19063 Following the Rift 



Its surface appearance everywhere depended en- Surface 

 tirely on the nature of the overlying soil, and was '"'''"^^^'«- 

 thus locally subject to all sorts of aberrations. In 

 marshy ground ponds were formed. On hillsides the 

 lower edge of the crack fell away like a driveling lip, 

 leaving an open chasm. Often it assumed the aspect 

 of a great raw furrow. On hard level ground it clapped 

 tightly together and was marked by only a low track 

 suggesting the burrow of a mole. 



Parallel cracks toyed with miles of the North Shore Tomdes 

 Railroad, which runs along Tomales Bay. At Mar- ^'^'^ 

 shall, the most northern point of our observation, the 

 humble hotel was thrown bodily — and upright — 

 into the Bay, its guests escaping without serious in- 

 jury. One of the fishermen said that the water first 

 went out, leaving his boat in the mud, then came 

 back in a great wave "which looked a hundred feet 

 high, but which was probably not more than ten." 

 At Point Reyes Station ^ the 5.15 for San Francisco 

 was about to start, with the conductor just swinging 

 himself aboard, when the coach gave a great lurch 

 away from him, followed by another in his direction 

 and throwing the whole train on its side. 



At Skinner's Ranch near Olema, a row of large ouma 

 cypresses formerly stood in front of the house, from 

 which they were separated by a little rose garden, 

 while to the south of all, four tall eucalyptus trees 

 were set in an oblique line. The rift having opened 

 directly east of the house, under the front doorstep 

 and between the third and fourth eucalyptus, the 

 whole building and the last tree were violently jerked 

 to the north, a distance of sixteen feet and seven 

 inches. Thus, had Skinner chanced to look out at the 



1 At the head of the bay, some miles east of Point Reyes itself. 



C 183 3 



