There was also a 6.6 magnitude earthquake on March 12, 1934 with intensity VIII that originated near Kosmo, on the north shore of the Great Salt Lake and affected an area of about 440,000 square kilometers, including much of northern Utah and parts of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming.Another interesting statement about the escarpments in SL Valley:
This tremor could have caused great damage in a densely populated area. Because of the sparse settlement in the region there was very little damage - mostly demolished chimneys and cracked walls in poorly constructed buildings. Two deaths, however, were attributed to the shock. The outstanding feature of the earthquake, related to the Hansel Valley fault, was the emission of large quantities of water from fissures and craterlets.
You know the steep hill or escarpment along and to the West of 1300 E? The Utes have a story about it. They say that there was a great shakng and the land rose up there, creating the hill in A SINGLE DAY.
Here is a great video for SL EQ preparedness:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OXIM4Nf3gZk
Something else I came across which contains more information than you could possibly care to read (I have not gotten thru all of it yet). Notice how close the descriptions come to what Spencer talked of:
School Building At Logan College Damaged
Perhaps the most severe earthquake in Utah's history occurred Monday morning a few minutes after 8 o'clock and again at 11:21 a.m. No particular damage was noted in Brigham City but other sections of the state report serious damage and school buildings were vacated in Salt Lake City, Ogden, Logan, Preston and Kelton.
President E. G. Peterson of the college reported the quake had split the three-story brick economics building from top to bottom. Students already assembled for eight o'clock classes fled to the campus as the chimney fell with a roar. Plaster was split on other campus buildings but the damage was slight.
The Preston school had its west wall forced six inches from the side walls.
In Salt Lake residents scrambled into the streets as the severe jar, which lasted about 20 seconds, and then paused twenty seconds, and then began and maintained itself for about thirty-five seconds, shook the city from end to end. Early office workers were driven into the streets as windows were broken, and plaster cracked from the walls. Chandeliers swayed, pictures fell from walls, and dishes were broken.
The death, attributed to the shock occurred at Ogden. Ida May Venable Atkinson, 21, wife of Grant Atkinson, was ill in bed when the first quake hit. She sat up and called to relatives:
"Why are you shaking my bed?"
Informed that it was an earthquake, Mrs. Atkinson fell back dead.
Charles Bitthell, 55, of 1345 Roberts avenue, an employee of the city waterworks, was seriously injured at Sixtieth South and Highland drive, when a six foot trench in which he was working caved in. He was rescued by fellow workers, and brought to the emergency hospital with severe internal injuries. He was reported in a semi-conscious condition in the L. D. S. hospital at noon.
In the south, although windows were broken in Magna and a considerable shock jarred Provo, reports indicated that the shock was not quite as intense as farther north, although excitement was high.
The chief operator of the Western Union Telegraph company, reported that damage between Kelton, Utah, and Burley, Idaho where the quake centered, was principally done to chimneys on homes and other buildings.
The schoolhouse at Kelton was severely rocked and after the chimney of the building had fallen, school was dismissed and the fire of the building put out. No report of injury or fatality has been made, Western officials state.
Dr. Frederick J. Pack, head of the department of geology, University of Utah, is giving his version of the occurrence, stated that it was caused by a slipping of a companion fault to the great Wasatch fault, located at a point near Kelton. Tremors were felt in Nevada, north as far as Boise, Idaho, east to Rawlins, Wyoming, and south as far as Delta, Utah.
[Box Elder Journal; March 13, 1934]
Reports from western parts of the county indicate that the earthquake was responsible for many curious things:
A dry well at Cosmo, drilled fifteen years ago in a vain effort to reach water, became an active flowing well Monday.
The flows of the springs at Locomotive were entirely shut off during the disturbance for about thirty minutes. Coming back slowly, the waters were a brilliant red in color.
In the vicinity of Cosmo and Monument, fissures and holes were made in the earth, water gushing from many of them. About forty new springs appeared.
Across the highway of the Hansel Valley Locomotive Springs road at a point about 1 miles northeast of Cosmo, the earth, at two points about 1500 feet apart, was faulted to a depth of two and one half feet.
From about 8 a.m., the time of the first shock, all thru the day and into Tuesday afternoon, intermittent sounds resembling thunder and numerous tremors were observed by residents of the district.
A local business man is wondering if the disturbance has brought the oil back into the Lakeside well.
These are not wild rumors. This information has been verified by Bert Eliason, Jr., Lawrence Anderson, Ed Pratt, Ray Anderson, Lloyd Moss, Thomas Roland, all residents of the disturbed district, and a railroad official located at Kelton.
[Box Elder Journal; March 14, 1934]
Superintendent Hervin Bunderson returned from a trip to Snowville Wednesday and reports that nearly all the chimneys fell off the buildings during the earthquake the first of the week. But few chimneys are standing today, he said, and brick masons will find plenty to do there for the next few weeks.
According to Mr. Bunderson, Salt Lake City would have suffered greatly if the tremblers had been as severe as in Snowville where most of the buildings are one and two story. The chimney in the school building will have to be rebuilt, and will cost in the neighborhood of $500 he said. The shocks continued there remittently Monday and until 5 o'clock p.m. Tuesday.
The earthquake has been the subject of practically all conversation in the town since, said Superintendent Bunderson.
[Box Elder Journal; March 15, 1934]
Trapper Is Thrown From Boxcar Cabin; Horse Knocked Down
LOGAN, March 15--The startling story of an eye witness told him of the earthquake at Hansel Valley Monday was the feature of an investigation by Prof. Reed Bailey, geologist of the Utah State Agricultural college, Tuesday, and retold by him in Logan, on Wednesday.
The story was told by Earl Croft, a trapper who has an old boxcar rigged up as a cabin in the center of the earthquake zone about half-way between Salt Wells and Kosmo.
"I was in my cabin when the first shock was felt at about 8 o'clock," he told Professor Bailey. I ran to the doorway, and was thrown out. From my knees, I watched my car--an old touring car--roll back and forth over the rough ground as the earth rocked. It was impossible to get to my feet."
Croft was caught between the two main fissures created by the most severe shock recorded at 11:20 a.m., and told this story:
"I was kneeling on the ground setting a trap, when suddenly I felt another shock. Again I tried to rise, but was thrown violently to the ground. On both sides of me, to the east and west, water spouted out of cracks in the ground. I thought my minutes were numbered; but then, just as suddenly as they started, the shocks ceased, and the water stopped except for bubbling springs which brought black sand to the surface, forming small craters or cones."
A sheepherder in the district told Professor Bailey that so violent were the shocks that they threw his horse to the ground.
According to Professor Bailey, three fissures are plainly visible. The three, about a half mile apart, run almost parallel over a plateau marking the southwestern tip of Hansel valley, then down onto the alkaline and salt beds and to the shore of the Great Salt Lake. They extend nearly four miles in length.
[Box Elder Journal; March 16, 1934]
ONE DEATH LAID TO WORST TEMBLOR IN HISTORY OF STATE
Schools Dismissed As Second Shock Follows
The severest earthquake in Utah's history jarred the northern half of the state starting today at 8:06:45 a.m. It continued severe until 8:08 but continuous rumblings were registered on Pacific coast seismographs for 33 minutes.
A second shock, almost as severe as the first, was felt at 11:21 a.m.
Following the second shock all city schools were ordered evacuated and closed until further notice. Most of the buildings were emptied quietly but at South high a semi-panic resulted. Several girls fainted and a number of students became ill from fright.
One death and one injury were directly attributed to the earthquakes.
According to Dr. Frederick J. Pack, head of the University of Utah department of geology, the quake was centered at Kelton, Utah, at the head of Great Salt Lake, 100 miles northwest of here. It was caused, Dr. Pack believes, by a shift in the Basin range fault. The shocks will continue throughout the day, he predicted.
The death attributed to the shock occurred at Ogden. Ida May Venable Atkinson, 21, wife of Grant Atkinson, was ill in bed when the first quake hit. She sat up and called to relatives:
"Why are you shaking my bed?"
Charles Bitthell, 55, of 1345 Roberts avenue, an employee of the city waterworks, was seriously injured at Sixtieth South and Highland drive, when a six foot trench in which he was working caved in. He was rescued by fellow workers, and brought to the emergency hospital, with severe internal injuries. He was reported in a semi-conscious condition in the L. D. S. hospital at noon.
Perhaps the most severe damage occurred at Logan where the Home Economics building at the Utah State Agricultural college and the Preston high school building were so severely damaged that they will have to be abandoned.
President E. G. Peterson of the college reported the quake had split the three-story brick economics building from top to bottom. Students, already assembled for eight o'clock classes, fled to the campus as the chimney fell with a roar. Plaster was split on other campus buildings but the damage was slight.
The Preston school had its west wall forced six inches from the side walls.
In Salt Lake residents scrambled into the streets as the severe jar, which lasted about 20 seconds paused twenty seconds, and then began and maintained itself for about thirty-five seconds, shook the city from end to end. Early office workers were driven into the streets as windows were broken, and plaster cracked from the walls. Chandeliers swayed, pictures fell from walls, and dishes were broken.
Pasadena, Cal., Seattle, Wash., and Denver seismographs recorded intense and severe shocks, at times corresponding to the local disturbance. The Seattle geologist, W. M. Chappell, said both needles were thrown off the record, making a "most spectacular showing." The Seattle time was 7:08 a.m. PST.
In Pasadena, Cal., the Carnegie Seismological laboratory started recording at 7:07:51 a.m. PST and reports indicated that the shock was so violent that the origin could not be traced.
At the Miller floral greenhouse in Farmington the hothouse windows were broken, and steam pipes loosened up. The Robert Griffiths store in Farmington reported serious damage with a cracked wall and fallen plaster.
No damage was reported in Idaho, although the shock was felt with considerable severity at Boise, 8:07 a.m. with eight or ten undulations felt distinctly, lasting about five or six seconds, at Idaho Falls.
At the Utah Light and Traction company shop, James R. Bettridge, an employee, received a broken toe when the quake forced him to drop a huge casting upon which he was working. The 50,000 gallon overhead sprinkler at the shops rocked violently, L. E. Radler, chief clerk, said.
The Walker Bank building reported but slight damage, chiefly in personal belongings, pictures, vases that were injured in falling. The Judge building received several cracks in the walls, and Sam Beckstead, building engineer of the Newhouse building reported cracked plaster in several offices, as did Fred D. Feisch, engineer of the Boston building. Engineer Lawrence H. Heath, of the Clift building said that paint was cracked over plaster movements in numerous places.
The huge chandeliers in the Newhouse hotel and Hotel Utah swung in enormous arcs, causing hotel patrons in the lobbies to rush to the streets. Telephone service was disrupted for half an hour as calls flooded the exchange.
Numerous new cracks appeared in the interior of the city and county building and in two places on the third floor across the entire arch way of the corridor. The tower of the building was inspected and no new damage reported, although the city engineer recommended immediate removal of the concrete slabs on the old chimney which had been moved about three inches.
The Dooly building received what appeared to be a plaster crack from the top floor to the bottom on the north side of the building. Considerable plaster fell, reported F. B. Higginbotham, building manager.
At Cheyenne, Wyo., the department of commerce airways weather bureau reported that the tremor was felt as far east as Rock Springs.
At Reno, Nev., Prof. Vincent P. Gianella, University of Nevada geologist, said that the university's seismograph recorded three strong earthquakes at 7:07 a.m., PST. The needle was kept quivering for 33 minutes, he said, estimating the distance as 552 miles from Reno somewhere in the Wasatch mountains. He said the jar had a strong east-west movement.
In the south, although windows were broken in Magna and a considerable shock jarred Provo, reports indicated that the trembler was not quite as intense as farther north, although excitement was high.
The chief operator of the Western Union Telegraph company reported that damage between Kelton, Utah, and Burley, Idaho, where the quake was centered, was principally to chimneys on homes and other buildings.
The schoolhouse at Kelton was severely rocked and after the chimney of the building had fallen, school was dismissed and the fire in the building put out. No report of injury or fatality has been made, Western Union officials state.
