1865 EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO

We illustrate on this page the recent earthquake in San Francisco, the most severe shock of the kind ever known in that city.

The shock occurred at 1:15 p.m., October 8, frightening almost the entire population from their houses into the streets. During half a minute there were two tremendous shocks, which caused the buildings to rock to and fro in a manner altogether alarming. It was on Sunday, and services were just over in the churches, the congregation of the Unitarian church was being dismissed when the shock commenced, and the excitement among the women and children threatened serious consequences. The rush from the Catholic church on Vallejo Street was so great that the doors to the main entrance were carried away, and several persons were injured by being trampled upon. The walls of many buildings were cracked in several places, and more or less plastering fell from perhaps half the ceilings in the city. The cornices and fire walls fell from many buildings.

We show in one of our sketches the injury done to a building on Third and Mission streets. Two-thirds of the front fell into the street, and a small section of the side into an adjoining building. The rear wall of the upper story fell upon and through a frame building nearest to it. Another illustration which we give is a view of the two-story brick building on the northwest corner of Sacramento and Battery streets. Here the front of the upper story fell out. The motion of the shock appeared to be from east to west. The tide, as is usual in such cases, rose to an unusual height.

SKETCH 1

EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, October 8, 1865 --- VIEW ON THE CORNER OF BATTERY AND SACRAMENTO STREETS.

(Sketched by C. L. Bugbee.)

SKETCH 2

EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, October 8, 1865. VIEW ON THE CORNER OF THIRD AND MISSION STREETS.

(Sketched by C. L. Bugbee.)

This news item from HARPER'S WEEKLY (November 18, 1865) reports on damage in San Francisco, California from the October 8, 1865 earthquake. The magnitude 6.3 earthquake was generated on the San Andreas fault (Santa Cruz County)* and caused considerable damage in the San Francisco Bay area. Submitted by D. D. and Pat Trent, Claremont California.

* Toppozada, T. R., Real, C. R., and Parke, D. C., 1981, Preparation of isoseismal maps and summaries of reported effects for pre-1900 California earthquakes: California Division of Mines and Geology Open-File Report

81-11 SAC, 182 p.