The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-05-15
RECORDS SHOW QUAKE
OF 1883 DEMOLISHED
ms CURE BUILDINGS
Newspaper of That Date Saws "Eyi
oenee OF Its Devastating Career Are
Visible on Every Hand.v
According TO This Report No Well.
Erected Structure on Solid Ground
Was Shaken Down.
Forty Two 10 Forty Seconds Given
as Time of shake, and One
Fire Noted.

- Sehuenan OF this city is in posses
sion Of a copy of The illustrated
Earthquake Edition" CT the Daily
Morning Chronicle of Wednesday. Oc-
tober IS, 1858 It has on the front page
illustrations Of damage done TO the
nrlck building known as the gas works
Al II 9war7 and Freront streets. the
Coffey & Risdon Boiler Works on Bush
street below Sansome. the Railroad
House and Rosenbaurn's tobacco ware
mouse on Commercial street below
Battery. scene on California street
near Sansome and the San Leandro
courthouse The Illustrations are of
the crude character Of pictures in the
early days Of daily newspaper illus
rating. but serve the purpose Of show
ing how buildings were damaged by
the big shake
IN the introduction the paper says:
The great earthquake OF the 21st
inst was an event that will never be
forgotten by those who were compelled
10 experience the sensation il produced
or witness the loss Of life and great
damage 10 property which II inflicted.
So great calamity never before befell
an francisco. and now. when the ex-
element is over ana the regular bust
ness Of life has been resumed evidence
OF its devastating career are visible on
every hand and VIII be for many weeks
70 come.
STRONG BUILDINGS UNHURT.
No well-constructed building on
solid ground was shaken down or ma
terially injured; no human being was
killed within building, and all the in
jury 10 property might have been
avoided by timely precaution and a
reasOna Die outlay in construction. The
largest and tallest buildings OF brick
and stone IN the city are uninjured,
while this which have fallen were on
made land"
In the news OF the shock It says:
At six minutes before s o'clock on
the morning OF the z1st inst our city
was visited by an earthquake, the Sc
verest by far that was ever expert
enced here. The shock commenced by
& slight tremor. then an undulating
motion followed. gentle at first. but in
creasing in violence until the earth
seemed rapidly 5erked back and forth
and ending with a sharp twist, violent
enough 20 almost throw men of their
feet. The motion lasted during a Pc
Rod Of time that Is variously estimated
ct from ~ TO 4s seconds. During its
continuance the ground swelled and
rolled like the heaving Of the ocean"
buildings that were injured the most,
and saysi a former list OF all the
buildings more or less injured filed five
columns Of this paper, devoting two or
three lines 70 the mention Of each"
ONLY ONE FIRE STARTED.
On that occasion there was not the
additional horror Of IRE, there being
but one, in the grocery establishment
OF WellmaZ, Peck & Co, but that was
soon extinguished by the Fire Depart
rnent, not until after the stock had
been badly damaged. however.
But four deaths were the result Of
the earthquake. William Strong was
killed by the falling OF the fire wall at
Hiram 7. Graves wire works on Clay
street near Sansome; William Best
was killed by a chimney Of the occi-
dental Hotel falling on him; J. B.
Mansfield was killed by cornice of
the Howard building at Clay and San
some, and q Chinaman was killed by
the fire wall at Graves wire works
Thirty-four persons were badly in
5ured.
In reviewing the force Of the shock
throughout the State, the paper says.
The southern part Of Alameda
County seems TO have been the grand
center OF the late disturbance. The
shocks Rere cry violent at Oakland.
more violent at San Leandro and more
terrible al Haywards. where frame
buildings were overthrown bodily or
thrust many feet from their founda-
ton"
The paper has accounts from San
Jose Mission. San Antonio. Alvarado.
Contra Costa County. San Jose, Santa
Clara Valley. Petaluma, Stockton, Sac
ramento, Tuolumne, Nevada County.
San Mateo County. Napa, Petaluma,
Vallejo and Marysville giving descrip-
tons Of the shock IN each OF these Sec
lions.