EARTHQUAKE AT SAN FRANCISCO.

Southland Times, Issue 1081, 30 December 1868, Page 2

EARTHQUAKE AT SAN FRANCISCO.

j^-r-CFrom the * Times,' of the 22nd October.) n ! The most severe shock, of earthquake ■. ever experienced in San Francisco Im* curred yesterday morning, •at serei minutes before eight o'clock, and revolted in the loss of several lives, and the serious injury of a large number of buildings. The time of its occurrence was juat when business for the day was commencing, . and wtien the persons employed in the mercantile houses and factories were off the point of going to work. A larjjp number of persons had not reached their stores and offices, and to this circumstance is probably due the fact that the loss of Jife was so small whenjjhe nature and extent of the disaster isftalceDL into consideration. The direction of the first and heaviest shock was from- southeast to northwest, though it is asserted by some|; that there was a verticose or twisting moy|| tion. It was preceded and accompanied by^ v ~ a subterraneous rumbling, resembling the noise made by the dragging of heavy artillery orer the ground. This soundwts heara very distinctly in the lower parts of the city ; but the residents on the hills do not appear to have heard it* The initial and heaviest shock- lasted probably I little more than twenty seconds, thouga I some reports state that it lasted for '« nearly half a minute. The duration of J earthquake shocks is almost inveriablj m exaggerated, in consequence of the terror 1 excited by them, and it is extremely im* j probable that so severe a shock could have lasted longer than the time we lure 'M stated. Beginning somewhat slowly, the jb vibrations increased in force to the * culmination, at which time it seemed im> f possible that any brick building could ? . remain standing. The excitement and | alarm was, of course, intense, and in less .;' time than it takes to write it, the stroatf were filled with men, women and^hildren^ whose only object was to gain the middle ->-■ of the roadway, whence, tiiey gavedttpA' -

"Ward in expectant teraor at the swaying - buildings above them. -When the first paralyzing sensation of helpless fear had ■ somewhat'subsided, men beg%n to examine •into the results of the It will be found that by far the greater portion of the damage was effected in that part of the city built on made grcrund, but that even here the damage has been very unequally-^disfcributed "When this ground was filled in and" reclaimed from the Bay, many years ago, the process was carried out differently in different parts. In some places the filling was so put in as to drive the mud before it down the Bay, and thus a more solid foundation was obtained. In other parts pools of mud had been dammed up and retained by building roadways in front of them. Here* the filling was imperfectlmd the result obtained was little better than a heavy bog, covered with a crust pf dry earth. It will be found that in the places so filled the houses have for the most part sunk, and thus it happens that the shock appears to have been felt much, more severely in some portions <*fe this district than in others. With regard to the buildings, it is well known that in early days it was customary to place thirty-inch, planks of Puget Sound lumber as bases for the walls. These planks were often put down one on top of another, at a depth of two feet, or two feet and a half. They were exposed to the action of tide water, soaking through the made ground, and in a few years they rotted, leaving the walls virtually without any foundation. The first heavy shock of earthquake of course shook away the crumbling supports, and the walls went down. Another anomalous circumstance connected with the earthquake of yesterday is susceptible of an easy explanation. It has Been remarked that though several of the old buildings have sunk, fewer of them have fallen than of 'the late structures. When San [Francisco was young, lime was very costly and difficult to procure, and in consequence of this scarcity large quantities of cement were used in construction of the buildings; This cement has so bound the bricks together that the walls have in turn become almost as firm as rock, and even, when they have sunk,. they have, for the most part hang together. Many of the new buildings have beertl^put up very cheaply, anct the mortar used 7 has been extremely poor, as an examination of the ruins will sufficiently demonstrate. On the whole, however, the larger buildings have stood the shock wonderfully well, and those which lave been carefully built are scarcely at all injured. As an instance we will take the Sugar Eefinery at North Point. This is a huge brick building, seven stories high, and surmounted by a lofty chimney, also of brick. Yet the solid walls present no cracks or flaws however slight, from top to bottom, and the only injury sustained in the vast establishment yesterday was the fall of some six or seven feet of brickwork from the top of the chimney, which rises a hundred feet from the ground. In another, part of the city we may'iristance the new Merchant's Exchange, and Hayward's Building, both of which stand firm. Everywhere in fact, throughout the city, good masonry stood well, and bad workmanship exposed its defects. Eew wooden houses were much injured, and none so much that they will have to be rebuilt. At the first shock nearly all the pendulum clocks in the city stopped and some of the large ones on public buildings. The clock on Tucker's tower stopped at five minutes to eight o'clock. It is a noticeable fact that, with one exception, all the fatal casualties resulted from the falling of cornices or fire walls from the tops of buildings, upon persons who were trying to escape. With a single exception, all who remained in the buildings, where they were when the shock occurred, escaped uninjured. Business, of course, was generally interrupted, and most of the stores on Eront street, and in the vicinity were closed. Several light shocks weie experienced throughout - the day, and a constant tremor in the earth was perceptible up to the hour when we went to press. In spite of the intense excitement wItoK existed all through the city, the most perfect order was maintained everywhere, and the city authorities acted with praiseworthy promptitude and judgment. Hopes were stretched in front of all dangerous buildings, and every precaution was taken to avert further disaster. In reviewing the facts calmly, we cannot but see much reason for thankfulness that the damage and loss of life were so limited, and that the reports which obtained credence yesterday were generally so greatly exaggerated.