Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1902-08-07

IN CALIFORNIA
Worst Earthquakes in His
tory of Southern Cali
fOrnia.
WHOLE VILLAGE is DESTROYED
People Fleeing From Their Homes In
Terror-Earth's Surface Is Changed
Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo
Counties Are Visited.

San Louis Obispo, CAL, August L.
A strip of country fifteen miles long
by four miles vide. rent with gaping
fssures and dotted with hills and
knobs that sprung up during tie night
as if by magic. village in ruins and
hundreds of people fleeing for their
lives are the results of Wednesday
nights seismic -.sturbance m the pros
porous and fertile valley Of Los Ala
mos, in the northern part of Santa
Barbara county.
fion of the country has been shaken
by series OF earthquakes that is
without precedent in the history or
tradition Of the Pacific coast, and the
continuance of the disturbances and
tine increasing severity of the shocks
have so terrorized the inhabitants tina
they are leaving for other parts as
rapidly as POSSIBLE.
The disturbance began on Sunday
evening with a shock which caused
several thousand dollars worth of
damage to property in the village and
surrounding country, being more Sc
we're and more disastrous in the vi
einity of the Western Union Oil COM
pany's wells on the Carriga ranch.
J This shock was followed by a num-
Der of disturbances less severe, con-
tinuing Sunday and Monday. On Tues
day at midnight there was another
series of seven light shocks.
The general direction of these dis
tufbances was east and west, and In
action they resemDled the waves on a
pond of water. The most severe shock
OF the entire series occurred at 1880
O'Clock yesterday morning. when 1t
was intensely dark. Hills were
shaken and twisted to their founda-
tons, and the valleys trembled and
rolled like the unstable surface of the
ocean.
Great assures opened, knobs replac-
ed valleys, springs gushed from dry
sand and the general topography of
the valley was greatly changed. The
waves had twisting motion and were
preceded by the rumbling like that of
distant thunder, which increased until
the earth shuddered. The grumbling
that ran before the shock started those
who cared 20 sleep from their beds
and caused panic among those who
were waiting through the night for
new commissions. Before the first
earthquake was upon them the viii
layers fed in the blackness, made
frightful with fear, ana sought safety
in vacant places and on neighboring
hills.
The first vibrations were immediate
,ly followed by the most terrific shock
ever recorded in this section of the
state. The earth quaked and rolled
and twisted until 1t was impossible for
people to stand erect and the terror
stricken inhabitants crouched together,
fearful lest the soil might open and
swallow them. The crash of falling
buildings added to the terror of night.
Long after this frightful upheaval had
passed the people yentured to grope
among the ruins OF their night en-
quilted homes and places of business,
land fearful of repetition fed from
the town in the early dawn.
A church hal been leveled to the
ground ard not one brick building was
left standing. Chimneys had toppled
over. frame buildings had been
,whenched apart and thrown from
their foundations. Telegraph and
telephone wires lad peen broken and
there was not building in town that
had not been damaged more or less
seriously. In store buildings t.lat were
totally destroyed, the merchandise
was thrown from shelves and every
thing breakable was destroyed; not a
pane of glass was left in any window
bf any house in town and in those
Frame cottages and dwelling houses
that were left standing stoves were
overturned and crockery and glass
ware destroyed.
The loss to property is many thous-
and dollars.