168 EARTHQUAKES ON THE PACIFIC COAST 



1892. February 23; San Diego. 



The earthquake which visited southern California just before mid- 

 night last night was the worst San Diego ever experienced, and 

 seems to have been more severe the farther south it was felt. 

 In this city a large number of buildings were cracked and the 

 plaster was dislodged, although no houses were shaken down. 



There were six or seven quakes after the first severe shock. 



Eeports from outside the city say that in Paradise Valley a church 

 and schoolhouse, which were built upon stilts, were thrown down 

 and almost totally demolished. A message from Campo says that 

 the first shock, at 11.21 p. m., was preceded by a loud rumbling. 



Several sharp tremblings followed in quick succession. The rum- 

 blings and shocks kept up at intervals of twenty minutes or more 

 through the night until 4.53 a. m., when a fearful shock, with 

 vibrations lasting twenty-five seconds, accompanied by local 

 rumblings, caused the inhabitants to rush out of their houses in 

 terror. Since 5 o'clock this morning over twenty distinct shocks 

 have been experienced, the last one as late as 10 o'clock. At 

 Jamul the walls of the stone kilns at the cement works w^ere 

 cracked and other damage was done. Rumblings have been 

 heard all day in the hills and mountains thereabouts, and the 

 inhabitants are panic-stricken. 



1892. Point Firinni Station (San Pedro), Cal.; 11:20 p. ni. 



Sleepers waked; clock stopped, etc. (VI). 



1892. Ballast Point Light Station (Cal,); 11:17 p. m., local time. 



Direction E. S. E. to W. N. W. This shock lasted Im. 12s. (counted) ; 

 clock stopped, etc. (VI). Other shocks at 11.30 p. m. (very light); 

 12.15 p. m. (very light); 1.16 a. m. (heavier); 2.3 a. m. (very light); 

 2,35 a. m. (very light) ; 2.50 a. m. (very light) ; 3.02 a. m. (heavier) ; 

 3.19 a. m. (very light); 3.47 a. m. (very light); 3.59 a. m. (very 

 light); 4.31 a. m. (rumbling); 5.57 a. m. (heavier). [The dura- 

 tions of these later shocks are all given and they are all long, 

 from which I infer that the Im. 12s. above may be too long. — 

 E. S. H.] (Ms. kindly communicated by U. S. Geological Survey.) 



1892. Point Lonia Liiglitlionse (San Diego); 11:14 p. m. (standard 

 time). 



Lasting one minute; 11.24 p. m., lasting 15 seconds; 11.35 p. m. 

 (light); 11.40 p. m. (light). No damage done. 



Messages from Lower California are to the effect that Ensenada, 

 Alamo, and San Quentin experienced the severest shocks within 

 the memory of the oldest inhabitants. At Ensenada buildings 

 swayed to and fro, and the people rushed into the streets, fright- 

 ened by the unusual noises which followed the seismic distur- 

 bance. At San Quentin the Peninsular Railway roadbed sus- 

 tained considerable damage. The shocks there were simply un- 

 paralleled in duration, lasting fully seventy seconds (VII?, VIII?). 



