more rapid; not alone from side to side, but forward and backward as well, and both motions combined with a wriggle which it seems impossible for anything to withstand. It is this compound, figure-8 motion which is so destructive, rending asunder the strongest structures as if they were built of clay. It is the culmination of the quake. It settles into a more regular and less violent swing; then suddenly abates and ceases. Out in the open country the signs and portents are of a different character. The first intimation is a strange sound. Some have likened it to the sighing of pine trees in the wind, or to falling rain; others to the distant roar of the surf; others to the far-off rumble of the railway train. It grows louder. The earth begins to quiver, then to shake rudely. Soon the ground begins to heave. Then it is actually seen to be traversed by visible waves--something like waves at sea, but of less height and moving much more swiftly. The sound becomes a roar. It is difficult to stand, and at length becomes impossible to do so. People fling themselves to the ground to avoid being dashed against it. The trees are seen to sway violently, sometimes so much that they touch the ground with their branches.... As the waves rush past the ground opens in cracks and closes again. As the cracks close the squeezed-out air blows out sand and gravel, and sometimes sand and water are spurted high in air. The roar becomes appalling. Through its din are heard loud, deep, solemn booms that seem like the voice of some higher Power speaking out of the depths of the universe. Suddenly the storm subsides, the earth comes speedily to rest, and all is over.