Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-04-22
CALIFORNIA TOWNS
SUFFER FROM QUAKE
San Jacinto and Helmet Take
Brunt of ShoCks-Minor
Damage Elsewhere.
BUT ONE LIFE KNOWN LOST
By the Associa TED Press.

By the Associated Press.
SAN IACINTO, Cal, April "a
Two more earthquake shocks shook
Helmet and San Jactnto today at go!
Am. and 9:I4 am. The earth move
ment seemed more pronounced at
Helmet than here. Loose bricks. tot
tering walls and wreckage hang
ing precariously were loosened by
the new shocks and fell. adding to
the general ruin in the business dis
tricts.
LOS ANGELES, Cal, April 22.-More
than one-third of the business district
of San Jacinto and a smaller proper
ton of that of Helmet. both in River
side county. about seventy miles east
of here, were In ruins today and scores
of residences in the two little towns
were wrecked by a series of earth
quake shocks which caused all OF
southern California to tremble late
yesterday. The property damage Is es-
timated at 100000 to $4,000 in the
two places. Half a dozen other towns
and cities. including Los Angeles.
suffered minor damage. confined mainly
to plate glass windows and shattered
cornices.
Helmet and San Jacinto have popula-
tons of less than one thousand each.
They are about three miles apart and
was made the scene of Helen Hunt
Jackson's novel Ramona"
Only one life was known to have been
lost. that of Frank E. Darnell, re-
was drowned when he fell off a pier
at Santa Monica, beach resort near
here Hundreds of pleasure seekers
on the pier made wild dash for solid
ground when he STOCK came at S:33
pm, and Darnen was swept from iils
feet Persons IN scores Of theaters and
motion picture houses in this vicinity
were frightened and many suffered
? slight injuries In their rush to the exit.
Order Restored by Night.
When night fell over the partly
ruined towns OF Helmet and San Jacinto
order had been restored and organi-
cations of home guards patrolled the
streets. Four blocks OF San Jacinto's
business district were wrecked and
one block at Helmet. Three distinct
first threw to the ground a number of
Persons and horses. At the second
ehock all the buildings on the south
side of the main street began to col
on the north side.
Electricity failed Immediately and
within ten minutes the breaking of the
gas mains made 1t necessary to shut
on the supply. The water mains were
not much damaged. One Of the freaks
Of the earthquake was the sudden flow
In wells. Many artesian wells, dry for
years. showed a sudden free supply
Of water: This sudden increase Of
water manifested itself particularly in
the San Jacinto river. Before the
earthquake it was dry. Immediately
after the tremor the river at q point
below the town showed q flow Of
twelve inches in depth and forty feet
in width
Former Quake in 1899.
Z The earthquake Of yesterday was al
most a repetition OF that Of Christmas
day. 1899. when the two towns suffered
shocks Of like severity.
Fear was expressed in Los Angeles that
several large office buildings had been
thrown out Of plumb. A survey will
have to be undertaken to learn the
truth. The Washington building, q
large business structure. on Spring
street. was perceptfbly separated
from the Currier building Immediately
adjoining.
Scores Of plate glass windows were
broken at San Demanding. and cracks
developed in several brick walls Con-
crete roads and highways leading
from PERKS to Hemet and to San
Jacinto were upheaved. The earth
quake was felt over a wide area in the
west. It's most northern extremity ap-
parently was Fresno. Cal. Tremors also
were felt at Phoenix and Seligman, and
at Milford, Utah.
Two miners, who were entombed by a
landslide at magnesite mine south
east JaC1ntO rannrfAd
cued today. In San Jacinto, latest re-
. ports said, fourteen business establish
ments were leveled and eleven others
SO damaged that they will have to be
torn down.
At Helmet reports said four stores
were destroyed and eighteen damaged.
-Ramona's' Chair In the Ruins.
SAN JAc1Nro. Cal, April sa,-.Ra-
snona," idealistic Indian character of
Helen Hunt Jackson, was recalled yes
terday in the earthquake, when the
homo OF r. e. Strout fell in ruins, It
was there that Aunt RI" one Of the
novels characters, lived, and It was
there that much Of the novel was writ
ten. Buried in the ruins Is 'Ramona's
chair"
I. A Chinese cook in the vosbure Hotel
was made Indignant when the shocks
broke all his freshly washed dishes and
Jeff safe piles of unwashed dinner ware
"A linotype machine in the Office of the
San Jacinto Weekly Register, facing
one direction before the EARTHQUAKES.
was turned completely about. Appar-