The Oskaloosa herald., 1918-05-02
The EARTHQUAKE ]
IN CALIFORNIA
Il. ]. VAIL TELLS or VISIT TO
SCENE OF DESTRUCTION.
TWO TOWNS BADLY SHAKEN
Pasadena and Los Angeles Rocked a
Little Bit But Slight Damage
Done.--californla crops Are
Promising.

1
Pasadena, Calf. April 2G.-Southern
California has had a really sure thing
Earthquake. II occurred at $3.50 sun
day Afternoon April 81, and shook
things up at lively rate in some sec.
lions. Here it ratified dishes caused
lots OF people to run ont of their
homes but did no little damage. Some
glass was broken and some chimneys
blown down in Los Angeles, but the
sum total there will sum up only few
hundred dollars. Only sight shake
was felt at San Diego also at San
Francisco. The towns Of Hemit and
San Jacinto 80 miles east of Pasa.
dema seemed to have been in the worst
of the shakeup and suffered severely.
/ drove over there yesterday returning
in the evening Ground "trip one hun.
dred and lightweight miles, and made
a personal investigation. The two
towns are only three miles apart, He.
nit being the farthest from the noun
tain. Both are within few miles of
the San Jacinto mountain whose snow
clad peak uses $4,000 feet above the
sea level We found Hemit badly
shaken and twisted Brick buildings
suffered most especially those Of two
and three stories. A few one, story
bricks were not badly damaged. Cor.
,niees were shaken off higher build
ings, part of the walls toppled to the
ground where some of the streets
we're parable passable. Frame build
Iings suffered little and concrete struc!
! lures slightly more. The damage here
is estimated at $4,000.
BouIevards Are Damaged
(, On the concrete boulevard leading
to San Jacinto counted twelve places
where the road bed was cracked and
crumpled up one side being left few
lconcrete pulverized to a finish. We
had no difficulty in passing over these
places. Arriving in the town we found
ittin charge Of the military men. Some
OF the streets cleared to traffic and
i filed with bricks, mortar, roofing, etc.
One whole square of two story bricks
was leYeled to the foundation. Across
/ the street the public library a two
frame showed no damage and half
block farther away two story hotel
was slightly damaged. The First Ma.
tional Bank built of concrete one
story showed only one crack in front
walk, but it was stated that the walls
were spread and It as feared the roof
might fall The post office building
was totally demolished and mail was
being handled on counter in the
street. A policeman informed us that
he was on the street when the shock
came, that an awful roaring preceded
the shock sounding like great bould,
ers rolling over each other, then the
Iground seemed to lift, fall and then
came the side movement and build.
ings went down with crash, and all
was over in ten seconds. '-
| Sunday a Lucky Day.
The water and gas mains and later
els were broken in some places but
no fires resulted. The catastrophe
was at $3.50 Sunday afternoon. Had
it occurred on business day fright.
full loss OF life would most certainly
have resulted. As it was business
houses were closed, and people were
in frame homes or in nearby mountain
resorts. One lady who was out there
with her family stated that the noun
tain seemed to rise then fall and trem-
BILE. Vast quantities of rocks were
tumbled from the cliffs and great
clouds Of dust soon surrounded the
mountain. San Jacinto's loss is est.
mated at 100000 and the authorities
here and at Hemit have appealed for
outside assistance Both towns are
small neither having more than 1000
people.
Reminder Of GrinneII Storm.
Viewing the wrecks they remined
one of the devastation | witnessed at
GrinnelI, Iowa, following the cyclone
of 1882 where about 40 people were
killed. Here no deaths resulted and
heard OF no one being injured. In
1888 these same towns suffered severe.
Ily from an earthquake but promptly
rebuilt and already work Of recon
Istructirg has begun. Ordinances will
at once be enacted in both towns re
quiring building to be done along safe
lines.
4 This earthquake was felt as far
south as San lego, north TO San Fran
cisco and eastward to include Arizona
Only slight damage resulted outside OF
Hemit and San Jacinto. San Bernard
inc the railway shops report $4,000
damage. Riverside lost few chin
lneys ditto Santa Ana and Los Angeles
At Santa Monica the pleasures crowd
on the pier stampeded and one mar
was knocked down and trampled tt
death.
\ IN Pasadena people fIccked into