This event, however, was of minor importance, being much inferior to
that of 1812, in which year California and the Mississippi Valley alike
were affected by violent movements of the earth's crust. The California
convulsions took place in the spring and summer of that year, extending
from the beginning of May until September. Throughout May the southern
portion of that region was violently agitated, the shocks being so
frequent and severe that people abandoned their houses and slept on the
open ground. The most destructive shocks came in September, when two
Mission houses were destroyed and many of their inmates killed. At Santa
Barbara a tidal wave invaded the coast and flowed some distance into the
interior.
It may be said here that California has proved more subject to severe
shocks than any other section of our country. In 1865 sharp tremors
shook the whole region about the Bay of San Francisco, many buildings
being thrown down. Hardly any of brick or stone escaped injury, though
few lives were lost. In 1872 a disturbance was felt farther west, the
whole range of the Sierra Nevada mountains being violently shaken and
the earth tremblings extending into the State of Nevada. The centre of
activity was along the crest of the range, and immense quantities of
rock were thrown down from the mountain pinnacles. A tremendous fissure
opened along the eastern base of the mountain range for forty miles,
the land to the west of the opening rising and that to the east sinking
several feet.
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