The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-29
THE WRECK OFAM MOUNTAIN
Effects of an Earthquake Upon a
California Region.
A Christmas Morning Seismic Shock
That LeyeIed Tenements in san
JacintO and Caused Millions of
Tons of Earth to Suddenly Sink
From High Peak Into n Cavity.

| A remarkable natural phenomenon has
! followed the recent series of earthquakes
that shook the southern end of California.
One of the giant spur of San Jacinto Peak
has moved its millions of tons of earth
and rock into the valley beneath. There
it lies, eleven miles southeast of San
Jacinto, a tumbling mass of earth, six
hundred acres of trees and rocks, with in
mense crevasses and cracks running zigZag
in all directions. There are damned peaks
of sandstone where hill were torn asunder;
there are slanting precipices where the
mountains parted company. In other places
are great funnel shaped holes where the
soil was sucked into the interior of the
earth, and spots scarce six feet across run
through with erevasses whose depth the
eye cannot fathom.
The news of this great mountain slide
was slow in reaching town. The peak was
visited on Christmas Day by Grant l. Tag
CART Forest Supervisor and formerly clerk
of the Supreme Court of California to-
gether with Forest Ranger Rouse. Their
horses were tied at an elevation of 1000
feet to a manzanita tree, and Rouse pre-
ceeded to blaze a trail across this identical
six hundred acres to be utilized in case
of mountain fires.
The terrific seismis shock that leveled
San Jacinto's brick buildings occurred at
4:25 on Christmas morning. At 10 O'Clock
these forest officers saw the peak trem-
bling and vibrating constantly with in
ternal rumbling, but as temblors had been
constantly recurring since morning the
men were not alarmed. They left that
particular spur after an hours work. Mr..
Rouse lives about two miles below the
mountain, and although shocks were as
frequent as six each day, he did not re-
member any except one which occurred
six days later at 1:31 p. m. At that time
a great booming as of blasting came from
the spur above him and every dish in his
house was shaken from the cupboard
shelves. He is of the opinion that this
was the date of the collapse, for clouds
of dust could be seen issuing from the
direction of the mountain. The great
Christmas earthquake must have caused
the roof of the subterranean cavern to
split and the constantly recurring tenn
blors caused the mountain peak to Sip
into the cavity.
Mr.. Rouse did not revisit the spur until
few days ago and when he sought his
manzanita tree at the head of the trail to
tie his horse to, he found that the tree
'ay uprooted fifty feet below, over the edge
of a wide crevasse. and the gently slop-
ing mountain sides lay in a jJmbled mass
of roots, rocks, and deep assures. The
southeastern edge, a half mile away. stood
intact, but a long slant of blue shale,
smooth as glass, at an angle of 40 de-
grees, showed just where the great mass
of earth had moved into the suddenly open
ed abyss TO the northwest
Only the temblors still occur weekly, and
one occurred last night. On Sunday every
body in this city drove to the foot of the
spur and on horseback completed the steep
ascent on narrow. precipitous bride
path to the scene. II is like climbing the
Ais.
Once there, however, the view that is OBJ
tanned well repays the visitor for his weary
trip. Whatswass once gentle incline run
ming from a ridge TO a small valley is now
cavern. separating the ridge from the
valley. There are crevices every few feet
in the earth, some as wide as six feet and
over twenty feet deep. Bushes and small
trees have been torn uD by the roots and
hurled down for many feet. In one place
an oak tree, about fifteen feet high and
three feet in diameter was moved a dis
lance of fifty feet. The SOL Is so broken
and cracked that every few steps one is
apt TO sink up to the knees. For three
quarters of mile all that can be seen is a
mass of upturned bushes and broken banks
What were once the lowest basins are now
the highest.
But the most remarkable thing to be seen
on the tract is the half mile wide stratum
of elected material. The composition is
black and of very fine grain. 1t shines. and
is even CLASSY. Beneath the surface of this
crystalline rock mica is found. This is no
doubt igneous rock A short time ago it
was surely molten, for beneath the hard
ening crust il is soft enough to be mould
ed into shape with the hands. Two or three
feet below this is an intruded rock. coarser
grained and probably granite. This condi-
ton of the earth was first discoyered on
March by D. ". Rouse.
There was some great heat connected
with the disturbance, for the earth on the
whole five hundred acres has been rem
dered almost identical to ashes, and every
sign of plant life has been visibIy affect
ed-in fact, in most cases killed.-San
Francisco Call.