Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Volume III, 1863-1867Various
Science
Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Volume III, 1863-1867
Various
California Academy of Sciences -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals
There were four distinct shocks during the earthquake, with
a period of about two or three seconds elapsing between each
vibration. During their continuance the ground opened in
several places, in fissures of one or two inches, the marks of
which remained for several days afterwards. There were some
twenty-six buildings in the city more or less injured, which
I personally examined, and among them the church, the west
wall of which was split from top to bottom in two places, the
fissures being from one to two and a half inches in breadth,
running entirely through. The east wall split at a slight angle
from the perpendicular, and had but one fissure. The walls of
the Star Hotel were split in several places, and on the west
side there appears to have been a decided horizontal motion,
as the wall was displaced on that side horizontally to the
depth of about one inch, and some eight or nine feet in length.
The amount of displacement decreased from the west end of the
building towards the center. It is a fact worthy of note,
that none of the _thin_ adobe walls of the buildings suffered
injury, while most of the _thick_-walled buildings were injured
to a greater or less extent.
During the earthquake, many articles were thrown down; those
that were standing on shelves against the east end of the
buildings were thrown westward on to the floor, and those
on the opposite end of the buildings were thrown back in an
inclined position against the walls. These features were
noticed in the drug stores of Doctors Winston and Hope,
situated on the main street, and a short distance west of the
church.
The meteorological condition of the atmosphere was rather
unusual, and is described as follows: The day was unusually
warm and sultry, attended with a little rain, (the latter very
unusual) and a sudden change of temperature to unpleasant
coldness. At Point San Juan there was observed considerable
commotion in the water, attended with a strong rushing sound,
and two unusually heavy surf swells, immediately _following the
last shock_.
This shock was felt distinctly at the saw-mill, some eight
miles east of San Bernardino, about seventy miles east of Los
Angeles, and at Santa Barbara, about one hundred miles in a
westerly direction.
Aug 12th, 9h. 30m.—A light shock of an earthquake was felt at
Georgetown, which lasted about three seconds. The vibration
apparently came from the north. Between this date and the tenth
July there were four other light shocks, the dates of which are
not recorded.
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