Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-04
MADE GROUND
IS DANGEROUS
Report Of State Earthquake Investi-
eating Commission Gives Many
Interesting Facts Concern
ing Recent TembIor
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
| SACRAMENTO, June 3.-The pre-
liminary report of the state earthquake
investigating commission was received
this afternoon at the office of Governor
Pardee
1t is submitted by Professor A. G. |
Lawson of the University of California. |
chairman of the commission, and COM
prises twenty pages. Under the head
Ing of results the report says:
"One of the remarkable features of
the coast ranges of California is line
of peculiar geomorphic construction
which extends obliquely across the en-
tire width of the mountainous belt
from Mendocino county to Riverside
county.
"The surface feature along this line
has been formed by a dislocation of the
earth's crust, or a series of dislocations
in times past, with differential move
ment of the parts on either side of the
plane of rupture
Gives Detailed Description
The report gives a detailed descrip-
tion of recognized lines of abrupt
changes due to similar phenomena,
known as scraps, traversing, with sew
eral breaks, the territory from Point
Arena to Mount Pinos, in Ventura
county, distance of 375 miles, and
passing outside of Golden Gate strait
above Bolinas across the shore line
eight miles south of the Cliff house.
The movements that produced the
line. are attributed to separate earth
| quakes extending back into the Quat-
| ernary period.
| In general terms. the cause of these
movements is attributed to the theory
| that stresses are generated in the
earth's crust and accumulate until they
exceed the strength of the rocks COM |
posing the crust and find relief in
sudden rupture.
The earthquake of April IS is said to |
have been due to one of these move |
ments, and the extent of the rift is de-
scribed as extending from the vicinity |
of Point Arena to the neighborhood |
of San Juan, Benito county, a distance |
of 1856 miles.
Furrow in Surface Shown
The evidence of the rupture and the |
differential movement is clearly and |
unequivocably defined in continuous
furrow in the surface soil several feet |
wide All fences, stream courses, pipe |
lines and dams crossed by the line are
dislocated from six to twenty feet |
The average horizontal displacement is
twenty feet. In Sonoma and Mendocino |
counties there is a different vertical
movement not exceeding four feet.
In consequence of the movement it |
is probable that the ATTITUDES and longi- |
tudes of all points in the coast range |
have been permanently changed a few
feet.
From the purely scientific point of |
view the earthquake is one of the most |
interesting on record and is in some re-
spects unique.
A complete study of the phenomena |
will undoubtedly contribute greatly |
not only to our knowledge of the evo-
luton of the earth's crust, but also to |
our knowledge of the means o. mini |
MIXING the calamities which arise from |
the destruction of buildings and water |
pipes when such shocks occur in the
| future.
Lesson Valuable One
Certain of the studies which have
| this object ia view fall within the |
province of the structural engineer and |
architect and they have already formu-
| lated many suggestions dealing with !
| principles and materials of constructing |
which will be of very great value in |
! the future construction of buildings |
not only in San Francisco but in all |
| parts of the country which are subject |
to earthquake shocks
| One of the remarkable features of the |
coast ranges California is a line of |
peculiar geomorphic construction which |
extends across the entire width of
the mountainous belt from Mendocino |
county to Riverside county.
| 1t Is recommended that costly public |
buildings be erected on slopes upon
which sound rock foundations may be
reached The state university building |
Is said to have escaped greater damage |
on this account and 1t is affirmed that
many school buildings were so fiimsily |
constructed as to be unable to with
stand the shock.
Made Ground Dangerous
Modern class of structures appear
TO have been relatively passive, while
the ''made" ground In their vicinity was
profoundly disturbed. The weak points
In frame buildings were the faulty un-
derpinning, lack Of bracing and the
chimneys. Pipe lines on low, swampy
ground are in greater danger of de-
structon than those on high ground
underlaid by rock.
In San Francisco the most violent
destruction of buildings was on made
ground. which behaved as jelly in
bowl.
The minor shocks continued for
many days after April IS, and in this
respect the earthquake accords In be-
havior with other earthquakes in the
past.
The minor shocks, which succeeded
the main one. are interpreted gener-
ally as due 10 subordinate adjustments
of the earth's crust In the tendency to
reach equilibrium after the first move
ment