EARTHQUAKES AND
THEIR CAUSES
0 A great horror like tha# which yes
terday overtook San Francisco invari
ably centers Interest in the cause,
which, primarily, was an earthquake,
and speculation naturally has been in
dulged In as to whether the recent
eruption of Mount Vesuvius could
have any possible hearing on the
tremor in San Francisco.
As to Earthquakes.
It is estimated that twelve or thir
teen earthquakes, destructive more or
less of life and property, occur every
year, and it is well known that the
surface of the globe is never free from
sensible evidence of the continued op
eration of earthquake agency—that in
some quarter or another tremors or
slight shakings are always taking
place. When these are of a serious
nature whole cities have been de
stroyed; fertile districts, with all their
fruits and grain, have been laid waste,
and enormous masses <>f human beings
have lost their lives.
The Lisbon Catclysm.
In 1755 no less than 60,000 persons
perished in the great Lisbon, Portugal,
earthquake, while that in, Calabria
Spain, in the end of the eighteenth
century, 40,000 were destroyed. In this
way it is estimated that 13,000,000 of
the human race have perished.
A Mysterious Subject.
The mysterious nature of the pro
ducing causes of earthquakes has al
ways been an incentive to their study,
but it is unfortunately true that the
most popular scientific inquiries are
those in which the imagination has
large play; dry deductions from ob
served phenomena are not suited to
the genius of popular modern science.
Consequently, earthquakes, where
every attempt at explaining their
origin is theoretical, from the impos
sibility of obtaining direct observation,
affording as they do a wide field for
the display of the poetic faculty, find
plenty of students.
Occur Everywhere.
No portion of the earth's surface is
exempt from the influence of earth
quakes. Egypt has been less visited
than perhaps uny other country, but
even there one took place in 1740; and
Holland, with its loose alluvial soil,
has also felt their power. Nor is the
bed of the ocean exempt. Records of
many sub-aqueous earthquakes exist,
taken by vessels at sea, sometimes
passing over the point of greatest dis
turbance at the moment of the shock.
They are most frequent around the
present lines or centers of volcanic
action, and their frequency and vio
lence seem to bear some relation to
the activity and Intensity of associated
volcanoes.
Nature of Earthquakes.
All theorists are agreed as to the
connection betweeen volcanoes and
earthquakes; that they are produced
by the same subterranean agency.
Therefore it may be assumed that the
recent eruption of Mount Vesuvius
had a direct bearing on the earthquake
yesterday in San Francisco. The ex
istence of molten matter In the in
terior of the earth is the starting point
in all, except the chemical theory pro
pounded by Sir Humphrey Davy,
which, though in the end abandoned
by him, still finds supporters. When
he discovered the metallic bases of
the earths and alkalies he threw out
the idea that those metals might
abound in an unoxidized state in the
subterranean regions, to which water
must occasionally penetrate. When
this occurred gaseous matter would
be set free, sufficient to produce earth
quakes, the metals would combine with
the oxygen of the water, and heat
enough would be evolved to melt the
surrounding rocks.
Earth Mainly Solid.
The old assumption that the earth
consists of a molten fluid core, with
a cooled and hardened rind floating
upon It, Is inconsistent with the rigid
ity that astronomers have proved the
earth to possess. But, although the
earth must be mainly solid. It is yet
believed to be of a honeycombed
structure, and that the cavities con
tain in many places lakes of molten
rock, between which and the surtace
volcanoes are orifices of coinmunica-1
tlon. Into these crevices water, sink
ing down through crevices from the
ocean or the land, must be constantly
finding Its way; and the steam thus
generated exerts such enormous pres
sure as to force the molten matter to
the surface, Itself mingling and escap
ing along with it. When a mass of
water is suddenly precipitated into a
hot cavern, the explosion of steam will
'cause an earthquake concussion, and
where there Is no vent may be suffi
cient to rend the superincumbent
strata.
Noted Earthquakes.