The Tribune and Ezra Thompson buildings swayed against each other in Salt Lake attracting a large crowd of pedestrians. In the residential section, furnace doors swung open, while water splashed out of Monday morning wash tubs. Late sleepers were awakened as beds were rolled out from walls and frantic house pets scurried for the out-of-doors.
Clocks were stopped in the Belvedere apartments, reported building manager L. P. Jack. On the north side of the building there were a few plaster cracks.
Bricks from a falling chimney during the tremor crashed through a window in the home of Mrs. G. J. Dooley, 323 east Second South street. Her neighbor's chimney, at 317 east Second South street was dislodged by the earth-jar.
Dishes were knocked from the pantry walls and stoves jerked off balance until they fell over, reports from Bingham indicated.
One woman fainted in the near panic caused in the city and county buildings by the second tremor, as judges, jurymen, and spectators leaped for the exits.
She sat up suddenly, crying out: "What are you shaking my bed for?"
When relatives reached her, she was dead.
She was born at Kaysville, July 12, 1913, a daughter of Charles R. and Elisa Higgs Venable. Surviving are her husband, her father, a step-mother, one sister and three brothers.
The second shock of the day struck here at approximately 11:19 a.m., and was slightly less hard than the first.
The first shock cracked the wall of the First National bank, and plaster fell in several other large buildings. Chandeliers swayed, houses in several vicinities rocked, and a few chimneys lost a brick or two.
[Deseret News; March 12, 1934]
Opinion was divided this afternoon on whether the Angel Moroni, tall golden statue on the topmost spire of the temple, had been tipped and turned slightly on his base. Officials of the Church architect's office seemed to think there had been a slight forward movement in the statue, with a slight twist to the right causing the Angel's trumpet to point a few points south by east. Bishop David A. Smith of the Presiding Bishop's office declared that the statue has not moved, but many people disagreed. Salt Lake school children under a test proved capable of action in an emergency. Some 30,000 were in class rooms. Unknown to the children, Supt. L. John Nuttall, Jr., had issued orders to the principals that in the event of any disturbance to use the fire alarm and the fire drill procedure.
When the second quake tremor came at 11:23 the alarm was sounded and the pupils formed in their lines and marched through the designated exits. Some schools cleared in one minute. There was a congestion and near panic at one entrance at the South high school where several fainted.
The Ensign school on the steep hillside at F street and Ninth avenue is regarded as the hardest school to clear orderly. Many students are on the third floor. The school was evacuated by a stop watch in 1 minute and 29 seconds.
Time to clear the City and County building was determined at 11:23 today as one minute flat. Trials in three city and five district courts were automatically stopped when the quake which lasted a minute cleared the courts. All adjourned temporarily save Judge James H. Wolfe. It might be said that the courts adjourned informally as the bailiffs were among those seeking the fresh air. Judges on the bench and without any audience or "court crier" announced that the court would stand adjourned. There was no objection from the empty counsel table or the empty benches.
One woman on the third floor fainted.
The Rev. Leonard Ellers, guest minister at the Immanuel Baptist church, was broadcasting over KDYL at the time of the quake. While the microphone swayed and jerked, the Reverend Ellers continued to broadcast his Lenten message, but a woman in the audience screamed several times before an announcer clapped his hand over her mouth. As a result of the scream numerous listeners phoned the station to inquire.
Miss Fanny Mahaney, English teacher at West high school, was writing questions on the blackboard when the second quake hit. The blackboard moved away from her and then swung back again.
Calmly, Miss Mahaney turned around to her class.
"Will a couple of boys come up and hold this wall for me while I write these questions?" she asked with a reassuring smile.
Then she ordered the class to leave the building in an orderly manner.
There was one quake casualty at Washington school. A canary in the singing teacher's room was killed when the trembler knocked its cage over.
B. P. Spry, C. W. A. safety director, ordered all CWA workers out of buildings and out of trenches this afternoon as the possibility of additional quakes became apparent. CWA workers painting in the dome of the capitol building were swung around on the scaffold but fortunately it did not break.
Gov. Henry H. Blood was discussing the highway problem at the Hotel Utah before the special conference of western governors at 11:23 this morning when the floor rose and fell.
Delegates to the conference smiled. They realized that Salt Lake was experiencing its second quake.
"I want you to understand," said Governor Blood as he steadied himself by clutching at the speaker's table, "that we don't have these all the time. This is just a little special performance that we are putting on for the entertainment of our visitors."
A few moments later, Tasker L. Oddle, former governor of Nevada and United States senator from the Sagebrush state, said:
"Governor Blood and I have been in many battles together on behalf of highways. I want you to know that he is a power in the land. When he merely mentions the subject as he did here a little while ago, the earth trembles for miles around."
[Deseret News; March 12, 1934]
Expert Gives Opinion On Quake; Believes Others May Follow
The following observations and opinions on today's earthquake were expressed by Prof. F. F. Hintze of the University of Utah geological department:
"This morning's earthquake appears from early reports to be local to some part of the Great Basin. Seismographs on the Pacific coast will probably have records that will assist in fixing the epicentrum. Unfortunately the instrument at the University of Utah was not in operation and no local record therefore is available.
"The probable cause of the temblors is one of the numerous fault lines which run north and south through central Utah and along the Basin ranges to the westward. Besides faulting, volcanoes are frequent causes of earthquakes, but as there are no active volcanoes in this general area and faults are numerous it is most reasonable to think that a readjustment of large earth blocks has given rise to today's shakings.
"Utah's major fault line consists of a series of more or less parallel faults running nearly north and south through the state. The Hurricane ledge in Southern Utah is a well-known and easily recognizable fault scarp, and the west face of the Wasatch mountain marks another fault surface.
"To the west of the Wasatch fault still others, which follow in general the margins of the mountain ranges that cover the Great Basin. The western limit of this faulted region is the east face of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Slipping may occur on any of these faults at any time, and earthquakes are therefore likely to re-occur at any time.
[Deseret News; March 12, 1934]
NOT ON WASATCH FAULT
BERKELEY, CAL., March 12--(AP)--The earthquake which shook Salt Lake City today was described by Prof. Perry Byerly, of the University of California seismology department, as being as severe as the shocks which caused so much damage to Santa Barbara, Cal., in 1925. Byerly also said today's quake was equally as intensive as the quake which occurred in Nevada on Dec. 20, 1932.
"The quake began recording on our instruments at 7:07 to 7:45 a.m.," said Prof. Byerly. "The shocks continued for an hour and a half. The epicenter apparently was some 500 miles away."
"The shocks were extremely severe, as much so as those of the Santa Barbara and Nevada quakes. Today's shocks were so bad that they must have caused considerable damage if they were in an inhabited region."
At Pasadena, the earthquake was recorded at starting at 7:07 to 7:09 a.m. (P.S.T.) on instruments of the Carnegie Institution of Washington seismological laboratory.
The records, seismologists said, indicated the shock was considerably heavier than the destructive Long Beach earthquake of March 10 last year, and that the point of origin evidently was some distance from Salt Lake City. WASHINGTON, March 12--(AP)--The Georgetown seismological observatory reported today the Utah earthquake was considerably heavier than that which damaged Long Beach, Cal., a year ago.
Records showed it began at 10:11:24 a.m., eastern time, with maximum intensity at 10:22 a.m. It was calculated to have been centered 2,100 miles from Washington.
Another quake, severe in character, was recorded as having begun at 1:26 p.m., eastern time, and was in progress as the records were changed, thereby making further data impossible.
Numerous quakes, smaller in intensity than this morning's record breaker, are liable to occur in this region until the disturbance is complete, said Frederick J. Pack, University of Utah geology professor today.
"The center of disturbance is at the little town of Kelton, on the north end of Great Salt Lake," said Dr. Pack, "as nearly as we can locate it from the telegraphic reports. This would make the quake definitely on one of the Basin-Range faults, confirming my first opinion of this morning that the quake was not on the Wasatch fault.
"For one thing the rapidity with which the shocks came indicated that it was not far away from us. The fault on which the adjustment took place is one of the Great Basin faults--that area which lies between the Wasatch mountains and the Sierra Nevada has numerous faults extending north and south--and the tremor occurred on one of the most easterly of those.
"The quake was not of deep origin, nor was it a purely surface disturbance, but probably originated at a moderate depth. It is definitely the most severe in the recorded history of this territory although those of earlier times were of enormously greater intensity.
Discussing the water situation in the event of a really disastrous quake, Dr. Pack said, "The Old Sunnyside reservoir was directly astride the Wasatch fault, but since many of us insisted that the new one be built to the west of the fault this dangerous condition has been remedied. There will be sufficient water for Salt Lake in the event of a quake, because of the numerous artesian wells that have been opened up west of the fault."
J. J. Beeson, prominent Salt Lake geologist and former member of the Seismographic Society of America in California, stated "Having been in both the Salt Lake quakes and the one in southern California a year ago, I can state that this quake is of about one-half the intensity of the quake of last spring in California."
He characterized today's shock as part of a gradual movement eastward of a series of shocks originating on the Pacific Coast. "The cause of this is undoubtedly a settlement of earth between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Coast. Similar shocks are likely to occur over a period of years, as the readjustment takes place on an eastward movement from the Coast. The quakes shook California last spring, Nevada last fall and now Utah this spring."
Mr. Beeson continued: "While I have made no examination, it appears that this quake was caused by a settlement on the Wasatch fault or a parallel fault across the Salt Lake valley. However, these small ones are less dangerous than if the disturbances accumulate and take place all at once in one great movement." POCATELLO, Idaho, March 12--(AP)--E. D. Rhodenbaugh, professor of geology at the University of Idaho, southern branch, said that the tremors were caused by a shift in the Wasatch fault. A branch of the Wasatch fault extends from the mountains east of Salt Lake City to Bear Lake and Montpelier in Idaho where two other breaks branch, one reaching into the Grey's lake section and the other terminating near Putnam, 25 miles northwest of Pocatello. The latter break is known as the Bannock fault, the professor said.
The shocks today were the most severe in the history of Pocatello. Previous tremors were felt here Nov. 11, 1905, October 5, 1915, and Dec. 12, 1917, according to the weather bureau.
The first shock today lasted about 30 seconds, it was estimated, and moved in a lateral, north-south direction. The second, though not so long in duration, was described as being more sharp and intense.
[Deseret News; March 12, 1934]
Cracks Three Feet Wide Appear In Earth Near Lake
Salt Lake City schools will resume tomorrow on their regular schedules, Supt. L. John Nuttall, Jr., announced today.
All buildings have been inspected, and were reported safe by Howard Barker, buildings and grounds superintendent, who said no structural defects as a result of the quake were found.
A very careful inspection was made of the main supports, foundations, and joints of South High school, because of reports that the building was severely strained by the tremor. No evidence of damage from the quake was found, according to the report. Utah's earthquake series was still in progress today. Several distinct shocks were felt in the northern section of the state, some of such intensity as to open fissures in the earth, change the course of streams and so disturb the underground formations as to produce new springs and replenish artesian wells which had long ago dried out.
The series of quakes continued in the early hours this morning, being distinctly noticeable at the Airport at 4:29 a.m. and at the same instant at Burley, Ida.
Earthquakes continued today at Kelton, Utah, center of yesterday's disturbance. Chester Keller, airway keeper at Locomotive Springs, near Kelton, said a sharp quake was felt there today at 12:25 p.m.
Dr. Reed W. Bailey, professor of geology at the Agricultural College, Logan, said the principal displacement is on an unnamed fault near the Salt Wells and Hansel Valley faults. Prof. Bailey, who is at Kelton studying the quakes with a group of A. C. students, said that from 300 to 1000 feet under the surface of the earth is a solid rock stratum fault that probably slipped two feet down on the east face. At Kosmo, Utah, near Kelton, fissures 18 inches wide were reported to have occurred.
At the department of commerce observation station at Locomotive Springs in Box Elder county, distinct shocks were felt this morning at 4 a.m., 4:45 a.m., 5 a.m., and several minor temblors between 5 and 5:20 a.m.
In the vicinity of Locomotive Springs, west of Promontory, fissures from 1 to 3 feet wide were reported opened during the disturbances, some of them pouring out hot water with such volume that railroad ties plunged into the holes were immediately thrown back.
