Evening star., 1933-03-12
|QUAKE EXPERIENCE
| LIKE OCEAN VOYAGE
Buildings ResembIed Giant
PenduIums in Pacific
Coast Disaster.
BY GRANTLAND RICE.

GO6 AN1GlAES, Sdll1., MaTCu IL
CN.A.NA).-Several million persons in
Southern California still carry the feel
ing Of those who have Just finished a
long. rough ocean voyage, in the wake
Of an earthquake that left approx
mately 200 people dead, 5000 injured
and wreckage strewn up and down the
coast.
All these millions still carry sea legs
from the first shock Of the rocking
rolling motion that was followed all
night long by other tremors which did
little damage, but gave one the feeling
Of impending disaster.
Only those who have been In the
middle Of q real earthquake can realize
the weird. strange and startling sensa-
tions that accompany rocking, reeling
world beneath your feet.
I happened to be working on the
fourth floor Of Los Angeles hotel when
there came first a far-away rumble
something that might be presaging a
coming storm. It was dull thunder
moving up the land. A moment later
the window panes began to rattle, the
window curtains to flap, chairs and ia
bles to slip and slide. Then pictures on
the wall started fitting right and left
This was the start.
Floor Like Deck.
Two or three seconds later the floor
began to dip and roll so it was almost
impossible to walk across q room
There was a distinct sensation Of q big
building swaying back and forth, just
as If one stood on the deck Of a steam
er moving through rough, surf-ridden
sea.
BY the seventh or eighth second, that
now seemed to be many minutes there
was q strain and cracking as the plas-
tering began to fall. You felt that the
building was sure to topple right or left
within the next few seconds, as the
cracking noise increased and the sway
ing became extended.
There could be no similar sensation
In the world we happen to know. One
a hurricane. There is something physi-
cal here to be figured out. But when
the land beneath your feet, the terrain
that serves as the foundation for every
house and home, begins to dip and roll
to slide and rock, the utter and COM
plete rush of defenselessness drives the
| mind into q panic Millions rushed
| from homes and their buildings into
| parks and open spaces.
talked today with Bill Terry, man.
ager Of the New York Giants.
Il was on the tenth floor Of my
hotel" Terry said, when the building
began to rock and sway. 1t felt just
as If some giant, some superhuman
! power, was pushing 1t back and forth
was way over here, then was way
over there. back and forth, back and
forth, standing on massive pendulum
I never want to feel that way again
Many Of the ball players rushed outside
into a nearby park and stayed there
| all night. I stayed up until 3 o'clock. .
Einstein Not in Area.
One peculiar feature of the earth
quake was that Albert Einstein and
DR.. Beno Gutenberg, rated as one OF
| the worlds greatest experts on earth
| quakes, were walking over terrain that
remained steadfast- They knew moth
ing Of the shaking world until they saw
people running back and forth.
At midnight joined Bobby Jones
and his wife on the fifth floor Of q
| hotel. Just about this moment a radio
announcer said that the final tremol
| was over. He had barely finished this
reassuring talk when once the window
panes began to rattle. the curtains
began to move, the room began to
shake Twenty minutes later the same
forebod.ng episode returned with
another tremor.
The giant shake of 1906 which
wrecked San Francisco lasted 43 sec
onds. The Los Angeles upheaval last
ed only 13 seconds, so far as the dam
aging quiver was concerned.
Just of shore of this western slope
a giant rock or section Of sea bottom
had begun to slide and settle. But
this was no matter Of any few seconds
I felt the first shock shortly as the
rocking, reeling, devasting motion
moved along at a rate approaching
mile a minute.
After a nights sleep woke again
with the feeling that I was on boaro
a ship. It was then Z am. I was
sure the sensation was merely a sub
conscious return of the night before
And then the windows began to rattle
once more and the chairs started tt
rock, and I knew the same old earth.
quake was still operating 13 hours later
| Something far below the water lint
was seeking an adjustment. 1t wa!
seeking the same adjustment, through
nature, that the nations of the worlc
today are seeking along social and eco.
nomic lines. This adjustment car
| uctcT, ucfcE W4eiOAe uP'
setting at least part of the old order
whatever that order may be.
| In each case there must be the sen.
sation Of rocking and reeling, of losing
balance for q brief period, and ther
| standing firm as the main blast die!
away. Millions Friday night left theil
shelter to seek better protection out
doors.
| Few Hurt in Los Angeles.
| But at Long Beach and other centers
where there were few buildings erected
as earthquake proof centers, the dam.
was greatest. There was only trift
] casualty list in Los Angeles on the
physical side.
The greatest part Of the damage wa!
done to nerves. Long Beach, Just out
side of Los Angeles, has its dead to bury
and its wounded to care for. This ap'
plies to other centers without proper
| earthquake protection. Stones anc
rocks and timbers fall. Steel merely
twists and shakes. 1t doesn't give way
In view of the bank situation and tht
earthquake, all we need now Is tida
wave and a pestilence. This Will com
plete the story of 1888, clear the atmos-
phere and leave every one ready Tor
fresh start.
After 80 years along the fronts oi
sport and war, this was my most thrill
ing experience. After all, we live only
for experiences. The rest Is monotony
My first earthquake was an awe tnsp1r-
| ing, thrilling, tremendous experience,
| dip into the supernatural, quick jour.
ney along unknown trails.
must admit that I received a ire
mendous thrill from shaking, rolling
dipping, quivering earth. But I dom
| care about second.
(CopyriRht, 1888, bv North American News.
YanAr Alliance. IncO