Harbor. to wait for his
sloop, the Liberty, which he expected to
arrive then.
To his amazement the harbor had
disappeared. He could scarcely be-
lieve his eyes at first, and looked
around for marks to assure himself of
his position aud found some of them.
Princes Island. which had stood a
short distance outside the harbor, was
still there.
Three hundred feet beyond the old
shore line cliff faced the sea. The
same distance inland the captain found
his boat-house and sheep corral. which
the day before stood on the shore.
More than half of the crescent shaped
harbor had been replaced by high and
solid land.
The captains mind was not in a
condition to realize at once all that
had happened. He advanced ON the
newly appeared land, and found to his
alarm that it was still quaking. He
retreated swiftly, but not before he
had observed that rocks and seaweed
formed the greater part of the added
area.
He then saw new reef which had
risen some six hundred feet out to the
sea, against which the waves were
breaking vigorously. His curiosity
overcame his alarm finally and he
went to the edge of the cliff. The
great mass of rocks was still moving
slightly, fearful grinding sound be-
ing produced. Wreckage and strange
fishes and sea creatures were scattered
about. Looking over the edge of the
cliff he saw sea lions gambolling with
their young. They had not been in the
habit of venturing into the harbor.
The uplifted area was about $4,000
square yards IN extent.
The boat-house had been turned
around so that it faced north instead
of southeast. The cliff that rose back
of the boathouse had disappeared and
the ground had become level. The
sandy beach that was before it had
given place to pebbles.
On Harris Point large alkaline
spring that made its way in strong
stream to the ocean, had disappeared.
On Monday morning, the land was
found to be still moving. In the after
noon the Liberty was sighted, but did
not reach the entrance to Cuyler's
Harbor until dusk. The usual entrance
is through the left-hand channel, be-
tween Princes Island and the main
land. Captain Daily, who commanded.
was naturally startled to find there
the new reef. He steered clear of it
with some difficulty and arrived in the
harbor. There he anchored off the
rocky cliff, which had arisen in the
middle of what he had known as the
harbor.
His feelings and impressions he con-
veyed to CAPTAIN Waters next morning
when he landed. The two. however,
W lbdhO uopO6s uSOOi olnS w
the precept of Captain Cuttle. They
set up marks and ON the following
Wednesday morning found that since
Tuesday the new coastline had en-
croached on the sea about fifteen feet.
The harbor was sounded. From the
cliffs the bottom steadily deepened
until the Liberty's line could not touch
bottom. The greatest depth had pre-
viously been six fathoms.
The geological formation of the
island is said to be volcanic. 1t is
stated to be partly crystalline and
partly fragmental. The crystalline
formation is found on the face of the
new cliffs. Elsewhere the island con
sists of molten igneous rock formed
into interbedded sheets, with alterna
tions of coarse grained tufa. There
has been as yet no reliable scientific
opinion on the nature of the disturb
ance