Meanwhile the second death in Utah as a result of the quake was reported this morning when Charles Bithel, 55, of 1343 Roberta avenue, a city waterworks employee, died at a local hospital.
Mr. Bithel was removing timbers from a waterworks trench 6 feet deep at Sixtieth South and Highland Drive yesterday when the trench caved in, injuring him internally. It is believed the quake loosened the dirt, thus causing the cave in.
A precautionary measure taken by the public safety department, under the direction of Commissioner John M. Knight and Police Chief W. L. Payne, was the "line-up" of safety first units by Officer Thomas W. Dee, first aid instructor for the police and fire departments.
Instead of massing forces at department headquarters, Officer Dee placed 750 boys from his first aid classes at strategic points in various parts of the city, subject to call at any moment.
At the same time transportation facilities were ready at a moment's notice and employees of the gas company and the waterworks department were ready to shut off gas or water in case of emergency. Units of nurses also were notified to be ready for instant call, and the department first aid equipment was in automobiles in front of the public safety building.
This comprehensive organization and the assembling of various units was the result of a safety first survey of the entire city and county made several months ago by Officer Dee under the direction of Commissioner Knight and Chief Payne providing for the speedy assembly of doctors, nurses, members of trained first aid classes, messengers, ambulances and necessary equipment in the event of sudden disaster.
[Deseret News; March 13, 1934]
Farmer Reports New Fault Near Tip Of Great Salt Lake
LOGAN, March 13--William Greaves, a farmer living near Kosmo, on the north lip of the Great Salt Lake, telephoned to Reed Bailey, geologist at the Utah State Agricultural college early today saying he had found plain evidence of a fault at Kosmo. The ground had slipped several feet, he said, and large cracks had opened in the surface of the earth. Old flowing wells, which had been dry for years started flowing immediately after the first Monday morning quake.
The college geologist immediately set out for Kosmo and will be there all of today, studying the results of the earth tremors.
[Deseret News; March 13, 1934]
Ogden Geologist Gives Opinion; Schools Held Outdoors
OGDEN, March 13--Dr. John G. Lind, instructor of geology at Weber college, commenting upon the earth tremor, said that the quake here might be caused by a light slip of the gigantic fault on which Ogden is built, but added that the quakes at other points lent weight to the theory that the movement is a general one and not confined to the Wasatch fault.
Dr. Lind pointed out that the quake here had a wave motion as contrasted with the sharp shaking of some quakes which demolish buildings. It is possible, he said, that Monday's shocks were caused by the slipping of the rock fault beneath the ground, resulting in the transmission of a wave motion to the sediment above. Such a slipping would result in an east and west motion of the earth at right angles to the fault.
Students at the Sacred Heart academy were dismissed following many calls from parents. There was no interruption at the city and county schools. Mrs. Jack Madsen who was working on the ninth floor of the First National Bank building was startled when her typewriter slid into her lap and the doors of file cabinets shook open. When she stood up a door swung open and bumped her.
The tremors were so severe that people ran from their houses to the street. Children at the Garland school were permitted to leave the building after the second tremor, about 11:23, which brought down some of the plaster from the ceiling of one of the top floor rooms.
The Garland school was conducted outside Monday afternoon at the request of parents, although the Tremonton school and the Bear River high school continued with classes as usual.
SPRINGVILLE, March 13--A slight but distinct earthquake shock was felt here Monday morning shortly after 8 o'clock. It was severe enough to rattle dishes and windows and jar furniture. Light cords, curtains and hanging objects swayed for some time after the shock.
TOOELE, March 13--Doors banged, tables danced, lights swayed and buildings rocked and many persons became dizzy during the earth tremor experienced here Monday at 8:15 a.m. while only a slight disturbance occurred at 11 o'clock. In the business section groceries were thrown from shelves and one window was reported broken, but no other damage was noted here.
This is said to be the first time in Tooele's history that earthquake shocks have been felt here.
[Deseret News; March 13,1934]
LOGAN, March 13--Cache Valley returned to normal here today with resumption of all scheduled activities following the excitement caused by the earthquake Monday.
Classwork in the Logan city schools and at the Utah State Agricultural college was resumed. The city schools were excused following the shock felt at 11:30 a.m., while the college classes being held in the home economics building were dismissed following an inspection of the building by Fire Chief C. W. Rapp.
A further examination showed cracks to be only surface damage, however, and today everything was functioning normally. Plaster was knocked from a number of downtown business houses and some chimneys were toppled over as the only other serious damage.
An examination showed dams of the state, the Utah Power & Light company and Logan City located near the mouth of Logan canyon were not disturbed by the shocks, a hasty examination Monday afternoon showed.
[Deseret News; March 13, 1934]
Of all the destructive forces of nature, such as fire, tidal waves, and wind, the trembling of the earth in proportion to its frequency is perhaps the least hurtful. Over the surface of the globe, an average of about a hundred earthquakes a day are taking place, but only when the slip of the earth's crust is of a major nature and where it centers near cities, is great damage ever done. Nevertheless, few things have as peculiar effect on the emotions as when we feel this solid earth quivering beneath our feet. It has typified to us all that is substantial. As we whirl through space it forms the very foundation of material existence.
Yesterday when the earth shook in this Rocky Mountain region the works of man came to a sudden halt. Jurors hearing cases at court unceremoniously left the box. A teacher, standing before his class, became livid with the sickening sensation. A janitress on the high floor of one of the bank buildings was found stretched out unconscious. A young matron in Ogden, feeling the gentle swaying of her bed, was told that it was an earthquake and she fell back dead--the victim solely of her fear.
We live in an earthquake zone. These great mountains, backbone of the continent, were produced by the rising of masses of the earth's crust as it contracted and pushed upward. An infinitude of earthquakes accompanied the changing position of the strata.
But the Rockies, while comparatively young in geological time, seem to have their growth and are less subject to destructive quakes than is the coast range of California.
Two precautions can be taken against these disturbances. One is a proper construction of buildings which will withstand the earth movement. The other is the protection of our water system in order to extinguish fires which are proverbially more destructive than the shaking down of the buildings. A heavy quake is almost always accompanied by fire. Lamps and stoves are overturned. Electric current may be broken. Gas leaks from mains may pour out their explosive vapor. In the confusion man is himself likely to start the conflagration.
It is therefore essential to safety that the water mains be so protected that the shifting along the fault line where the quake originates will not tear them apart and leave the city helpless.
Our artesian basin now connected to the city and the Sunnyside reservoir, which are located west of the Wasatch fault will help greatly. But the flexible joints employed in California, where water mains cross fault lines, might also be studied as an additional protective measure by our water engineers and city commission.
Editorial [Deseret News; March 13, 1934]
Thirty New Shocks Felt This Morning At Locomotive Springs;
Series Laid To Settling After Monday's Slip
Salt Lake would have been destroyed to the same extent that Long Beach, Cal., was a year ago if the epicenter of Monday's quake had been under this city, instead of in the Hanzel valley near Kelton.
This was the conclusion agreed on by geologists today as they completed the work of collecting data on the temblor. The findings of Dr. Frederick J. Pack, professor of geology at the University of Utah, agreed, in the main, with those of Prof. Reed W. Bailey, geology professor at the Utah State Agricultural college. While 30 separate shocks of short duration shook the vicinity of Locomotive Springs this morning as the ground settled after Monday's slip, the geologists' tabulations showed a total of 50 mud volcanoes created by the tremor, and four huge fault scarps ranging from three-eights of a mile to three-fourths of a mile in length and with a "throw" or face of from 6 to 15 inches in height. The mud volcanoes, some of which were four feet across, with three-foot craters the fissures, the changed stream courses, the once dry pipes now flowing and the flooded flats, were all phenomena found near the center of the quake in the lower end of Hanzel valley 15 miles southeast of Kelton in Box Elder county on the north end of Great Salt Lake.
Professor Bailey's findings showed that the displacement took place on an un-named fault west of the Salt Wells and Hanzel Valley faults and east of the Stansbury and Beaver faults, the whole area west and north of the big Wasatch fault.
The underlying strata, said Professor Bailey, is anywhere from 400 to 500 feet beneath the surface. It is in this strata that the fault is located. When it had slipped the east side had fallen below and probably away from the west side. This had created the temblors throughout the northern part of the state and in southern Idaho.
Three-fourths of the fifty mud volcanoes had stopped flowing by the time of the arrival of the geologists yesterday.
Dr. Pack said that there is no cause for alarm as to the probable recurrence of similar quakes to those Monday.
"There will not likely be further quakes for some time," said Dr. Pack, "as this readjustment has taken care of numerous earth stresses."
Thirty-thousand school children in Salt Lake today went back to the school buildings, ordered closed for inspection yesterday, as the inspection revealed only slight traces of damage, chiefly in fallen plaster.
[Deseret News; March 14, 1934]
"The Recent Earthquake," will be the topic of Dr. F. F. Hintze, of the department of geology, University of Utah, in an address tonight at 7:30 before the senior class of the Wasatch ward M.I.A., it was announced by Nicholas G. Morgan, instructor of the class. The public is invited to attend the address. The chapel is at Fifteenth East and Emerson avenue.
[Deseret News; March 14, 1934]
GEOLOGIST WARNS MORE TEMBLORS MAY BE EXPECTED
Four Distinct Shocks Felt Here While 18 Are Recorded At Locomotive Springs;
Black Water Flows From Earth Fissures
The severest shock of the numerous minor earthquakes felt in Salt Lake since 8:07 Monday morning jarred Salt Lakers in bed early today at 5:02. No damage was reported, and heavy sleepers slept through the shake undisturbed.
More shocks of varying severity are yet to be expected, said Prof. F. F. Hintze of the University of Utah geological department.
"It now appears that this is a more prolonged and serious movement of the earth's crust than was at first believed," he said. "All indications are that the adjustments have not yet been completed and that a considerable number of the temblors may be expected."
Dr. Frederick J. Pack, geology professor at the university, stated as his opinion that a stable condition in the earth's strata is reached only after numerous minor quakes have followed a major fracture in the earth.
"Therefore, we may expect other shocks as the millions of tons of rock readjust themselves, but this condition is not to be interpreted as anything serious," he added.
The quakes felt at Salt Lake included the violent one at 5:02:30 a.m., one at 5:30:30 a.m., at 6:46:30 a.m. and a second violent tremor at 6:57:30 a.m.
At Locomotive Springs, quakes began at 2:25 a.m., and occurred at the following times; 2:26, 2:26:30, 2:53, a shock at 2:54 that lasted for 30 seconds, one at 2:57 classed as violent, the one at 5:02:30 that was the strongest since Monday, 5:06, 5:30, 5:30:30, 5:32, 5:32:30, 6:15, 6:29, 6:43, a shock classed as strong at 6:46, 6:46:30, and another strong movement at 6:57 a.m.
"The south wall, a long unsupported wall, was shaken loose by the first quake," he said, "and as it has cracked away from the framework so dangerously, I have ordered the children moved to temporary quarters in another building in town. We hope to have a new school building up by autumn."
In Snowville, close to the Idaho line, and 20 miles north of Locomotive Springs, the epicenter of the quake movements, chimneys were shaken down by the earth-jar, a four-room brick schoolhouse was damaged to the extent of $500 and a church building to the extent of $1000. Merchandise was thrown from the shelves of the Snowville store. The town's water main was broken for 10 hours, although repairs were rushed. The 250 residents of the town declared that the quake hit harder in Snowville than in other sections.
[Deseret News; March 15, 1934]
Black water flowed again today from Locomotive Springs, the epicenter of Monday's earthquake and of the many minor earth movements since. After the first shock Monday the springs were completely dry for 30 minutes. At the end of that time came back flowing inky-black, and of a miry, slimy consistency, as shown above. This black flow continued for eight hours before the water cleared, but the volume of the springs had increased 30 per cent. After the 5:02 shock this morning the flow became inky black again, with a further 25 per cent increase in volume.
[Deseret News; March 15, 1934]
Quake Center Registers Tremors Of Mild Extent
A few earth tremors were recorded in Utah's earthquake center, Locomotive Springs, this morning, but they were of such slight extent and duration that times were not taken on them, reported the department of commerce airways weather bureau station this morning.
