Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1906-05-18

had its back broken at the second floor
jOist and had waved off to one side
the first story meantime half collaps
ing and the upper story resting upon
it intact. lowering around its portals
were some hall dozen half clad, dis
tracted women, and l heard one OF
them remark that they mad all got out
alive, and that there had been eight
persons in the house at the time of the
shock.
| That was a sample of some of the
work done in San Jose. | did not re-
main to inspect the town, but hurried
to the train. When / returned in the
Jose was wreck. This should be
qualified, however. There was hardly
a building in town that did not show
some effects of the earthquake. Not
one chimney in hundred was stand
ing. The business part had been more
badly damaged than the residence
/
many buildings had entirely collapsed
About thirty persons had been killed
including several entire families.
took the 6:1O train for San Fran
cisco. and it was a continuous success
sion of wreckage all the way up the
track There are about a dozen fair
sized towns between San Jose and
San Francisco, including Santa Clara
PalO Alto. Redwood City. and San Ma
teo. Santa Clara was hit fully as hard
as San Jose, but no one was killed
At Palo Alto the buildings of the LIE
land Stanford, Jr.. University were
badly wrecked. At Redwood City the
new court house was about ruined.
Either coming or going | caught
glimpses along the principal business
streets of these towns, and there were
regular windows of ruins stretching
up either side Of the streets as far
as there were any buildings Of COLI
siderable size.
The railroad as far as San Bruno
was in fairly good condition, but it
must be remembered that it is built
over a very low and level tract of
country, with no filled grades to speak
of. But north of San Bruno there are
several arms of the bay marsh lands
reaching up into the peninsula, and
] 40 rai c
compelled to construct grades that
vary from four to ten feet in height
above the marsh level.
Here it was that the earthquake put
in some of its heavy ticks. The earth
embankments We're sunk and cracked
and the track twisted into serpentint
shape for long distances.
And presently we came to the grea
cemeteries where the dead of Sal
Francisco have been buried for fit.
years Thousands of headstones an,
!. monuments We're overturned, and tn
elaborate gateways wrecked in variou
ways. Here | had talk with a rail
road employe who lives in the vicin
ity. He informed me that when tn
shock came he was on his way to tn
! small station to draw pail of water
The motion of the earth was SO viz
lent that he was thrown off his ba
> ance, and he fell to the ground.
. He said, however, that he was nc
very badly scared until he looked owe
= into the cemeteries, and there SAY
all the gravestones dancing a jig,
. to use the mans own language
Now let us refer briefly to the val
ious Typographical characteristics c
this region San Jose stands abou
midway east and west in the uppe
end of the Santa Clara valley. Abou
twelve miles east stands the inne
: coast range, and about the same di!
y lance to the west stands the SAINT
Cruz or outer coast range. Neither G
:. these ranges was badly shaken. Sa
= Jose stands about ten miles south G
the southern extremity of the bay G
= composed of an alluvial soil.
The peninsular towns mentioned ar
: at about the same level, but the cute
coast range swings eastward. so tina
the valley land narrows down rapid
as one goes north.
The district traVerSed on the cas-
side of the bay is also at about tn
same level, and forms comparativel
narrow strip of land between the ba
and the inner coast range.
Some might say that the terribl
> peninsula was the point of create:
insecurity, but San Jose, quite a di
, lance south Of the base of that arr
u of land, and in the midst of Ian
" locked valley, got just as bad sha
, ing as did the peninsula-H. A. Graf
in the Scientific American.
t. Notice to the Public.
no