The celebrated Lisbon earthquake
of 1766 was severely felt In the Middle
and Eastern states, and high waves
appeared in the harbors of New York
and Boston. In October, 1811, an earth
quake extended from tke mouth of the
• iliin river 300 miles southward, con
tinuing its disturbances until March
26. 1812. A shock October Hi, 1870,
covered the area including Quebec, the
eastern provinces of Canada, Chicago
and New York, and the velocity of the
wave was estimated at 14,000 feet per
second. November 18, 1878, an area
of 150,000 square miles in the valley
of the Mississippi wtyt disturbed.
Pacific Coast Earthquakes.
The heaviest earthquakes on the
Pacific coast in this century were in
1868 and 1872. considerable damage
having been done in the former earth
quake in Situ Francisco, as related
elsewhere in this newspaper.
In August, 1844, the urea including
Washington, Toledo, ••Ido, and Port
land, Me., was shaken. The shock of
August 31. 1886, covered twenty states,
and was felt from Ontario. Canada, to
Florida, and westward to Detroit. The
direction of the vibrations was from
southeast to northwest, and no tidal
wave followed, its was expected.
• »nc of the most destructive earth
quakes of comparatively recent occur
rence was that which took place on
the island of Ischia, near Naples, July
28. 1883. by which over 2,000 persons
perished. By the earthquake of Men
doza, South America, March 20, 1861,
over 12,000 persons lost their lives. A
violent earthquake, most destructive
in Charleston, S. C., and vicinity, oc
curred on the night of Aug. 31. 1886.
CROSSES
OF GOLD
Women Crucefied by So
cial Ambition.
Character, Ability and Intellectu
ality No Longer Weigh In the
Social Scales, According To a
Woman From Kansas.
JOLIET, 111.—A little woman from
Kansas took the platform at the con
vention of the state federation of
women’s clubs, in this city, and painted
a word picture of "the woman of to
day” that made four hundred feminine
faces flush. She was Margaret M.
Mather, of the College of Agriculture
of Manhattan, Kan.
When the little woman had retired
she had projected, upon the mind of
every mother and every daughter in
the audience, an image of a woman
with heart shrunk by lack of whole
some nourishment and with soul soiled
by the stain "of tainted money. And
this, she said, “was an image of the
woman of today.”
In the making of her picture Miss
Mather declared that femininity “had
been crucified upon a cross of gold.”
No longer, she said, is a young woman
willing to marry a man with a modest
income. The love in a cottage ideal,
;he declared, ruthlessly, has been de
stroyed by the onrush toward social
ambitions.
In the Social Scales.
“Character, ability and intellectual
ity no longer weigh much in the social
scales,” said the speaker, “and when
me mother asks another if her daugh
ter married well, the usual answer Is
ifflrmatlve or negative, aclording to
;he size of the check the happy bride
groom can sign. Our ideals have been
powdered with gold-dust. Woman’s
measure is taken in diamonds and
jewels, instead of worth, womanliness
and culture.
“The complexity of modern life has
reduced the joy of living to a mini
mum. There would be fewer embezzle
ments and defalcations if the house
wife understood the value of a dollar.
Few women know how much their
husbands can afford to have them
spend, and most women on the top
most rung of the social ladder are liv
ing beyond their Income.
Where Parents Left Off.
“Not long ago a girl would have felt
she was doing well financially if she
narried a man with an income of
51.500 to $2,000 a year. Nowadays
?irls expect their husbands to begin
it the place their parents loft off. I
have heard men with large Incomes
say they had not the nerve to ask a
firl to marry them until they could
five them ns much ns their parents
had given them. They forget that
possibly it took the girl’s father half
i century to accumulate his wealth.”
Miss Mather urged that every wife,
son and daughter be given an allow
mce, no matter how small, to teach
hem the principles of economy and
he value of money. She said that out
>f hundreds of families with whom
••he had come in contact she had failed
hi find a single one in which the
laughter and sons were given allow
inces, and only one In which the wife
had an Income.
*93 Lacey Bourbon, '94 Hermitage
Rye, 121-2 cents.. Board of Trade.
We carrv a full line ex fancy Crack
ire, 5 o’clock teas, etc. Archer. Ewing
A Co.