As the disturbances faded in strength and diminished in area, geologists flocked to the scene of the four-day series of temblors, which began with the quake of last Monday morning, felt throughout the northern part of the state and the southern half of Idaho.
Dr. Frederick J. Pack, Deseret professor of geology of the University of Utah, cancelled a trip for himself and a group of geology majors today when he was advised of poor weather conditions. Since rain in this region would make the soil extremely muddy, Dr. Pack postponed the trip until next weekend.
P. J. Shenan, geologist for the federal geological survey, and Dr. Hyrum Schneider, university geologist, spent yesterday in the quake epicenter studying the shocks' aftermath.
[Deseret News; March 17, 1934]
Board Head, Inspector Tell Of Cracks In Walls
LOGAN, March 17--The Cove grade school building is "unsafe and should be removed," according to a report made to the Cache county board of education by Building Inspector H. R. Adams.
The building, according to Mr. Adams, "has constantly widening cracks on all four outside walls as well as in the partitions between the rooms.
Supt. J. W. Kirkbride and Albert McCann, president of the board, visited the school immediately following the earthquake Monday, and said following their return that there were cracks in the building wide enough to put a hand through.
Efforts have been made by the board to include the school in the consolidation program of the district, closing the school and moving the children to either Richmond or Lewiston to school by busses. At the present time there are 50 students taking work in all eight grades in the two rooms of the school.
No action on the report has been taken by the board of education.
Action was also postponed on proposed closing of the Wellsville junior high school as an economy measure and transporting of the ninth grade students to the South Cache high school at Hyrum. The matter was once decided in favor of closing the school, but was re-opened at the request of member J. J. Hendry of Wellsville.
[Deseret News; March 17, 1934]
More Quakes Are Likely U. Geologist Declares
Measures to control earthquake damage in the future by the appointment of an earthquake commission were suggested for Salt Lake last night by Dr. Frederick J. Pack, Deseret professor of geology, before a group of members of the Utah Society of Engineers, meeting in the Newhouse hotel.
"Utah is in danger of further temblors," said Dr. Pack," and an earthquake commission could study preventive measures in safeguarding the water supply and the enforcement of a much stricter building code.
Dr. Pack also declared that, just as in Long Beach, where the outer wall of a fire station fell and kept fire-fighting equipment from coming out, Salt Lake's fire stations would probably behave in the same fashion in the event of a severe shock.
"Although people pointed to the artesian wells here as a certain source of water in the event of a bad earthquake, these wells would go as quickly as other sources, because electric power would be shut off to prevent fires," he continued. "Diesel engines should be installed at the artesian well basins, to provide power to pump water into the city system to provide for emergency."
Triangulation stations, or monuments, have now been installed along three-fourths of the Wasatch fault, said Dr. Pack. They are made of cement blocks, buried three and one-half feet into the earth, tapering from 16 inches square to 10 inch square, protruding an inch above the surface of the ground. These are placed on each side of the fault, and movements of the earth can thus be readily measured. Measurements taken over a period of five years should give definite knowledge of the earth's movements, said Dr. Pack.
[Deseret News; March 22, 1934]
Buildings Not Damaged, Cove, Preston Assert
COVE, March 22--Levi H. Allen, former county commissioner, representing a group of Cove residents, moved today to squelch reports that were made by Supt. J. W. Kirkbride and Building Inspector H. R. Adams of Hyrum, that the local school is unsafe. He claims that the "cracks" have been in the building for years, even before an addition was built some time ago.
At the same time James B. McQueen, high school custodian at Preston, Idaho, reports slight damage, if any, caused by the recent earthquake. He claims it is not true that the east and west walls were forced out, that the roof settled six inches under the tower, or that rocks were loosened on the southwest corner.
A row of tin shingles down either side of the roof makes it appear as though the walls had moved out and left unbleached shingles exposed, he said.
[Deseret News; March 22, 1934]
OGDEN, March 22--Walter Buss, instructor of geology at Weber college announces that he will act as guide to a party of Ogden people to the earthquake zone near Kosmo on Sunday, March 25. The trip is 200 miles, and Mr. Buss said that he has offered his services as guide in response to numerous requests. It is expected that the party will leave Ogden about 8 a.m. and reach the quake zone at about 11 a.m. or noon.
Persons wishing to make the trip are requested to call Weber college and contact Mr. Buss.
[Deseret News; March 22, 1934]
Possibility that the rather sudden rise and fall in the elevation of Great Salt Lake may have had some influence on the cause of the earthquakes which recently shook Utah and nearby states, appeared today from a compilation of statistical data on lake levels and previous tremors.
The present near-record lowest of the lake has certainly lifted a tremendous pressure from the lake bed and may possibly have disturbed the balance of pressures sufficient to have brought about the shifting of earth in the vicinity of the epicenter near Kelton, just north of the lake.
Discovery yesterday in the local weather bureau records of a notation of violent seismic activity in the region north of the Great Salt Lake back in 1897 and 1898, started a study of the records on the lake levels. The investigation showed that the prolonged disturbances in the '90's and that those of ten days ago, both occurred when the lake was unusually low.
The level of the lake in 1897 was 3 feet 8 inches on the mid-lake gauge, while now it is even lower, being 9 inches below zero on the same gauge. The average measurement is around 5 feet. The lowest level of record occurred in 1902, when the gauge read 2 feet 4 inches below zero.
Records on file in the federal weather bureau office show that the lake level has dropped six feet since 1924 and that a drop of several feet occurred during the few years preceding the 1897 and 1898 disturbances. It should be mentioned, however, that the lake's drop in the '90's was quite gradual and that no tremors were reported, or at least recorded, during a rather sudden drop preceding the establishment of the record low mark of 1902.
The possible effect on the balance of pressures, brought about by a big variation in the lake's levels can readily be imagined when it is considered that an acre-foot of salt water weighs about 3,000,000 pounds or 1500 tons and that a six-foot drop in the level would reduce the number of acre feet of water by several million and thus result in lessening the pressure by several billion tons. A more or less sudden lifting of this great weight might cause the earth under the lake to rise from decompression and thus precipitate an earthquake.
This actually happened in the bygone ages when Lake Bonneville covered this region with water which in places was 1000 deep, it is definitely shown in G. K. Gilbert's work "Lake Bonneville," published in 1890. According to his chart a rise of 168 feet in the central bed of the lake occurred during the gradual fall of the lake's level. This is proved by the fact that a certain point on Stansbury island near the center of the lake is now 1070 feet above a certain plane while a point east of Utah lake in only 902 feet above this same plane, though it is on same shore mark left as Lake Bonneville dried up. In other words as the water pressure was diminished the earth under the lake pushed up.
The notation which disclosed the earth disturbances of 1897 and 1898, was made by V. A. Hill, at that time weather observer at the town of Corinne. It was made on the margin of the regular report and reads: "Escape of gas is reported a mile or so out in Great Salt Lake from the mouth of Bear river, which throws up mud and water. It was first reported on Feb. 21." Mr. Hill recorded heavy shocks were felt on Feb. 8, 1897, and also on Feb. 13, 14, 20 and 21, and again at about the same time of the following year.
[Deseret News; March 23, 1934]
Creation of a state earthquake commission to sponsor legislation properly governing future construction of buildings, was strongly advocated by Dr. Frederick J. Pack, head of the University of Utah geological department, in an address before the Salt Lake Real Estate board meeting today at the Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Pack pointed to the recent earthquakes which rather violently rocked Salt Lake, Utah and much of the surrounding states as sufficient evidence of the need for such action. The tremors were rather violently felt in Salt Lake although the epicenter was near Kelton, Utah, about 100 miles away.
[Deseret News; March 29, 1934]
IBEX, Utah, April 3--(AP)--Mountains that make rumbling noises as though trying to talk are a powerful lot of company to one who has lived virtually alone in a desert for more than 30 years, J. J. Watson, Millard county cattleman has found.
For a long time Watson was about the only one who heard these companionable noises. Officials of the U. S. Coast and Geodetic survey to whom he reported the phenomena were not particularly impressed after learning their informant was the only permanent resident of an arid region the size of a small European kingdom and had lived by himself for more than a quarter of a century, 35 miles from the nearest post office.
Visits by a Washington geologist and a Japanese scientist, however, proved the desert cattle raiser was not imagining things and that the House range of mountains, forming the western boundary of the Sevier desert, had for years been making audible sounds--sort of a grumbling expression of the growing pains they had been experiencing.
Watson, who first settled in the area in 1887, has kept a diary and over long periods made daily entries of the un-mountain like actions of Swazey and Notch peaks. Sometimes the noises were accompanied by temblors so perceptible as to frighten his horses and cause them to snort and shake with fear, especially in the night. The activity would usually begin with the advent of cold weather in the late fall and sometimes continue for several months.
After 45 years of the periodic behavior, however, the mountains suddenly stopped "acting up" and they had been quiet for nearly three years in advance of the recent quake which shook northern Utah and southern Idaho.
At this time, Watson reported, he felt the shock very plainly and what appeared to be a column of heavy black smoke, 700 or 800 feet high, rose from the floor of a barren valley some 30 miles distant. It lasted for an hour or two. Watson as yet has been unable to investigate to ascertain if a break in the earth's crust had given birth to a small volcano, but his diary shows that something of the kind happened in the vicinity many years ago.
The House range is not considered of volcanic origin, but there are a number of places where steam or hot vapor issues from the surface. Both Swazey and Notch peaks, which are only about 1,000 feet high, are of fossil formation--mountainous masses of fossils on a granite foundation. The desert from which they arise is only about 400 feet above sea level and at one time was believed to have been a shallow bay of the Pacific ocean. They have been gradually rising since that time, geologists believe.
The area receives usually less than six inches rainfall a year, springs are 40 to 50 miles apart, but impounding water in "pot holes" in the quartzite rock, Watson has been able to make a success of cattle raising in this almost unexplored wilderness, studying geology and keeping a daily record of geological happenings help him to pass the time.
[Deseret News; April 3, 1934]
Indicating that the Hansel valley faults which started slipping in northern Utah on March 12 are not yet readjusted, another minor earth tremor shook Utah and southern Idaho slightly last evening, according to U. S. weather bureau reports received at Airport from the Locomotive Springs station.
The quake occurred at 7:16 p.m. and was felt by a few residents of both Salt Lake and Pocatello, Idaho, but no damage was reported.
[Deseret News; April 7, 1934]
An earthquake of rather severe proportions shook Salt Lake at 2:27 this afternoon.
No damage was reported although the temblor caused chandeliers to sway and buildings to rock.
The shock also was reported felt at Grantsville, Burley and Pocatello, Idaho.
[Deseret News; April 14, 1934]
Shock Fails To Arouse Sleepers Grown Blase With More Or Less Mild Temblors
Most Salt Lakers, grown blase over repeated earthquake shocks of more or less mild character succeeding the violent Hansel valley temblors of March 12, slept through yesterday's shock at 1:10 a.m.
The shock was the severest since the first quake of the two felt March 12, according to weather bureau officials, who said today that the Sunday shock was felt at department of commerce stations at Burley, Wendover, Locomotive Springs and locally, with the severest tremor reported at Locomotive Springs.
A second shock was reported at the Burley station at 7:35 a.m. but no trace of this was felt at other places.
Rattling windows and creaking walls, swinging chandeliers, and crooked-hanging pictures have become almost familiar sights and sounds to Salt Lakers since the scores of light shocks that succeeded the Locomotive Springs quake, as the earth has settled in a series of readjustments.
After shocks such as this are inevitable, according to Dr. Hyrum Schneider, geology professor at the University of Utah, and are of the type predicted by Dr. Frederick J. Pack, Deseret professor of geology at the school, who stated at the time of the previous quake that numerous aftershocks of the settling type would occur.
Press dispatches reported that Sunday's quake was felt in Pocatello, Idaho, where buildings swayed, although no damage was reported. Residents of Crystal, Idaho, 20 miles south of Pocatello, stated that the shock was accompanied by a heavy rumbling noise.
