WASHINGTON AND OREGON (120TH MERIDIAN OR PACIFIC STANDARD TIME) February 5: 08:12.5* BC. Ardenvoir and Chelan, Wash. Light ,shock felt by many at Ardenvoir, rattled dishes at Chelan. At Entiat the 3-second shock resembled an explosion and was felt by many. February 5: 19:20. Marblemount, Wash. light shock of about 30 seconds duration. Felt by many. Rattled windows, doors, and dishes. February 6: 02:11. Sedro-Woolley, Wash. Moderate shock awakened many. Sounded like black powder blast underground. February 14: 19:17:47.* Epicenter near 47.3 degrees north, 122.9 degrees west, W. This shock reached intensities VI and VII at many places in the Puget Sound area and was felt over about 70,000 square miles. The estimated magnitude was 5 3/4. A few deaths were charged indirectly to the shock, and damage was estimated at $250,000, most of it occurring in Seattle. A survey of the affected area was made by representatives of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey and the University of Washington. The instrumental data, as well as the intensity distribution, indicated some depth of focus of the order of 25 kilometers or more. A unique circumstance is found in the fact that the epicenter lies on the line of zero gravity anomaly in an area showing one of the sharpest gradients in the country. To the north and east of this line there is a negative anomaly of 93 milligals; to the southwest there is a positive anomaly of 33 milligals. The epicenter presumably lies along the line of greatest stress since it is almost on a line between the extreme anomalies. At Shelton an observer reported the shock as the worst in his 56 years in the state. The absence of a zone of high intensity in the sparsely settled epicentral area is indicative of a deep focus, but not necessarily beneath the continental layers. INTENSITY VII: Olympia.-At the Olympia Hotel about 80 feet of cornice or "fire wall," 2 feet high, was knocked off the north wall; otherwise there were only a few plaster cracks inside the building. Many of the buildings in the statehouse group showed small plaster cracks, but there was no structural damage. There were rather frequent cases throughout the city of plaster cracks, fallen knickknacks, and overturning of unstable objects. The populous was generally frightened. Seattle. Damage in Seattle was marked by a few spectacular cases which tend to give a false impression of the general severity of the shock. Except for these cases, cracking of plaster in either residences or buildings was rare, as were reports of broken windows and chimneys. The worst damage occurred in former tideland where buildings were constructed on pile foundations; yet even there it was spotty and with the exception of the Sears, Roebuck Building the damaged structures were generally old. The outstanding cases were the Sears, Roebuck Building, 2465 Utah Street; Fisher flour mills and grain elevator on Earbor Island; Frye & Co. packing plant, 2203 Airport Way; Seattle Port of Embarkation Building No. 14, 1500 Alaska Way; and the Smith Tower, 42 stories high, Second and Yessler streets. The Sears, Roebuck Building is a 225-foot long structure, 9 stories high, with a 3-story tower carrying a 15,000-gallon water tank on the eleventh floor level and a 60,000-gallon tank on the twelfth floor. It is of reinforced concrete frame construction with brick veneer walls and pile foundation. Extensive cracking of plaster occurred on all floors; on several floors hollow-tile partitions were cracked; and diagonal cracks appeared in the tower and on the eighth and ninth floors. Considerable damage occurred on the seventh floor from the collapse of shelving loaded with heavy automotive parts. Broken bricks and flashing gave evidence of hammering between the main building and annex of similar construction. Damage was estimated at $50,000. At the Fisher flour mill a 50,000-gallon water tank was mounted on top of the 16-story grain elevator No. 3, which is of reinforced concrete and rests on 4,000 40-foot piles. The I-beams supporting the tank were twisted and the tank fell to the roof fracturing the standpipe and flooding the structure. The 40-foot steel tower supporting a similar tank on the 8-story high grain elevator No. 1 was deformed but otherwise withstood the shock. The Frye & Co. meat packing plant was an old unreinforced brick structure 3 stories high, 140 feet long, and 70 feet wide. The floor