Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-06-23

FL Centre. Cal, June 23,-An earth-
quake shock up the Imperial valley.
California, last night killed five per-
sons, caused damage estimated at
$l.000,000 in the valleys little cluster
of towns. and left almost undamaged
the great irrigation system which
transformed the valley from a desert
to fertile farming country. El Centre
suffered more than any other town.
The five killed were caught by falling
walls at Mexicali. pust across the
border Martial law was proclaimed
there.
Originating somewhere in the old
volcanoes in the Cocopah mountains.
the granite backbone of Lower Cali
fornia. the seismic convulsion shook
and ratified the Imperial valley of Cali
fornia Buildings were rent asunder.
Fire did it's part.
The five persons killed were In Mex
icali. the little adobe town consisting
principally of saloons, gambling halls
and other resorts not permitted on the
American side. that lies across the
street from Calexico. No dead are re-
ported from the other valley points.
People Abandon Homes.
Tn. roar of the trembler below the
border was the first warning the
people of thu valley had. That was
about 8 o'clock This shock was the
most severe. Two others followed.
Electric lights went out all over the
valley after the frs: shock and the
stricken towns were In darkness. The
greatest confusion reigned everywhere.
Ranchers and city residents who had
bee. home at dinner last night woke
up today in open fields. beside road
ways or irrigation bitches.
Felt at Yuma, ar,.
AS far as can be learned the shocks
were severest down at the border and
below the border and drew less and
less the farther north It came. so that
INLAND appears to have been only in
jured slightly: less than the towns
on the south end of the valley. The
earthquake extended all the way to
Yuma, Ariz. The duration of the first
shocks was about thirty seconds and
a half hour later the second shock oc-
Cured, which was as serious as TIE
first.
Plate glass windows, fimsy brick
walls and hollow tile structures were
more or less damaged. No one in I'm
perial valley was killed. The five deac
at Mexicali were killed when wall
fell.
Buildings Abandoned.
Fifty deputies took stations about
the business district here and patroled
the town. The fire trucks patroled the
street ready to combat any fires. Tele-
graph and telephone services We're inn
mediately stopped, The telegraph com
pany set up a service board in II vacant
lot and messages were sent to Yuma
and from there relayed to other points
The Barbara Worth Hotel stood the
shock. The elevator kept running un-
til everybody was out. On either side
OF the business street are ruined build
ing, some completely razed Broken
glass of display windows covers the
sidewalk. In tho cutters are the
bricks and debris fallen from above
and pedestrians are warned to keer
in the center Of the streets. On the
lawns are cots Of residents with only
the sky as roof.
In Ell Centro the effect was electrical
The motion picture theaters were filled
but were emptied In a moment. men
women and children filing the street:
while the earth was still In motion.
The irrigation ditch was spared. NJ
reports have been received or an,
damage along the levee system which
protects the land. The great fume!
also held.
Shocks start Fires.
The first shock came at sos. 1t wa!
slow and prolonged A moment late,
came a short and sharper tremble. Al
ensuing explosion In the warehouse o
the Delta Mercantile Company lighte'
the entire countryside. Every sIHa
ing was disgorging people. In the resi-
dences dishes. cupboards AMI all NOV
able furniture was tumbled about.
In the stores shelves were over
thrown. roofs caved in. sides fell out
and thru the mass OF wreckage fright
ened people RUSHED 10 uTeT; s;;;;:s:ceS i
| the streets. Slight tremblers continue,
| thruout the night.
Mrs Mary Smith. y.ssro.. Of the iai
| from which the prisoners were re
! moved. was struck by falling brio
and injured.
Damage at Other Points.
At Herber. Pearl Emery. a spectat
or at a motion picture show. suffere
q broken foot.
! Al Calexico. the Daun building col
lapsed and every window in town wa
broken.
Al Ters,eT ssio =. s-ss NJ s..:s::l ha,s
ana the Herber hotel buildings wer