Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-01-09

Rev. j. n. Marsh Giyes Graphic De.
seription of Their Recent Experience
In That State-The city of Los An
geies Rudely Awakened But No Dam
age Was Done-San Jacinta Almost
DESTROYED Notwithstanding The | I
Experience The Residents Are Still
/ Enthusiastic ealif0rnians.
Los ANGELES, Cal, Jan. 2.-Some-
thing shocking is what we have ex
perienced recently Not an Electric
/ shock. No scandal either in society
or politics There are too many of
them nowadays to attract much at
tention) but genuine shock-a
seismic trenor, jolting as of the
putting on of breaks, beginning with
a rattle, rumble or roar, telling the
earthquake was on once more. Yes,
we have had another earthquake
only the second one of real, solid
proportions since | have been in
California, and it occurs to me that
you might like a brief description of
| it and statement of the facts as /
experienced them. | remember the
time when the thought of an earth
quake brought on feeling Of terror
such as many very timid persons
experience in thunder storm.
An earthquake meant to me yawn-
ing chasms, the swallowing up of
cities and thousands of people and
that such destruction always accom-
panied an earthquake, but my mind
has been so disabused of these no
tions that when this last one occur
red about 4:25 a. m, on Christmas
morning that | did not even get up
to see what was the matter.
1t is estimated that as many as
II or Ii earthquakes occur annual
ly all round the globe and as many
as 100000 of people have perish
ed by them. But they seldom occur
it seems even in California, the home
Gas it has been thought) Of the
earthquake, and very seldom is it
that lives are lost by them. Stats
tics show, ] think, that more are
killed by tornados in the West or by
lightning in the East than by earth
quakes in California. But the facts
are that, since the Charleston earth
quake, the Eastern states are no
longer considered exempt from
earthquakes.
The earthquake we have just ex
perienced seems to have been con-
fined to the southern end of the state.
1t occurred at a time (4:25 a. m. J
when most people were asleep but |
suppose everybody was awake before
it was over.
The night (before Christmas) had
been rather warm and sultry and at
that hour of the morning everything
seemed unusually quiet over the city,
not even the hum of the electric car,
so that noise of any description
might be as plainly heard as IN the
most quiet country place-I was
about half awake, but as soon as it
began / was wakened instantly
Sister sprang up and called that the
house was about to fall and that we
must go down stairs. | assured
her that it would be over before we
could get down Brother Z. j. was
already out on the porch as he was
sleeping down stairs. think it
lasted about twenty seconds, and
there we're three shocks Our house
seemed like ship or perhaps more
like railroad train going down
grade with the breaks put on-with
a sudden jolting and with breaking
of timbers-It began with noise as
in the distance hum-m-m my hir
-r-r-r-r-r-r, then jolt, jolt-jolt,
jolt--jolt, jolt-then a halt! and
an undulation from side to side like
cradle and then a quieting down,
somewhat reminding one Of infant
days but we did not go to sleep SO
readily-the lullaby--cradle-effect
seemed wanting.
These were all the bad effects ex.
perienced by us from the earthquake
at Los Angeles. But San Jacinto, a
small town south east of here, seem
ed to be the center of its destruction
The business portion of that town,
lining one side of block with two
story brick buildings is in ruins.
The shock lasted nearly one minute
at that point.
Every brick building on the main
street is practically demolished.
Strange to say no one there was
hurt, but there were some miracu-
lous escapes--one woman rushed to
the door to escape, the key of the
hall door had fallen to the floor and
while she was searching for it the
walls in the hall way toppled in.
The only fatal result reported is
the case of some drunken Indian
squaws dancing in the Christmas
morning in an old adobe hut. Sew