280 REPORT OF THE CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE COMMISSION. 
water-tank fell, the supporting trestle being practically demolished. The track suffered 
a slight shifting in several places north of the village. Cracks opened in the ground in 
the vicinity of 2 small watercourses, but on a less extensive scale than that noted at 
Alvarado. Some of them crost the railroad track. In every case they emitted the 
same bluish sand (with the water) that had been found near the Alameda Sugar Mill. 
In one place, 1.5 miles northeast of the village, considerable water was still left standing 
in shallow ponds. According to neighboring ranchmen, these ponds had not existed 
prior to the earthquake. 
Centerville (F. IX. Matthes).—The amount of destruction here seems greater than in 
the neighboring towns, but this is in large measure due to the presence of a number of 
poorly constructed brick houses. All of these had suffered severely, the walls being in 
part thrown down. The bank building was more seriously damaged than most build- 
ings, the walls being partly demolished and the roof having caved in. With very few 
exceptions all the brick and tile chimneys were broken off. Window panes broke in 
several stores. No cracks in the ground were found or reported. The direction of the 
shock was not agreed upon by the residents; according to some it was north-south, 
according to others east-west. 
Mission San Jose (S. Ehrman). — Nearly all chimneys were thrown down, and plaster 
in houses cracked; the direction of the throw of chimneys and objects being chiefly 
from north to south. Some objects were rotated clockwise, and hanging objects were 
caused to swing. | 
Irvington (F'. E. Matthes).— Destruction similar in degree to that at Centerville. 
Every brick house was more or less extensively damaged; portions of walls fell in some 
instances, and cracks in brickwork were common to all. The large brick and stone 
buildings of the Palmdale Winery suffered more severely than any, and large portions 
of them will have to be rebuilt entirely. Only a few chimneys were left standing in the 
village. Plaster cracked and fell in large flakes in several houses. ‘The upper stories 
apparently suffered less than the lower floors. 
Milpitas (F. E. Matthes). — Nearly all chimneys were here thrown down, a few, 
including a very short one on the depot, being left intact. There are no brick buildings 
in the village and the destruction seems insignificant. The hotel slipt on its founda- 
tions, but was almost repaired at the time of the visit. A small adobe house in the 
southern part of the village was fairly demolished; it was known to be an old and weak 
structure. A water-tank and wind-mill were thrown down, support and all, about a mile 
south of town. They fell to the south. Another tank, north of town, appears to have 
fallen to the west. Several other tanks in this neighborhood were found intact. Of 
the two bridges over Coyote Creek, the northern one suffered some damage by displace- 
ment of end supports. It was unsafe to travel over at the time of the visit. The south- 
ern bridge was found intact, the end supports showing signs of but small movement. 
Agnews (F. E. Matthes).—The insane asylum, consisting of three tall and three minor 
brick buildings and some small frame structures, suffered very severely. Every one of 
the brick structures was damaged beyond repair and will have to be entirely rebuilt. 
The main buildings were long, 3-story brick structures oriented north and south, 
with large projecting bay windows at their north and south ends. These were destroyed, 
so that both buildings are open at their ends. The fall of these walls caused the caving 
in of the roof, and the sagging down in some places of the floors. Numerous lives were 
lost; in all 112 dead being found in the ruins. The administration building was partly 
wrecked by the fall of its tower, which crashed thru the roof and all the floors, carrying 
with it a number of people. In nearly all cases the north and south facing walls were 
thrown out, while the cast and west facing walls were, as a rule, better preserved. The 
shock seems to have been north-south principally, judging from these data. 
