306 REPORT OF THE CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE COMMISSION. 
According to C. D. P., the heaviest movement seemed to be nearly east and west ; 
while according to K. BL it was northwest and southeast. On the Ewing seismogram, 
the north and south component seems to be the most violent, the pen having left the 
plate for half a revolution of the plate. The east and west vibration was extremely 
large. The maximum of the east and west movement occurred after the pen of the 
north and south component left the plate. 
A razor strop hanging on a north wall, the only thing free to swing, swung east and 
west about a foot (double amplitude). A shaving brush which stood up on end and, 
being round, could fall in any direction, fell west. Things overturned fell east and west. 
Ak He shoe k was severe enough to make windows rattle and doors swing. Book-cases 
were moved out about an inch from east and west walls, but not from north and south 
walls. A pendulum clock on a north wall stopt at 5° 1" 52". Not much plaster fell, 
and only 1 of a dozen or more chimneys was thrown. Some other chimneys, principally 
those of a 3-story brick house, were cracked and shifted. 
The earth-waves were very long, but smooth. 
According to K. B., the shock was accompanied by a sound as of the flight of birds. 
The water in Smith Creek on the afternoon of the day of the shock was of a light slate 
color; not yellowish, as after heavy freshets. 
“Standing in the doorway and looking out the east window, I could see the walls of the 
brick house shaking. There seemed to be a great deal of dust in the air in front of the 
window.” H. K. P. 
The movement of the east-west component of the Ewing seismograph indicates an 
intensity corresponding to an acceleration of 400 mm. per sec. per sec. The north and 
south pen left the plate, owing to the violence of the shock. 
Niles (R. Crandall). — The town of Niles stands on gravels of the alhrvidl fan at the 
mouth of the Niles Canyon, and is about 20 miles due east of the fault at its nearest point. 
At Niles there were no large buildings, and most of the structures were not strong, but 
there was no serious damage done to any of them. About 56 per cent of the houses had 
either terra-cotta chimneys or tin pipes, which are much harder to shake down than those 
of brick. Of all the chimneys in town, 48 per cent fell; of the brick chimneys 80 per cent 
fell; of the terra-cotta chimneys only 10 per cent went down. 
Most of the houses were not plastered, so no notes could be obtained on that subject. 
In nearly all of the houses such objects as dishes, bottles, vases, and clocks were thrown 
from the shelves. Milk and water were spilt from open receptacles in most cases. 
A concrete abutment of the bridge across Alameda Creek was cracked. A man out of 
doors at the time found much difficulty in walking. A 50,000-gallon water-tank fell at 
the Niles railway station. Similar tanks were thrown down at the stations at Pleasanton, 
Livermore, and Lathrop. This was due to imperfect construction rather than to the 
violence of the shock. The tanks were upon cast-iron pillars originally, but when new 
and larger locomotives were put into service on the railway, it was found necessary to 
have the water-tanks set higher. This was accomplished by inserting short blocks be- 
tween the tanks and the tops of the pillars. When the weight of 200 tons was swayed 
on this sort of a structure, the tank collapsed. 
While at Niles, a visit was made to one of the new tunnels of the Western Pacific Rail- 
way, which is about 1 mile east of Niles in the Niles Canyon. The tunnel had penetrated 
about 130 feet into the hillside, but had not yet past thru anything but a sandy clay. 
During the previous winter the walls at the portal, and also on the inside, had stood with- 
out timbering. Since the earthquake it had been impossible to break out more than 4 
feet of ground ahead of the timber sets without caving taking place. There had been an 
apparent movement in the soil which had removed its consistency and made it incoherent. 
The amount of water present in the tunnel was perceptibly changed. The foreman said 