FROM FRIDAY’S EXTRA EDITION
Nugget’s Special Service.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 20, 11:30
A. ,M.—San Francisco is no more.
Three distinct, merciless fires are rag
ing, defying even dynamite, which has
been procured to check their ravages,
and back firing has been resorted to in
order to stop the spread of the con
flagration. But this, too, has proved
unavailing. Nob hill is devastated,
and the flames are sweeping in an
easterly direction toward the water
front and Telegraph Bill—the district
where it will meet a burnt-out area,
and tin' i it must die out.
“The Mission" Destroyed.
A second conflagration in “The Mis
sion" has cleaned out everything from
tlie wati r front south of Market street
to Eighteenth street, and is now work
ing westward
Sweeping Residence Section.
The third and most dangerous con
flagration is now in the western sec
tion of the city, beyond Van Ness
avenue, where it is sweeping the resi
dences in th it pail of the city. The
firemen are bending every effort to
sti in the fire in the latter section.
Will Lick Up Everything.
Ttie fire, apparently, will lick up
everything from Point Richmond until
the open space a tulle from the en
trance to tlie Golden Gate has been
reached.
300.000 in the Park.
Three hundred thousand former
wealthy men, society women, working
men. boys, girls and outcasts slept on
the ground in Golden Gate park and
on the beach near the Cliff House, last
night. The camp of the homeless is in
charge of Major McKeever. of tlie Pre
sidio.
Wires Re-Established.
The Postal Telegraph t’ompany last
night re-established a wire in a tent
on the water front, and over the still
warm ashes bakeries are being estab
lished. Fifty thousand loaves of bread
will be baked today.
/
Flames Travel Fast.
After midnight the flames traveled
RAILROAD
HISTORY
One Of Corruption Says
Bourke Cockran
Declares It Dominates Courts and
Political Parties---Rate Bill
Only Means By Which Public
Ownership Can Be Stopped.
WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 17.—
Bourke Cockran, speaking on the rail
xroail rate bill, in the house today, said
that while lie did not consider it a
panacea for all evils, it was a most
wholesome manifestation of a unani
mous public determination to deal with
the real. It was the 0111/ means by
which public ownership could be
stopped and checked, the most plaus
ible argument of the socialist.
Mr. Cockran had been speaking but
a few minutes when he had a full au
dience on the lioor, and the galleries
were also occupied to their capacity.
Mr. Cockran gave simple analyses
of favoritism and discriminlation to
show its inherent injustice. Favorit
ism was always granted corruptly.
"Sir," he continued, "the history of
railroad management in this country
is the history of favoritism, of corrup
tion and of fraud.”
in spite of this he would not say the
railroads had not rendered enormous
service, but they had not been as effi
cient as they should be.
Railway influence, he declared, dom
inated both political parites.
Scores Courts.
Ilust rating this. In* showed how the
representatives of wealth ignored the
courts and dominated state adminis
trations. The very court which had
dropped the proceedings against H.
H. Rogers had the next day issued a
most vigorous injunction against strik
ing printers. in this connection he
reviewed the Northern Securities deci
sion, which, he said, declared criminals
and conspirators those responsible for
that combination. Harriman and Mor
gan, he said, quarreled over the con
trol of several railways in the North
west, which threatened to interfere
with their plunder. The president di
rected an action against them. The
court declared a conspiracy.
“What was the result?” he asked.
“It was to reduce the control of these
properties from two to one. When
Harriman had been eliminated. Morgan
was supreme. A more perfect con
spiracy was perfected through the de
cision of the court itself, and the stock,
so fast that they licked up the debris
of buildings which had been blown up
by dynamite. The debris was dry as
a tinder box. and the Ore spread with
increased force before tii»- thousands
of workers could clear the debris, and
thus make an open space to prevent
the continued spreading of the con
flagration.
Van Ness Homes.
Nearly all the homes of the wealthy
on Van Ness avenue were blown up.
but the tire leaped across that wide
thoroughfare as if it had been a nar
row alley.
Caring for Refugees.
A limited number of refugee.- ,u
being taken eare of at the Presidio.
K. H. Harritnan lias wired the South
ern Pacific to place the ferry boats
at the disposal of those who want to
leave the city.
Thousands Are Hungry.