The quake was also felt at Kelton, Utah, and in Idaho Falls, Ida.
[Deseret News; May 7, 1934]
DEATH COMES TO OGDEN WOMAN AS HOUSE TREMBLES
Much Excitement But Little Damage Follows Series Of Temblors;
Buildings Sway, Light Fixtures Swing And Some Plaster Loosened
A series of earth tremors which extended generally over the western country this morning cracked plaster, swayed light fixtures, startled citizens and was indirectly responsible for one death.
Startled by the quaking, Mrs. Ida May Venable Atkinson, wife of Grant Thomas Atkinson, died of a heart attack immediately after the first shock was felt at eight-seven o'clock this morning. Since the birth of her baby, 17 days ago, she had suffered from heart trouble.
Residents in all parts of the city vacated their homes and ran out into the street as the first shock occurred, but returned when it was found that damage was almost negligible.
Dishes fell, plaster was cracked and furniture shifted about in rooms. One woman said she was awakened when her bed rolled on its casters and bumped a rocking chair.
A plaster crack developed in the First National building, immediately under the clock in the bank.
Working on the ninth floor of the building Mrs. Jack Madsen was startled when her typewriter slid into her lap and the doors of file cabinets shook open. When she stood up a door swung and bumped her.
Clocks in the Weber county court house stopped at eight-six o'clock and those in the post office at eight-seven. Then, again, at eleven-twenty o'clock another quake was felt which added interest in the tremor developments.
At the home of Leonard Garner in the Lakeview apartments, 3601 Grant avenue, the chandeliers swayed until they hit the ceiling and broke light globes inside.
Falling plaster at the Weber country infirmary at Roy struck Mrs. Annie Barton but did not injure her. Dishes rattled and furniture shifted about. The quake frightened inmates badly.
The walls of the Hotel Ben Lomond and the Hotel Ogden, which adjoin, rubbed together and dust arose, spectators reported.
The students viewed the quakes as a novel experience and instructors took time to explain the nature and probable cause of the movements.
John G. Lind, instructor of geology at Weber college, said today that the quake here might be caused by a slight slip of the gigantic fault on which Ogden is built, but added that the quakes at other points lent weight to the theory that the movement is a general one and not confined to the Wasatch fault.
He pointed out that the quake here had a wave motion as contrasted with the sharp shaking of some quakes which demolish buildings. It is probable, he said, that today's shocks were caused by the slipping of the rock fault beneath the ground, resulting in the transmission of a wave motion to the sediment above. Such a slipping would result in an east and west motion of the earth at right angles to the fault.
Observers today said that the first shock, at eight seven this morning, came from the west moving eastward, and that the next noticeable shock, about eleven-twenty, came from the south moving north.
Railroad cars standing in the Ogden yards, however, rocked violently back and fourth. A porter who was dressing in an empty car thought the car was being jacked up by workman for repairs.
Perhaps the most frightened man in Ogden was a man who was asleep on a bench in the union station when the shock occurred. He woke up to see the great station chandeliers swaying overhead and the brass cuspidor beside the bench tilting first one way and then the other. He was wide awake in a moment and leaped over the bench with a shout and headed for the door.
Railroad telegraph wires between Ogden and Montello, Nevada, were reported out of order due to the shock.
For about twenty minutes after the quake the police department was kept busy answering telephone calls about what had happened, some stating that their automobiles were wavering, others that the house was shaking and still others said they felt dizzy and sick at the stomach. No calls were received at the fire station.
The forest service building on Adams avenue and Twenty-fifth street vibrated perceptibly. There were few in the building at the time but the elevator operator said the building swayed considerably. Clocks in the post office stopped. There was no damage in either the forest service or the post office buildings.
A. L. Ellis of Riverdale, reported a hard shock followed by gradual rolling shocks.
Mrs. Earl East of Warren, reported the quake as a mild one with no damage done.
A back bedroom window at the home of Mr. and Mrs. L. H. Strong, 2922 Taylor avenue, was broken by the shock.
Arie Van De Graaf, official U. S. weather observer here, reported the arrival of the quake at seven minutes and fifty-two seconds after eight o'clock. He was standing in the doorway of a brick building, he said, and he felt the walls move.
He reports that J. Cecil Alter, meteorologist of Salt Lake City, reported the quake felt south to Grantsville.
Evanston, Wyoming, felt a distinct shock this morning and a clock was stopped in the Kastor clothing store at exactly eight-seven.
Trains were stopped at the entrance to a tunnel near Evanston pending an inspection after the shock.
At Kemmerer lights were seen to sway in the Catholic church where Lenten services were in progress and the rector of the Episcopal church said some of the candles went out as the church rocked.
The shock was distinct at Frontier, Wyo., a mining town where a hurried inquiry was made to determine if a mine explosion had occurred.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 12, 1934]
Schools Closed Lest There Be Panic In Event Of More Shocks
S. L. Man Is Injured
Wyoming And Idaho Feel Mother Earth Squirm And Shiver
SALT LAKE CITY, March 12--(AP)--A series of severe earthquakes jarred northern Utah and southern Idaho today, beginning at eight-five a.m., mountain standard time, and continuing until eleven twenty-one a.m.
The major damage occurred at Logan, Utah, 85 miles north of here where the walls of the economics building at the Utah State Agricultural college were split by the tremors. School officials said the three story structure would have to be abandoned.
Students at the school fled to the campus when the chimney on the economics building fell with a roar. The plaster in several other school buildings was cracked and chimneys fell from several residences.
The only casualty reported was Charles Bithell, 55, an employee of the city waterworks department here. He was buried when a six-foot trench under construction in the southern part of this city caved in. Officials of the construction job attributed the cave-in to the quake, although it occurred some time after the first shocks. Bithell was taken from the debris and rushed to a city hospital. The extent of his injuries had not been determined.
In the Continental bank building two windows were cracked and cracks appeared in plaster in the Clift building. The statue atop the city and county building was knocked out of plumb.
Reports received here indicated the series of tremors were felt from Boise, Idaho, on the northwest to Rock Springs, Wyo., on the east. How far the quake extended south was not known, but Provo, Utah, 45 miles south of here, reported a slight jar and Idaho Falls, Idaho, and other southeastern Idaho cities were shaken.
The first quake was felt in this city at eight-seven a.m. The tremors continued for five minutes. Another minor shock occurred at eight-thirty a.m., and a more severe jolt at eleven-twenty-one a.m.
When the latest movement occurred, the 1500 students at South high school here rushed for the doors. Two students suffered minor injuries during the rush to get out of the building. The order closing the schools followed.
Professor Perry Byerly of the University of California seismology department said the quake was as severe as the shocks which did extensive damage to Santa Barbara, Calif., in 1925.
Dr. Frederick J. Pack, head of the University of Utah geology department, expressed belief the quake was caused "by the Wasatch or one of the basin-range faults between the Wasatch mountains and the Sierra Nevadas."
"There are at least a score of these basin-range faults running north and south," he said. "The nearest is on the west side of the Oquirrh Range (20 miles southwest of Salt Lake City). It seems the disturbance more than likely was caused by these basin-range faults, since the shocks were strong at Burley, Idaho, out of the Wasatch fault. The fact the shocks died out toward the west indicates the disturbance was local."
Following the second vibration, which was more intense here than the first, public schools were dismissed until a thorough inspection could be made.
Cracked chimneys were reported at the Emersion, Lincoln and Jefferson schools and at the general hospital by Fire Chief A. B. Canfield who made an immediate inspection. The walls in several schools and other buildings were also cracked. The balcony at Reed Hall gymnasium where Pocatello and McCammon High school were to play for the district basketball title this afternoon, was condemned as unsafe after the second shock loosened beams. The game was to go on, however. Several homes and one business house reported broken windows.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 12, 1934]
Home Economics Unit Will Have To Be Abandoned, Peterson Says
LOGAN, March 12--(AP)--The earthquake which rumbled through northern Utah and southern Idaho shortly after eight a.m. today split the walls of the home economics building at the Utah State Agricultural college here and officials of the school said the structure will be abandoned.
The chimney on the economics building fell with roar, President E. G. Peterson of the school reported, and the students already assembled for early classes fled to the campus.
Dr. Peterson said the three-story economics building was an old structure and the split walls would make unsafe its future use.
The plaster was split in other buildings on the campus, but the damage was only slight, Dr. Peterson said.
Reports received here said the Preston, Idaho, high school was cracked by the quake, the west wall being forced nearly six inches away from the side walls.
School officials expressed the belief the building would have to be abandoned.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 12, 1934]
Instrument Shocks Were Continuous For 33 Minutes
RENO, NEV., March 12--(AP)--Professor Vincent P. Gianella, University of Nevada geologist, said today the university's seismograph recorded a "strong earthquake" at seven-seven a.m. (Pacific standard time) today. The shock, he said, kept the instrument's needle quivering for 33 minutes.
Professor Gianella estimated the center of the disturbance to be 552 miles from Reno somewhere in the Wasatch mountains of northern Utah and southern Idaho. He said the quake had a "strong east-west component."
The shocks were not felt in Reno. Professor Gianella said there apparently was no connection between today's quake and the one which rocked Nevada last January 30.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 12, 1934]
Persons who yesterday declared that the earth tremors that occurred here were just as severe as some which several years ago caused great damage in California cities, are not far wrong, according to an instrument in Leinhardt's drug store at Twenty-second and Washington avenue, which recorded the tremors in red ink.
The instrument, it should be understood, is not designed to record earth shocks. That each shock was definitely marked by the instrument attests to the severity of the shocks.
The instrument is a variety of barometer named a "cyclo-stormograph." It consists of a slender horizontal arm of metal that ends in a pen point. This point bears upon a small revolving drum covered with a paper chart upon which is recorded the variations in weather prospects.
When the first shock occurred at eight-seven o'clock yesterday morning the arm was violently agitated--so much so that it made a straight perpendicular mark measuring one and three-eighths inches.
Two other distinct shocks are recorded on the paper-covered drum. One occurred just a few minutes after the first and its recording mark measures one third of an inch. The third shock, which was generally felt, resulted in a mark five-twelfths of an inch long.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 13, 1934]
Monday morning's earthquake stopped a clock in the city's large venturi water meter at Artesian park at eight-five and one-half o'clock, Assistant Waterworks Superintendent Harry F. Irwin reported this morning.
The automatic recording chart showed that the water in the meter well had violently surged to lift the float.
Mr. Irwin declared the wells' flow is exactly the same now as it was before the series of quakes.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 13, 1934]
IN KELTON AND KOSMO AREA
Some Terrified Residents Of Box Elder County Pack Up To Leave In Hurry;
Convulsions Described By Agent
Growling and roaring sounds that accompanied the splitting of the earth's crust near Kosmo, at the northern end of Great Salt Lake during Monday's earthquake, continued in diminished volume today.
Describing the phenomena that attended the shocks in this vicinity, M. T. Shore, Southern Pacific railroad agent in Kelton, said today:
"The earthquake played its best tricks at Kosmo, where at least 40 gushing wells poured forth on the ground and flooded an area of several hundred feet.
"The north end of Great Salt lake pushed out over the landscape after the first shock and spread its salty water over an area of about two miles beyond its normal bounds. Within 12 hours the water receded, leaving great ponds in the lower places.
"Approximately two miles east of here a great roar filled the air as a huge crack, about 10 inches wide, opened in the earth's surface. The east face of the crack had dropped from three to 14 inches in various places.
"A short time later there was another deafening roar and another crack opened up a few hundred feet from the first. Both ran across the Kosmo-Hansel valley highway and traffic was suspended until they were filled.
"All Monday night and yesterday, less severe quakes were felt and sometimes eight or more occurred within an hour. People residing in the vicinity were terrified and many hastened to pack their belongings and prepare to move.
"Locomotive springs dried up for several hours and then started flowing again."
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 14, 1934]
KELTON, March 14--Residents of this place who viewed the large cracks in the earth at Kosmo, 10 miles east of here Tuesday report that constant underground rumblings can be heard, also that slight tremors of the earth can be felt every few minutes. These cracks, which range from four to six inches wide and extend for several miles in the vicinity of Kosmo, a station on the old Southern Pacific line at the north end of Great Salt lake, came into existence immediately after the earthquakes of Monday. Several spring holes at Kosmo which have been dry for years suddenly started to give forth hot water.
