Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-04-01

Wave Out on the Bay.
san Francisco, March 31.-This city
md a portion of the State We're shaken
Ia 43 o'clock last night by the most
severe earthquake experienced here
since 1868, when several persons were
1lled. This time, however, no fatal
uies have been reported
Five families narrowly escaped be-
INK buried in wreckage by the collapse
of the tenement at No. 445 Clemen-
tina street, which followed the rock
ing tremor. Propped upon the frailest
If supports, with practically no foun-
dati0n, the fiimsy structure sank three
feet below the sidewalk in the shifting
sands a misshaped mass, ready to
tumble like pack OF cards at the
first disturbance. The occupants, most
hi them awakened from sleep, were
caught as in a trap Doors, warped
out Of shape, would not open and win
dows were damned. While the Wild
cst excitement prevailed within, neigh
bOrs. attracted by the crash and the
screams OF women and children, were
doing their best to liberate the unfor-
tunate prisoners.
The doors were finally burst open,
and the women, many of them scarce
Nv able to walk, were conveyed across
the way and cared for by friends All
were luckily got out without injury,
except one, who was badly crushed by
railing timbers. Mrs. J. n. Davis, aged
Is years, and Mrs Herman Kaiser, the
latter al invalid, had TO be carried
from their wrecked homes.
Another house at Fifth and Tenama
streets was thrown down, and the great
crane at CARROTS foundry was sent
crashing to the ground.
Along the water front and among
The shipping in the harbor the shock
was very severe. Windows We're
broken, glasses and crockery were shat
tered in the saloons and residences,
and exciting personal experiences were
related by many. Out on the bay a
violent tidal wave lifted small boats
high upon its crest and threatened
death to their occupants.
In the Strathmore House, on Larkin
and Fulton streets, the plaster was
shaken off the walls by the severity OF
the shock.
The old Supreme Court building on
the corner of McAllister and Larkin
streets. was shaken up considerably,
the visible signs Of the seismic vista
ton being one chimney tilted at an
angle OF Is degrees from the perpen-
dicular, and another turned almost
completely around from it's original
position. In the Merchants Exchange
quantity of plaster was shaken down
but no great damage was done.
The ten-story Claus Spreckles build
ing was not injured in the least,
though it swayed like a great tree in
a storm. At least 100 stores south Of
Market street suffered severely, chiefly
by the breaking of frail articles. At
the store OF II. Van Costelbeck, on
Market street, several hundred dollars
worth of interior decorations were in
jured.
The drug store of E. Happensburger.
on the northwest corner of Mission and
Sixth streets, was damaged and the
proprietor seriously injured. The store
is a mass of broken bottles, the con-
tents of which almost food the store
The entire electric light system on
all the floors of the White House, on
Kearney street, was thrown on by the
vibration and the building was bril-
liantly Illuminated Telegraph and
telephone wires were badly crossed,
and for a short time communication
was interrupted.
In the Winchester House, A Third
street, the windows were broken, walls
and ceilings cracked, scattering brok-
en- glass and plaster. A coal oil lamp
was upset " the vibration at the house
of Mrs Hayes, 173 Minnesota street.
The oil ignited but was soon exiting
uished.
The shock was apparently confined
to Northern California, the southern
part of the State reporting this morn
ing that no shock was felt there. VAL
eio and Mare Island suffered much
damage, the loss at the navy yard be-
ing estimated at not less than S25, 900.
The naval hospital was wrecked and
the government sawmiils blown down.
In the town of Vallejo, just across the
channel the loss runs into uta thous-
ands AT the University of California,
in Berkeley, the sismograph at the
students observatory in Berkeley
shows that the shock lasted between
80 and 40 seconds. The general direc-
ton OF the vibration was from east TO
west The instrument shows that the
shock was very heavy in a small area
A slight vertical vibration was also
recorded bv the instrument.