Thousands of men, women and chil
dren are hungry and entirely without
means, and it is expected that today
tents will be taken to Golden Gate
park and rations distributed. A water
supply is promised this afternon. The
suffering from lack of water, even to
drink, lias been great. Oakland is
sending water in barrels to San Fran
cisco.
Charge of Grocery Stores.
The police have taken charge of all
the grocery stores, and each person is
sold only one article of food at a time.
The government transports and tugs
have begun taking refugees to Oak
land.
Houses Are Deserted.
There is not a house in the city
that Is not now deserted. An area
embracing more than eighteen square
miles of the city is completely de
vastated. and all hope of checking the
roaring hell of flames lias been aban
doned.
Hut the great excitement of the past
forty-eight hours has spent itself. The
people art; becoming calm, having now
realized that nothing much worse can
possibly overtake them.
The Falrmount Hotel is a mass of
ruins.
SEATTLE SENDS
MONEY AND FOOD
SKATTL1C, April 20.—The San Fran
cisco relief fund committee lias raised
$70,000. and will double that amount
today. A train load of provisions
leaves here tonight. Governor Pardee
has wir'd Mayor Moore that the peo
ple are almost starving. The city
council lias appropriated $10,000 for
the relief of the sufferers.
PRESIDENT URGES
RAISING FUNDS
Nugget’s Special Service.
WASHINGTON, I). April 20.-—
Til*- president lias issued a proclama
tion urging cities everywhere to raise
relief funds and send them to Charles
U Keep, treasurer of the Red Cross
Society, Washington.
Santa Rosa Obliterated.
OAKLAND, t'a. '.til -o > ourb.-s
from Santa Rosa say tin- town lias
been obliterated, and five hundred
people are dead Refugees are now
arriving here.
OAKLAND. April lit, :S P. M tVia
Courier from San Francisco)—The
firemen and soldiers are dropping from
exhaustion. Many an lying under
wagons asleep.
Flames are leaping all about, and
on Noli hill, from house to house, al
most every house Ic ing on tire. The
fire, too, is rapidly spreading to the
outlying districts. Not another stick
of dynamite is to lie had anywhere.
• las mains are exploding, blowing
buildings into tic- air with terrific
force
United States Mint Is Safe.
Superintendent of the Mint Leach
has just wired the treasury depart
ment at Washington that lie lias saved
a hundred million dollars. The mint
building is still standing, and is the
only one left in that district Super
intendent Leach says the safety of
the structure is due to the efforts of
Lieutenant Armstrong, of the Sixth in
fantry, and the men under him, who
worked most heroically.
The St. Francis hotel walls have col
lapsed, but no one has been injured
in the hotel so far as can be ascer
tained. The guests and employes left
the hotel shortly after the second
shock on Wednesday.
Fire Chief Dying.
Fire Chief Sullivan, who was injured
by a falling wall yesterday, is dsing
More than twenty policemen have been
seriously injured, and some fatally
None Will Be Left.
A courier from San Francisco at 3
o'clock tills afternoon says that not a
building in San Francisco will be
saved.
• tne hundred thousand are trying
to leave the city, but thi y are unable
to do so, as the trains and all ferries
have stopped, amt boats cannot te
ll i red
Many deaths an- reported from
heart failure AI • -11 and women have
I fallen on tile streets, never to rise
| again.
Congress Gives Million.
WASHINGTON. 1> C. April 1 !♦.—
Congress this morning passed resolu
tions appropriating a half million for
the relief of the sufferers of San Fran
I cisco and other towns. The amount
was increased this afternoon to one
million.
Seattle Raises $40,000.
SKATTLK. April lit—To date Se
attle has raised $40,00a for the Cali
fornia sufferers
Indianapolis Sends $10,000.
INDIANAPOLIS. Ind.. April 10
Toi thousand dollars have already
been forwarded to San Francisco for
the relief of the sufferers of that city
San Jose Wiped Out.
SAN JoSE, Cal., April 11). This city
has been pract 1 ally wiped out The
city is under martial law. ond the hos
pitals are crowded with the dead and
the dying.
Six Ghrtuls Killed.