Locomotive springs, about seven miles west of Kosmo ceased to flow for several hours after the quake, but on Tuesday were again flowing at the normal rate. In places along the cracks at Kosmo the earth on the east side has dropped as low as 18 inches. A truck became stalled Tuesday noon at one point on the highway when the front wheels dropped into a crack. Chimneys on all buildings at Kelton were knocked down during the quake.
On Tuesday several parties of students and geologists from the University of Utah and the Utah State Agricultural college went to Kosmo. Several newspaper men also were on the scene.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 14, 1934]
BRIGHAM CITY, March 14--After investigating in Box Elder county, it appears that the most damage accountable to the recent earthquake was at Snowville. James Cottom, resident of that place for many years reports that every chimney in town with the exception of four was knocked down. Not only did the chimneys on the Cottom home fall but two partitions in the home were shaken down and the occupants had to flee outside for safety. A washing machine in one Snowville home was tipped over. Canned goods in the two Snowville stores were knocked from the shelves and almost every home suffered some damage in broken glass.
It was pointed out that Snowville lies in a direct line north from Kelton, and in the same valley probably received the strongest and first earth vibrations as they came north from the center of the quake zone at Kelton, 35 miles away.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 14, 1934]
Cache County schools have been inspected since the quake of last Monday, disclosing two buildings with cracks and one structure is to be condemned.
The earthquake blow was heavier in the north part of the state, due to the fact that the area was nearer than Ogden to the center of the disturbance.
When the reports were coming in Monday, there were indications the cause of the tremors was to the north of Ogden, as has been proved since then by the discovery of the earth cracks 15 miles southeast of Kelton.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 15, 1934]
Standard-Examiner Reporter Visits Phenomena In Kosmo Region
200-Mile Auto Trip
Logan Geologist Describes His Observations At Shock Center
By Will W. Bowman
Gaping cracks in the earth's crust where the ground on one side has dropped as much as 19 inches, new springs and mud geysers--these are the phenomena which may be observed in the vicinity of Kosmo at the north end of Great Salt Lake, near the center of quake disturbances which have shaken Utah for several days.
Hundreds probably will visit the scene within the next few weeks to observe what happens when earth blocks slip past each other along an old fault.
It is better than a 200 mile automobile trip from and return to Ogden but the roads are hard-surfaced all the distance with the exception of approximately 15 miles.
Professor Reed W. Bailey, geologist from the Utah State Agricultural college, who has spent several days at Kosmo and has thoroughly inspected the phenomena, says one of the cracks extend a distance of about eight miles. The deepest falling away of the ground on one side that he found was 19 inches. The cracks, in following an old fault, run both north and south and east and west. The maximum width of the cracks is about 14 inches.
Mr. Bailey learned that the old Dilley ranch near Snowville which was an historic postal station in the early days on the Corinne-Boise line was practically demolished by the quake.
An old pump well at Kosmo became a flowing well for several hours immediately after the quake and then subsided and is again a pump well.
Monument rock, beyond Kosmo, a short distance, is about a mile and one-half from the present lake shore although in earlier days the water came clear to the rock.
Southeast of this eminence a few yards, in an alkali area which was once covered by the lake, numerous new springs immediately commenced to flow and to the southwest a few yards a large number of sand or mud springs developed. Some of these are as small as an automobile tire and others are 15 or 20 feet across.
While the sightseer is in the vicinity he may want to drive on a few miles further to Locomotive Springs, on the shore of the lake. There is an emergency airplane landing field here on the Salt Lake to Portland route. A large volume of water flows from these springs. Attendants at the field said the water turned black and cloudy and was slightly warmer immediately following the quake. Thursday evening at sunset it was again flowing crystal clear.
On the return trip those who would prefer to see some new country may continue on southeastward from Kosmo, instead of returning through Hansel valley to the Snowville cutoff road. This road leads down past Promontory and on into Corinne. It is, however, rather rough.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 16, 1934]
UTAH WAS SHAKEN BY EARTHQUAKES
Great Blocks Slip And Send Out Waves Of Tremors
Kosmo Near Center
Earth Fractured There And Water Spurts From Cracks
(The following is an authorized interview by Will W. Bowman of The Standard-Examiner staff with Professor Reed W. Bailey of the geology department at the Utah State Agricultural college.)
The recent earthquake shocks in Utah have awakened an interest among geologists in the great basin faults which in the geological past produced the valleys and mountains of this region.
The slipping along old fault planes on which probably thousands of feet of displacement had already taken place in the past, has been renewed within the past few days, sending out vibrations through the rocks which caused the earth to quake. It was these shocks that residents of Utah and Idaho cities felt.
Learning from William Greaves, a Hansel valley land owner, that cracks had opened up in the earth across the road a few miles east of Kosmo, I immediately proceeded to the area with a group of Utah State Agricultural college advanced geology students.
Several days of observation over the Salt Wells fault zone revealed that many cracks had opened up in the earth's surface of the Salt Wells zone near Kosmo. We found five such fissures which were large enough to be considered of major importance although there were numerous smaller ones between and paralleling the major ones.
Walking over the area we traced one of these north-south faults a distance of eight miles. It extended about four miles north and four miles south of where it crosses the road.
On the alkali flats just south of the road, great numbers of new springs came into existence along the cracks and fissures and also in apparently unbroken ground. These are all cold springs and some of them are still flowing, although many of them dried up shortly after they started.
One very conspicuous feature on the white alkali flats are the black sand cones resembling volcanic craters in miniature. These were formed when the water from the new springs, flowing upward, deposited black sand from deep in the ground.
These new springs and craters appeared when these huge blocks of earth settled, compressing the water-soaked sands and silts below, and forced water out just as water is squeezed from a sponge by the press of a hand.
In addition to the dominant north-south fractures, cracks developed in an east-west direction, along which springs and craters also appeared.
The fact that the faulting was both north-south and east-west suggests that in the Salt Wells fault zone, definite blocks of rock underlying the valley fill, slipped downward along old fault fractures.
Friction and blows from these descending, crowding blocks of earth set up waves which were transmitted to adjacent regions, through the earth's crust.
The mountains and valleys between the Wasatch range and the Sierra Nevada mountains are the result of this same type of faulting and slipping, only on a much larger scale and over a vast period of time measured in millions of years.
One of the most conspicuous evidences of this post-Bonneville faulting can be seen at the mouth of Taylor's canyon where a fracture has cut across the alluvial fan formed by drainage from this canyon, dropping the westward portion down about 15 feet, leaving an abrupt scarp, or embankment. Constant erosion by the stream since that time has been able to produce only a small niche in the scarp.
The recent shocks probably would have been very much more severe in Logan, Brigham City, Ogden and other cities, had it not been for the intervening faults and the deeply filled alluvial valley between the Salt Wells zone and these places.
There is no way in which any geologist could have predicted that the recent slipping in the Salt Wells fault zone was about to occur or that it would have occurred in that particular place. All that we know, is that we are in a region which is traversed by many faults which are responsible for our broad, relatively flat valleys and our sharp mountain ranges, and that slipping can be expected, but the time or place not foretold.
Of course, with the recent movements near Kosmo, we have been made aware of a zone of instability in the foundation rocks of Utah. It is, therefore, not unlikely that the next movements may be in that section.
Seismographic records of earthquakes show that ordinarily the first shock is the most severe, and that it is usually followed by a series of tremors of diminishing intensity. These may last over a period of weeks or even months. In Japan, a region of intense earthquakes, numerous tremors are felt every day and periodically they become very destructive.
These recent displacements of the earth in the Salt Wells earthquake zone, are the first, so far as is known, to have occurred in Utah since the pioneers came into the valleys.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 18, 1934]
Road Officer Estimates 2,000 Autos Driven To Quake Zone
Approximately 2,000 automobile parties visited Sunday the Salt Wells fault zone at the north end of Great Salt lake, where slippage caused an earthquake last Monday, Lieutenant B. C. Hillis, of the state highway patrol, estimated.
Most of the cars made the trip both ways through Hansel valley from the Snowville oiled road. Some, however, used the old road through Promontory.
Lieutenant Hillis reported that the Hansel valley road to Kosmo was dusty because of the heavy travel.
An examination of underground water survey gauges in the Ogden valley artesian basin revealed that the earthquake of last Monday probably shook the water in the basin around as though it were in a tin pan.
The gauge deep down in the No. 50 artesian well showed that with the first surge the water dropped five feet and then rose six-feet above normal, a swing of 11 feet. It then resumed its normal flow. On other gauges lesser variation of from two to nine inches was recorded before the normal flow was resumed.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 19, 1934]
Further Study Conducted On Quakes; Numerous Spectators Gather
BRIGHAM CITY, March 19--Dr. Frederick J. Pack, professor of geology at the University of Utah, who within an hour after last Monday's earthquakes came out in the public print and declared the center of the quake zone to be within a few miles of Kelton, spent Sunday at the scene of the earth disturbances on the north end of Great Salt Lake.
Dr. Pack was accompanied on this second trip of investigation by his wife, his daughter, Eleanor and his nephew, David H. Mann, Ogden Standard Examiner reporter.
The geologist commenced his investigation of the quake damage in Snowville. The party visited the L.D.S. church building. It was found that the rock structure had been shaken so thoroughly that large chimneys on each side of the roof had been tossed 20 feet in one piece.
Large stones had been loosened from the walls and hurled inside the building. Every foot of the walls was cracked so that the building will probably have to be rebuilt.
Investigation of the Snowville school building showed serious cracks in the walls. Stone cornices had been tossed out into the school yard.
Investigation of the Kosmo railroad depot led to several small mud cones, which were dry but which on the day of the quakes flowed large quantities of mud and sand down to the edge of Great Salt Lake.
From casual observation it appeared that the huge rock had been completely shaken and with each shake a new spring of water had gushed up from beneath. Water had burst forth every few feet around the base of the rock and four large holes from 10 to 20 feet in diameter were found a few yards out on the flats.
It appeared that regular rivers had gushed forth from the holes immediately after the quakes. Sunday found the streams small.
The popularity of the quake zone was proven during the day, for no less than 206 automobiles were counted on the scene loaded with spectators who were anxious to learn about earthquakes.
It was pointed out during the trip by the geologist that when an earthquake comes, it is far safer to remain in the home than to run outside. Many people have arrived on the outside just in time to be struck by falling chimneys.
In Los Angeles, he stated, the children are being trained in earthquake drill. At a given signal each child quickly gets under his desk, which would give him protection from falling plaster or other objects.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 19, 1934]
Minor Damage Discovered At Forest Service Structure
While four workmen started today to repair small plaster, chimney and floor cracks that appeared in the new forest service building after the recent earthquake, Clement J. Gerber, federal construction engineer, said the cracks are "minor and not dangerous."
The cracks were discovered immediately after the earthquake. A space of about one-eighth of an inch appeared when the swaying of a 100-foot brick chimney, which rises about 35 feet above the roof, caused it to draw away slightly from the building at the point where it rises above the roof.
The seven-inch concrete floor of the small hothouse, seven stories above the ground, was cracked in many places. Tiny thread-like lines appeared. The immediate cause was the swaying of the 50-foot flagpole which is anchored in the floor below--the sixth floor--and extends up through the penthouse floor and upward through the glass roof.
The cracks are said not to extend all way through the thick floor. They will be repaired by chipping away the surface as far as the cracks go and pouring additional concrete.
Cracks in plaster are said to be very minor.
"These slight cracks are no cause for alarm," said Mr. Gerber. "The fact that this building rests on piles lessened the shock to the building, since the piles absorb much of it.
"The concrete in the building was comparatively new and not as seasoned as it will be. It therefore cracked more easily."
Photographers today took pictures of cracks in the chimney for record purposes.
It is believed that the minor character of the cracks will not affect the matter of the government's acceptance.
The contractors, while not responsible for damage by earthquake, has asked that credit for the repairs be submitted to them.
