Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-01
S1,0DO,0[O QUAKES
SPREAD RUIN OVER
IMPERIAL VALLEY
CaIexico, Calf, and MexicaIi,
in Mexico, Bear Brunt of
so Shocks.
OTHER BORDER TOWNS
REPORT HEAVY DAMAGE
Few Business Houses Left Stand
ing-Fire Follows Temblors.
Cafe Crowd Stampedes.
BY the Associated Press.

CALEXICO, Calf, January l.
Earthquakes, numbering more than
half hundred, rocking the Imperial
Valley at intervals of about two min
utes since 1918 o'clock this morning,
and still continuing at 4:45 am, badly
damaged Calexico and Mexicali, adj
jacent border cities. causing damage
which, it is estimated, will approx
mate more than $1,000,000.
lei Centre. IL miles north of this
city, and Heber. a town of approx
mately 400 population lying between
FL Centre and the Mexican border,
also suffered from the continuation
of quakes, but the damage reported
in the localities appeared to be slight.
Calexico, lying on the American
side of the international boundary
line, and Mexicali. on the Mexican
side, appeared to bear the brunt of
the tremors,. which were accompanied
by heavy rumbling.
Few Houses Undamaged.
Hardly business house in Calexico
was left sound by the quakes, the
walls of many falling, while the walls
of others were badly cracked. Almost
every plate glass window in the busi-
ness section was shattered and in
many instances the window casing
was torn loose.
A survey of Calexico's business Sec
tion revealed that the rear walls Of
the post office, two garages and a
store were demolished A portion of
the rear wall of the Overland Hotel
was tottering. The upper portion of
the front of the Melbourn Hotel, the
Glenwood Hotel and portions of the
city fire and police stations tum-
bled into the streets.
No one was known TO hare been
killed, but several persons were slight
~ injured, their injuries running to
cuts and bruises. suffered when struck
by falling plaster.
Nine OF the shocks were severe, the
first, at 1913 am, being the sharpest
and lasting the longest. fully three
minutes. 1t caused the most damage.
Two tremors following Immediately
after were also sharp paey were felt
at lis and 2:10 o'clock.
Fire Destroys Brewery.
Damage in MexicaH, so far as could
be ascertained in the darkness, was
principally the loss by fire of the
number of adobe houses. The brewery
caught fire in some manner after the
first quake.
The cafes and resorts in Mexicali
were crowded with New Year merry
makers, who stampeded into the
streets at the first shocks. The gates
at the international line, which close
: nightly at o'clock, were opened by
customs officers to permit the people
to cross to the American side.
At Heber, which was first reported
to have been badly damaged, the post
Office was found to be damaged and
windows of other buildings broken.
Ell Centre apparently suffered only
minor damages, broken windows and
crockery being reported.
Fearing to return TO their shaking
homes, residents of Calexico and
Heber gathered around huge bonfires
on vacant lots. A number of the resi-
dents of Calexico reported that the
first three quakes were of such inten-
sity that they were shaken out of
their beds.
Two sharp earthquakes were regis
tered this morning on Georgetown
University seismographs. The first,
beginning at 1892 am, Eastern stand
ard time, was placed by Director Ton
dorf as 2,000 miles from Washington,
while the second, at 80, was 2,100
miles away. Each lasted about half
an hour.