\KLA>'D April ID. -Six ghouls
hate been killed to date in San Fran
cisco, and the criminal element is in
creasing
Loaded With Refugees.
Two steamers at the foot of Jackson
street arc now loaded with refugees
their destination being unknown
Los Angeles. Too.
OAKLAND, April ID.—It has just
be it reported hue that (lire has been
an earthquake in I.os Angeles, but the
report lacks confirmation.
Many People Cremated.
SANTA Rosa, April 20—The whole
business section of this town col
lapsed. Many people were imprisoned
in the buildings which caught fire, and
they were cremated.
At the town of Brawley a hundred
buildings were wrecked, hut no lives
lost.
More Ghouls Killed.
OAKLAND, Cal.. April 20—During
the night ghouls and thieves raided
the burnt district, arid two more were
killed, making eight. Many others es
caped after being wounded by the sol
diers on guard
The blowing up of the millionaire
homes on Van Ness avenue sounded
like a cannonade of artillery.
Bread is selling tliis morning for a
dollar a loaf
Chinatown Wiped Out.
SAX FRANCISCO. April 20—At t>
o'clock this morning A'un Ness avenue
was a seething mass of flames, which
were sweeping toward Russian hill.
Chinatown has been wiped out.
ALASKANS HAVE
BEEN HEARD FROM
Nugget's Special Service.
SEATTLE. April 20 The following
Alaskans are safe: l It Phillips,
grand arctic chief. Arctic Brotherh
ooiid, at Oakland; Judge Hannuni. San
Francisco. Ed. R. Dunn has contrib
uted $f>o0 to the relief fund His son
E It Dunn, Jr., is sufc at Berkeley
Local Woodmen say the grand camp
has raised $100. OOo The local Elk
have raised $4,000. and will add more.
All local associations, churches, banks
and municipal departments arc making
contribution The local quartermas
ter has been notified from Washington
to purchase a thousand tents and sup
plies and rush them south by special
train All Oriental mail has been or
dered to Seattle.
which was selling at $100 to $102 when
the decision was pending, sold for $100
after it was announced, thus enriching
the conspirators, who walked uut of
court just $240,000,000 richer for hav
ing been convicted.”
Hits Rockefeller.
The fact that no criminal proceed
ings had been begun was dwelt on at
some length, and the jail sentence of
Debs and the conviction of the two
senators for “mere indiscretions” con
trasted. Compliments were paid to
Rockefeller “at once the richest and
most despised of our whole popula
tion."
The mod effective feature of the
bill, he maintained .was the popular
disposition back of it; the next was its
publicity feature.
Universal. applause greeted Mr
Cockran's conclusion.
Carstairs for sale at all first class
bars.
If your watch is not giving satisfac
tion, take it to Zehner’s to be repaired
Go to the North Pole
Bakery for the best bread and pastry.
The only coffee house in town.
T. J. NESTOR
Carries the largest and only exclusive
lines of wines, liquors, beers, mineral
waters and cigars in Alaska.
Freighting to all parts. See R. L. H.
Marshall, 339 River street, west of
bridge.
PITY THE MAN.
Look at the man.
His eyes are wild, his countenance
contorted, as wllh giirf or rage.
What is the matter with this man?
Listen.
He left the new coal shovel in the
bin last spring, and the coal man lias
just dumped seventeen tons of coal In
on top of it.
And this is the eighteentli time his
wife has mentioned the matter.
Carstairs Rye, the best drink thav
12‘/2 cents will buy.
Lemp’s bottled beer, the choicest
product of the brewer’s art.
Aarataii •—established 1778.
Fast, Passenger Steamships
BUCKMAN, INDIANA and WATSON
San trancisco to Nome anti St. Michael
DIRECT
First Sailing from San Francisco JyfiQ | |Q06
Steamers specially equipped for Perishable I reijjht
BARNESON-HIBBERI) CO., lift California Street, San I rancisco
Pacific Cold Storage Co.
Poultry, Fish, Sausages, Etc.
Fancy Ellensburg Creamery Butter
NOME— ^rALASKA
You do not know how delicious Tea can be unless
you have tried
Buy the red label.
NORTHWESTERN COMMERCIAL COMPANY, Agents