The men employed to make repairs today are one bricklayer, two plasterers and one cement finisher.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 20, 1934]
Persons Interested In Earthquake Invited To Make Trip
Walter Buss, instructor of geology at Weber college, announced today he will be glad to accompany a party of Ogden people to the earthquake zone near Kosmo, next Sunday acting as their guide in tracing the earth faults.
The announcement was made, he said, as a result of numerous requests that he accompany an Ogden party and explain the cracks and the nature of the movements that caused them.
No definite time has been set for the proposed trip Sunday. By leaving at eight o'clock, however, the group could reach the quake zone between eleven and twelve, spend several hours examining the quake zone and return to Ogden in the early evening, said Mr. Buss. The trip is about 200 miles by auto. The roads are said to be generally good.
"Evidences of the quake near Kosmo are well worth the trip," said Buss who visited the quake area with a small party of students last Saturday. "It is a phenomenon that Utah people are not well acquainted with, and it is of considerable interest. I will be glad to explain things to members of the party and to answer questions."
Anyone may join the party provided he makes arrangements for his own transportation. Mr. Buss requested persons who wish to make the trip Sunday to call Weber college, telephone 3948, and leave their numbers.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 21, 1934]
From the records of the weather bureau, data has been obtained of earth shocks near Corinne, Kelton and Snowville from 1893 to 1919.
As early as 1897 and 1898 heavy shocks were experienced north of the lake.
This indicates that the earth's surface near Kelton has been in motion over a long period, and that region is in an earthquake zone.
During November, 1919, three shocks of moderate intensity were felt at Kelton. That is nearly 15 years ago. With the same lapse of time, the next severe shocks would not be experienced until 1949.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 23, 1934]
FILES OF 'BRIGHAM BUGLER' SHOW
Cloudburst And Large Earth Fissures Are Mentioned In Old News Articles;
Walls Sway, Strong Men Become Ill
By David H. Mann
Since the recent earthquakes in northern Utah, a large part of the public interest has been centered on this subject, especially because the phenomenon is a new experience to the present generation. Geologists of this state have for years waited for an earthquake. Hundreds of citizens have made trips to the Hansel valley region in Box Elder county to study the scarps or crevices found there. Today will find crowds on the scene.
My search through old records in Brigham City resulted in the discovery of several bound volumes of "The Brigham Bugler" filed away in the down stairs portion of the public library. "The Brigham Bugler" was a weekly newspaper and search of its pages revealed the entire story of the earthquakes which occurred in 1896 and 1897.
The first quake item found was in the issue of Saturday, October 10, 1896, regarding shocks felt at eight-forty in the morning. The story goes on to say that residents of Corinne, Willard and Three Mile also felt the quake. The following statement reveals much. "People who lived here since the town was founded some 46 years ago report having felt at long intervals two or three other similar harmless shocks."
This statement covers the period from 1850 to the time of the writer, which was 1896. The remainder of this article will give the history of quakes following.
"During the past two weeks the people of Corinne have actually felt twenty separate and distinct earthquake shocks. Tremors have been felt there that were felt in no other place. The town seems to be over the center of some internal disturbance, but more extraordinary than this, is the authentic story that comes from 'Point Lookout.' It seems that last June a great cloudburst and earthquake occurred near there at the same time. Now that region is marked by great fissures in the earth. Some of these cracks are a foot and a half in width. Stones can be dropped into them and they go rattling down to a depth of 80 feet.
"Some people attribute the numerous slight shocks recently felt at Corinne probably ten miles to the south of Point Lookout, to the earth settling back after its upheaval at Point Lookout."
It is significant to note the width of the cracks and the depth to which rocks rattled down the scarps compared to the recent quake.
"Earthquakes are getting to be a common occurrence around here, yet the familiarity does not seem to breed contempt. The uncanny feeling they give one sticks to him closer than a brother, and for weeks any unusual noise or the rumble of a heavy wagon over a distant bridge made our citizens prick up their ears and brace themselves in anticipation of another good shaking up.
"At about six-fifteen Monday evening occurred the last, (so far) of the series of quakes that has been playing hide and seek during the past few months in the bowels of the earth beneath us.
"This was the Jumbo shock of all. In five minutes a lighter one occurred. The first stopped clocks; shook bricks from chimneys and swayed the courthouse tower so that it caused the town clock to strike five times. The walls of houses appeared to sway back and forth several inches. Strong men were so frightened they turned pale in the face and sick at the stomach. Some of the earth motions seemed to be directly up and down, but the main vibrations were west to east."
A peculiar thing about our earthquakes is that they are almost confined to the valley lying on the north and northeast of Great Salt lake, the center being near the muddy mouth of Bear river, where it empties into the briny lake. They extend over 20 or 30 miles. There are nearly always about two shocks. A shock that is now considered a light one in Brigham, is many times more severe near the river's mouth. A hard one in Brigham is frightful out there. One observer said the land there during a severe shock rose and fell like a billowing ocean. Even now slight shocks are felt there almost daily. They have so cracked up the ice in the frozen river that dislodged cakes have floated out into the lake, leaving the river open.
"A sport from Salt Lake best express the feeling of helplessness that comes over a person during one of the earthquakes. It was last fall, a shock came, it frightened him to his feet. Staggering across the floor he found everything trembling violently, there was nothing secure, in great agitation he exclaimed:
" 'Great God. There's nothing to take hold of'.
"The sensation of the week has been the reported volcano out west of Brigham. First came the story that there was a volcano in Great Salt lake southwest of Promontory. Citizens of Corinne said they saw one there. A Promontory correspondent of the Bugler yesterday said they cannot see any such lake spouter, but Martin Rohwer, a thoroughly reliable young farmer who lives on a ranch out west of Corinne, tells a most convincing story.
"He says that three weeks ago he saw a great column of smoke rise up into the heavens. At first he thought it must be a sheep camp on fire as it came right out of the lake, or flat alkali lake lands where nothing grows. Later his wife called his attention to the same occurrence and by closely watching it he found the column of smoke shot high up into the air several times an hour.
"It was especially active every afternoon. The smoke would first rush up like a great smokestack several hundred feet high then gradually sink down until it could hardly be seen. Later he could see a mound of earth in the vicinity; one never before seen there. It was undoubtedly cast up by these convulsions of nature.
"Mr. Rohwer is positively convinced it is an active volcano. From his ranch the position appeared to him in the region of the mouth of Bear river, nearly 20 miles almost due west of Brigham. At this time of the year when the snow and mud are so deep he says it would be impossible to reach the scene of this natural wonder. Another convincing fact is that its location is near where the recent numerous earthquakes were severest. In this vicinity for weeks at a time shocks were felt daily, some of them making the ground rise and fall like a billowing ocean.
"During the past month there has not been a single earthquake shock in this neighborhood. It was just one month ago, too, when the report came that a volcano had been seen out near Great Salt lake. This abrupt cession of earthquakes is extraordinary when it is taken into consideration that prior to that time shocks were felt daily and sometimes several times a day in Corinne and other points near the scene of the reported volcano.
"In an interview with a Bugler reporter Saturday, Martin Rohwer said that since his return to his ranch west of Corinne he has seen no further eruptions. A few days after Mr. Rohwer last beheld the spouter his father was down much nearer the place, within five or six miles. In addition to the big spouter he saw two much smaller eruptions. It will no doubt be several weeks before the mud will be dried up enough so that they can go down to investigate. Mr. Rohwer had no doubt but that he can find cinders and other marks of eruption. He says he can go to the place blindfolded. It is on the alkali lake bottoms seven or eight miles southwest of Corinne."
"The Bugler" in its issue of Saturday, August 7, 1897, reports another earthquake of the usual nature and felt in surrounding towns. One year later, on March 12, 1898, the following item appears:
The next earthquake of record which can be found in local files of newspapers happened in 1900. Another is recorded in October, of 1915, and again on November 19, 1919. One death resulted in Brigham City indirectly by the 1919 quake. According to reports, Rufus Tiner an employee of the cement plant west of Brigham City, was severely burned when coal dust which had gathered on the rafters of the plant was shaken into the air by the quake at noon, November 19, 1919, and exploded upon contact with the cement ovens in operation in the building. Mr. Tiner died several years after the quake, it was said, from the effects of the burns.
Questioned, Mr. Rohwer stated he was at Connor Springs west of Little Mountain and 25 miles west of Brigham. Straight south, he said, he saw the huge column of smoke rise time and time again out in the lake bed, at least five miles away. But, he stated, when spring came and the mud dried up he never did go out and make an investigation but on several occasions while traveling to Brigham City and while passing over Little mountain he was able to see two large mounds in the distance where the smoke had been seen arising from the lake.
Writer Arrives
"There is a man in Penrose at the present time who can also verify my story," further declared Mr. Rohwer "and he is William Miller. He also saw the huge columns of smoke rising to the heavens from the center of the lake." The thing he did remember very well, declared Mr. Rohwer, was the fact that after the spouts were seen in the lake, no more earthquakes were to be felt in the region for several years.
Asked if he could locate the cavern at the present time, he stated that he was positive that he could find the place, and that it would be possible to drive a car to within a few rods of the location, which is about 30 miles northwest of Brigham City.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 25, 1934]
Pack Says Road Hazard Ten Thousand Times Greater
"I am not afraid of earthquakes. You people in Ogden stand ten thousands times more chances of being killed by automobiles than by earthquakes but of course the later are the most spectacular," said Dr. Fred J. Pack of the University of Utah, in an address on the subject of earthquakes at the Rotary club meeting in the Hotel Ben Lomond this noon.
Dr. Pack declared that when he felt the earth tremor two weeks ago he was filled with great joy because his predictions of 25 years past had been fulfilled. There will be future disturbances here, he said but the movements will take place much farther apart because in this region the growth of the mountains has about been completed while on the Pacific coast the ranges are still rapidly rising.
Dr. Pack declared that the people of Ogden were probably not aware that they owe him a debt of gratitude. He said that when it was proposed to build a reservoir ten miles above Huntsville, he with Dr. Fortier condemned the site and some people don't like him because of that. But he said he directed Mayor Fell to the artesian basin and suggested that he drill wells at that point and today Ogden has a wonderful supply of water.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; March 28, 1934]
SALT LAKE CITY, April 7--(AP)--A slight earthquake was felt by residents in a wide area including Pocatello, Idaho, and Salt Lake City at seven-sixteen o'clock last night.
In Salt Lake City the disturbance was so indistinct that many persons told of it by friends, called newspaper offices to confirm the reports.
It was felt similarly at Pocatello.
The United States weather bureau reported that a major shock was felt in the vicinity of Locomotive Springs, north of here.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; April 7, 1934]
Minor Shocks Can Be Expected, Geologist Declares
A pronounced earthquake shock was felt in Ogden at 2:25:50 o'clock this afternoon.
Professor Reed W. Bailey of the Utah State Agricultural college geology department, who was in the editorial rooms of The Standard-Examiner at the time, said such shocks are common and can be expected following major earthquakes such as occurred in the Salt Wells fault zone near Kosmo at the north end of Great Salt Lake, last March 7.
Railroad reports said earth tremors stopped several clocks in Salt Lake City today at two twenty eight p.m. No property damage was reported.
A report from Kelton, where the earth tremors of March 7 centered, said that the shocks were felt there though they were brief and slight. The shocks were said to be more severe at Salt Lake City than at Kelton.
Railroads reported that there was no damage to their property either east or west. No one at Evanston or points eastward felt the shock.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; April 14, 1934]
Several persons, from widely scattered sections of Weber county, called the Standard-Examiner early this morning and reported they experienced a sharp earthquake shock at about one-twelve o'clock this morning.
Reports came from Riverdale and from practically all sections of Ogden city.
[Ogden Standard Examiner; May 6, 1934]
Quakes Rattle Windows Here About 8:06 A.M.
Distinct Shocks Felt In Idaho Falls And Vicinity
Extends North Here
Earthquakes Also Noted At Rexburg, Rigby, Shelley, Reports Show
Three distinct earth tremors shook Idaho Falls and most of the Upper Snake River Valley, along with the rest of southern Idaho, northern Utah and part of Wyoming, Monday morning. No damage, however, was reported throughout this district--the quakes rattling windows and dishes, also making hanging fixtures swing back and forth.
