The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-11-18


CNALT LAKE CITY and other districts
OF Utah were shaken yesterday by d
severe earthquake. No lives were
cost, but panics were created among the
people in outside cities of the state, ana
considerable damage was done In TINS
city the disturbance was felt very PLAIN
". The tail buildings in the whole ousi-
hess district were shaken. Floors trem-
bled violently, clocks were stopped, elec-
trio chandeliers swayed, walls shook, and
people on upstairs floors tottered as II
tipsy. Two distinct shocks were feit
here shortly before / p m. The waves
Travelled across the city from southwest
In the vicinity of St. George and Pine
valley the disturbance was most severe.
OF seismic activity. As many as nine
distinct shocks were felt in places Chin
neys toppled over and buildings were
almost wrecked. Massive rocks, shaken
from the hillsides, crashed down the
mountains. raising clouds of dust ana
creating terror among the people living
in the valleys.
Panic-stricken Children.
In ST. George the panic-stricken school
children rushel pellmel out OF the
building. II was with difficulty that Sc
rious accidents were prevented. Terror
stricken women, with their chhdren
clasped to their breasts, rushed out OF
their quaking houses. and excitement ran
10 the highest pitch. Towers of tall
buildings were displaced and much dam
age was done In places hot and cold
springs were increased in their flow, and
tue waters became muddy. Clouds of
dust were observed near the mountains
IN the districts of most violence
In the St.-Ge5fge district heavier and
more disastrous shocks. were expected
last night and today. The excitement IN
that district Is great.
The first intimation of the seismic dis
turbance in Salt Lake was noticed at
1850. Tenants in the Dooly building telt
-1.TW lis
swayed slightly and the floors trembled-
Stopped the Clock.
The clock in the weather bureau, hang
ing on the west wall. was stopped For
- second or more the pendulum swung
At right angles to its proper direction,
then came to a standstill. A half min
ute later it was noticed to sway again,
then come to a stop. The suspended
electric light globes on almost every 1loor
OF the building were noticed to sway VlO-
lently from southwest to northeast. Peo-
pie who were standing upon the upper
floors felt themselves begin to reel as
IF they had a bilious attack For some
time they could hardly realize what was
. happening. The waves Travelled diago-
Ilally across the city towards city creek
canyon. They were of such breadth that
they covered almost the entire business
district.
The shocks were perhaps most severely
felt in the Mccormick building. that be-
ing the tallest building IN the path OF
the waves. The walls shook and the
floors trembIed violently. The clock pen
dulum in the office of the American
Smelling & Refining company, on the top
floor, swung at right angles to It's nat
ural direction. A clerk, who was stand
ing at a tall desk. writing, felt the desk
begin TO shake so violently that he could
not write He noticed that everything In
the room was shaking and felt himself
swayed to and fro. At first he thought
he had been seized with an attack of
dizziness but when he saw the light
globes swinging like pendulums. and the
clock pendulum going the wrong way, he
realized what was happening. The shak-
ing of the building was FELT down to the
lower floor
windows and Desks Ratified.
In the Commercial block the two shocks
were felt very perceptibly. The building
trembled. and the windows ratified as II
blown by strong wind Desks SHOOK
and people in the building swayed as if
they were tipsy. A desk in II. J. Din
inny's office near the top of the building
at which he writing, shook so vio-
lently that he could not write. IN de-
scribing the shocks. Mr.. Dininny said:
Il WAS sitting at my desk, writing, anc
client was sitting on the other side
Suddenly the desk began to tremble Sc
that my pen went all over the paper
? thought my client was shaking the table
with his foot and l told him to stop. He
replied that he wasn't shaking the table
/ looked at him and saw him sWaying L
and fro and felt myself begin to sway
In an instant became dizzy and though
7 WAS going TO fail over I could ther
feel the whole building shaking and re
allied that we were having an earth
quake"
No Damage Was Done.
People in the other offices of the build
ing felt the same shaking Along Stat
street the shocks were felt very plain
~ in even the two and three-stOry build
ings Along Main street evidences o
the seismic disturbance were noticed il
almost all Of the brick and stone build
ings. The shock was not severe enough
however. TO cause the plastering to cracl
in any of the buildings, or 90 any dam
age. Persons walking along the streets
of course. did not notice the disturbance
and il was not felt in the residence dis
tricts.