The first two tremors came close together at 8:06 and 8:07 o'clock this morning and lasted but a second or so. The second was longer and more severe, rattling the windows in the Post-Register and other downtown buildings. The third quake was felt at 11:20 o'clock and was probably a little longer than the other two.
Immediately following the first tremors The Post-Register office was swamped with telephone calls from residents of the city and surrounding territory reporting the quakes and to learn if any damage had resulted. Although the tremors were considered to be quite severe, no reports were received by The Post-Register up to early afternoon, not only here but throughout the territory.
The quake seemed to take in nearly all of southern Idaho, Pocatello reporting severe shakings. North from here the shocks were reported as felt as far as Roberts on the northwest and up to Rexburg and vicinity on the north. No one was found at Swan Valley, Ashton or Driggs who felt the quakes.
The New Sweden and Woodville sections seemed to be the hardest hit, according to reports received at The Post-Register on the tremors, although no damage resulted. In the New Sweden section houses swayed, pans on the stoves rattled and light fixtures swung gently. At Woodville it was reported that the school house shook violently, moving the piano a few inches from the wall. Dubois did not feel the tremors, according to long distance telephone calls put in by The Post-Register.
Rigby reported that the tremors rocked the hanging fixtures back and forth and moved the furniture a few inches.
No recording instruments are in the weather bureau but the meteorologist on duty made a brief note of the event, saying:
"A slight earthquake was observed at 8:07 a.m. About eight or 10 undulations were distinctly felt. The duration was about five seconds."
Immediately after the quake, numbers of telephone calls were received at the newspaper offices but no damage was reported.
Residents told of lights started swaying, and one newspaperman said his chair was rocked as he sat at breakfast, "two different times, about two seconds apart."
From Twin Falls came a report by commercial wires that the shock was felt there but no damage was reported. Windows in the business section were rattled, the report indicated, but none broke.
The shock, of very slight intensity, was recorded at Salt Lake City, Coalville, Utah, near the Utah Wyoming line and at Rock Springs.
No damage was reported.
[Post-Register; March 12, 1934]
Sway Buildings At Salt Lake, Cracks One At Logan
Clocks Stopped
Windows Broken Out In Zion City; Damage Slight
SALT LAKE CITY, March 12 (AP)--Schools in this city were ordered closed today as a precautionary measure as earthquake shocks continued to shake the city.
School officials said none of the institutions of learning was damaged except cracking of plaster, but the students were dismissed to prevent possible loss of life should a more severe tremor occur.
A severe tremor was felt at 11:19 a.m., today. SALT LAKE CITY, March 12 (AP)--A sharp earthquake rocked this city shortly after 8 a.m. today.
Tall buildings in the city swayed distinctly and clocks stopped in numerous places. The Salt Lake Tribune office, in which is located the office of the Associated Press, swayed for several seconds and the clock stopped at 8:05 a.m. Other clocks in the buildings also stopped.
Hundreds of early morning pedestrians stopped in the street and watched the buildings shake.
The shock was felt in Ogden, Utah, 40 miles north of here, and in Midvale and Sandy to the south. Residents hurriedly called the newspaper offices to determine the extent of the quake, some of them saying the tremors moved furniture away from the walls.
Two windows in the Continental National bank building here were broken.
Pocatello and Idaho Falls, Idaho, the latter city nearly 300 miles north of here, reported the shocks were felt there. The first tremor was felt at 8:06 a.m., Mountain Standard time, and another a moment later. One resident of Pocatello reported the shock broke a window in his home. Others said the windows rattled and fixtures in their homes swayed.
From the residential districts came reports of furnace doors swinging open and the water splashing out of Monday morning wash tubs. One woman said her bed was rolled several feet from the wall by the force of tremors.
The shock was reported to be the worst ever felt in Logan, in the northern end of Utah, where cracks were reported to have been caused in plaster of houses.
Plaster in the Clift office building in this city was cracked.
Frederick J. Pack, head professor of Geology at the University of Utah, said the shocks were felt distinctly at the university, located on the bench at the foot of the Wasatch mountains east of this city. He reported hanging objects swung widely.
A minor shock was reported here at 8:32 a.m.
Previously shocks had been felt here in January, 1931, and in November and December, 1932, but they were slight.
The chimney on the economics building fell with a roar, President E. G. Peterson of the school reported, and the students already assembled for early classes fled to the campus.
[Post-Register; March 12, 1934]
Severe Disturbance Centers In Northern Utah And South Idaho
Inspect Buildings
Salt Lake Schools Remain Closed; Pocatello Closed Monday
SALT LAKE CITY, March 13 (AP)--Pending a thorough inspection, schools of Salt Lake City will remain closed today but educational institutions will resume normal functions in most other north Utah and south Idaho cities which were rocked by a series of earthquakes yesterday. Damage to buildings in all instances was confined to cracks and toppled chimneys.
The most severe disturbance was centered in an area bounded by Boise, Idaho, on the north; Rock Springs, Wyo., on the east; Richfield, Utah, on the south and Elko, Nev., on the west.
The quake was less severe in Wyoming and Nevada than in Utah and southern Idaho.
On the recommendations of W. L. Payne, Salt Lake City police chief, and Dr. L. E. Viko, city health commissioner, Dr. L. John Nuttal, Jr., superintendent of public instruction, announced that as a precautionary measure all public institutions under his jurisdiction will remain closed until buildings are closely inspected for hidden flaws.
At Twin Falls, W. B. Smith, city superintendent of schools, ordered all activities suspended at 2 p.m., yesterday. The reasons, he said, were parents' expressions of fear of impending disaster. Sessions will be resumed immediately on the normal schedule, he said. No damage to buildings was done.
At Ogden, another of the more populous centers of the affected district, all schools were kept with the exception of a Catholic institution, the Sacred Heart academy, which was ordered closed on the recommendation of the parents of many of the students.
At Kelton, Utah, the quake destroyed a chimney of the town's only school house, and resumption of operations will be impossible, school officials said, until repairs are made.
At Provo, Utah, classes continued as usual, but officials conducted an immediate inspection of all buildings. All were deemed safe for occupancy.
At the Utah State Agricultural college in Logan, classes in some buildings were suspended, and activities in all of the city's schools were halted for the day. Walls of some of the college buildings were cracked and the chimney of one grade school building toppled to the ground.
Schools in Franklin county, Idaho, were dismissed after a 150-pound capstone from the top of the high school building at Preston, the county seat, toppled over and left the west wall swaying six inches from the rest of the building.
No damage was done at Boise and schools continued without interruption.
No damage was reported at Idaho Falls.
[Post-Register; March 13, 1934]
Rumblings Diminish Near Kosmo, At North End Salt Lake
SALT LAKE CITY, March 14 (AP)--Growling and roaring sounds that accompanied the splitting of the earth's crust near Kosmo, Utah, at the northern end of Great Salt Lake during Monday's earthquake, continued in diminished volume today.
Describing the phenomena that attended the shocks in this vicinity, M. T. Shore, Southern Pacific railroad agent at Kelton, Utah, said today:
"The first shock was a severe jolt. I looked out and saw chimneys tumbling down and buildings moving all over the landscape. The interiors of homes at Kosmo, Locomotive Springs and Kelton were all shaken into a topsy-turvy mass.
"The earthquake played its best tricks at Kosmo, where at least 40 gushing wells poured forth on the ground and flooded an area of several hundred feet.
"Approximately two miles east of here a great roar filled the air as a huge crack, about 10 inches wide, opened in the earth's surface. The east face of the crack had dropped from three to 14 inches in various places.
"A short time later there was another deafening roar and another crack opened up a few hundred feet from the first. Both ran across the Kosmo-Hansel Valley highway and traffic was suspended until they were filled.
"The cracks extended for several miles and all who saw the earth separating reported that the breaking was accompanied by loud roars. The growling and roaring continued yesterday and today.
"All Monday night and yesterday, less severe quakes were felt and sometimes eight or more occurred within an hour. People residing in the vicinity were terrified and many hastened to pack their belongings and prepare to move.
"Locomotive Springs dried up for several hours and then started flowing again."
[Post-Register; March 14, 1934]
By the Associated Press
A distinct earthquake shock startled residents in nearly every town in the extreme western part of Wyoming shortly after 8 o'clock this morning.
Although no damage was reported, the action of the tremor caused consternation among the residents when dishes rattled, clocks stopped and beds moved.
At Rock Springs the tremor was felt from 8:07 to 8:08 a.m. A weather map on the wall of the weather bureau office there rattled and shook. A barber reported that bottles of tonic on his shelves fell down.
Trains were stopped from going through a tunnel at Evanston pending an inspection after the shock which was felt distinctly there.
A train was rumbling through Rock Springs at the time of the shock and that noise apparently kept many from noticing the disturbance.
At Kemmerer the shock was felt about 8:10 a.m. Beds were moved and chandeliers and dishes in hotels and homes moved perceptibly. In some homes furniture moved slightly. Lights were seen to sway. In the Catholic Church Lenten services were in progress and the rector of the Episcopal Church said some of the candles went out as the church rocked.
The shock was distinct at Frontier, Wyo., a mining town where a hurried inquiry was made to determine if a mine explosion had occurred. There was no reported damage in the Kemmerer mining district.
Green River folks reported their breakfast tables shook and some were awakened by their beds rocking in what was believed to be the first earth shock ever recorded there. Offices in downtown buildings shook. Most of the people at Green River had no idea of what was happening but remarked that it "certainly was a funny feeling."
The force of the disturbance was felt as far east as Lander in Fremont County where three distinct shocks were reported shortly after 8 o'clock. No damage was reported.
Monday's quake was equally as intensive as the quake which occurred in Nevada on Dec. 20, 1932.
The records, seismologists said, indicated the shock was considerably heavier than the destructive Long Beach earthquake of March 10 last year, and that the point of origin evidently was some distance from Salt Lake City.
[Wyoming State Tribune; March 12, 1934]
Capitol Chandeliers Swayed By Temblor;
Heavy Damage Results From Severe Shocks In Utah; One Dies
Earth shocks which centered in Salt Lake City Monday morning, causing some property damage and perhaps one death, were felt in western Wyoming and its effects were seen in Cheyenne when heavy light fixtures at the state capitol swayed from the high ceilings.
The chandeliers in the statehouse here began swaying slightly at about 11:30 a.m. No other noticeable effects of the quakes were reported here.
[Wyoming State Tribune; March 12, 1934]
SALT LAKE CITY, March 13 (AP)--The second death attributed indirectly to the earthquake which shook Utah and southern Idaho yesterday occurred today when Charles Bithell, 55, died in a local hospital of injuries suffered in a waterworks trench cavein.
Bithell was buried when the six-foot trench under construction in the southern part of this city gave way shortly after the heaviest of the several tremors which shook the city. Waterworks department officials said the trench banks were weakened by the quake.
Mrs. Ida Venable Atkinson, 21, of Ogden, Utah, died of fright yesterday while her home was quivering from the earth movements.
[Wyoming State Tribune; March 13, 1934]
One Community Without Water; Only 3 Chimneys Remain Up In Town
SALT LAKE CITY, March 15 (AP)--Earth shocks continued today in Northern Utah, but with no additional damage reported. At least 30 shocks were reported in the vicinity of Locomotive Springs, at the northern end of Great Salt Lake, and four of them were felt in this city, between 5:02 and 7:07 a.m.
Reports received here today from Snowville, Utah, near the Idaho border, told of widespread damage to the town of some 250 inhabitants in Monday's tremors.
Shortly after pupils of the one-room brick school had been dismissed following the first shock Monday, a stronger tremor crumbled a portion of the front wall and dislodged plaster. Damage to the school building was estimated at $500.
The town's water main was broken and the community was without water for 10 hours. All but three chimneys in the town were thrown down and merchandise was toppled from shelves in stores. No one was injured.
[Wyoming State Tribune; March 15, 1934]
More articles from the Salt Lake Tribune for the 1934 Hansel Valley, UT earthquake.
Return to Hansel Valley Earthquake Summary.
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