joists apparently battered down about 80 feet of the wall 20 feet from the top on one side of the building, and pushed out over a length of 20 feet on the opposite side. Considerable machine-shop equipment was lost when the falling brick crushed a corrugated iron shed housing the shop. The old Port of Embarkation Building at the edge of the harbor is a 3-story brick structure, 300 feet long by 50 feet wide, built on piles. The building, which was in very poor condition, was abandoned. Daylight showed through the cracks made at all four corners. A heavy safe was thrown 8 feet across the floor during the earthquake, and many filing cases overturned. Expensive ship's instruments were thrown to the floor and damaged. In the 42-story Smith Tower Building plaster chipped from the walls of the elevator shafts above the twenty-first floor. Only one office on the thirty-second floor suffered from cracked plaster. The press reported some windows broken. During the earthquake the elevator cables were reported to have hit the sides of the shaft, and the motion of the building badly frightened the few occupants. Observers on the tenth floor of a nearby building reported that the tower appeared to sway through many feet. In the Marine Hospital and Public Safety Building some plaster was cracked. Both buildings are on high ground. Concrete watertank columns on a cold-storage plant were cracked, exposing the reinforcing steel. Some plaster was reported to have fallen in the 10-story County-City Building. At Salmon Terminal hundreds of cases of salmon were thrown about with some damage, and the setting off of sprinkler systems caused thousands of dollars damage to the contents of two piers. One vessel reported that the swaying motion of the pier to which it was moored was imparted to the ship. In a hospital the beds rolled back and forth. A life-size stone statue toppled from the top of Briscoe Boys School and crashed through a glass conservatory roof. An 8-foot high rock
wall with poor foundation caved in and one home reported that all the pictures
fell from the walls. In the South End a blinding flash was reported from two
short-circuited 25,000-volt power lines. Union lake "boiled and bubbled."
Persons in movies, public gatherings, and diners generally took cognizance of
the motion, but there was generally little serious alarm although some persons
left movie houses. The most prevailing impression was that the motion was like
the passing of a heavy truck. Many reported sounds preceding the shock.
Tacoma.-Several old brick chimneys were broken off at the roof line. At a good
many places articles fell from shelves and knickknacks were knocked over.
People were generally frightened. Many reported that a noise preceded the
shock.
INTENSITY VI:
Aberdeen.-Felt generally. One outside chimney reported loosened from house.
Pendulum clocks stopped.
Anacortes.-Some plaster cracked and small objects fell.
Bothell.-Knickknacks fell. Slight damage.
Bremerton.-"Alert" siren was set off.
Centralia.-A few plaster walls and a chimney cracked.
Cle Elum.-Light chimney damage. Hot water tanks swayed.
Concrete.-Some wall plaster cracked. Chairs moved.
Dabob.-Small objects such as pictures and dishes were displaced or knocked
down.
Darrington.-Strong shock rattled windows and broke dishes.
Eatonville.-Some plaster fell or cracked.
Gig Harbor.-Cracked plaster. Small objects fell or toppled.
Hoodsport.-Plaster cracked. Damage slight.
Index.-Cracked plaster.
La Grande.-Books and plaster fell.
Langley.-Overturned small objects. Cracked plaster and broke dishes. Slight
tremors felt for 15 minutes.
Lakebay.-Chimneys and plaster cracked.
Longview.-Roaring subterranean sounds. Buildings swayed and some plaster
cracked.
Morton.-Broke dishes and shook objects from shelves.
Mount Vernon.-Small objects fell and overturned.
Nespelem.-Slightly cracked chimneys.
Oakville.-Many expected houses to collapse. Objects fell southwest. Damage
slight.
Port Angeles.--Most severe near water front. Cracked plaster.
Port Townsend.-One store window cracked. Loud rumble heard.
Quilcene.-Cracked plaster and broke dishes. Bell rang.
Rangle.-Books and knickknacks fell. Cracked plaster. Sound like wind in trees.
Seabeck.-One residence destroyed by fire as result of short circuit.
Shelton.-Many left homes. Loud roaring heard. Plaster cracked.
Yakima, 20 miles north of.-Oil stove overturned in railroad bunkhouse and
resulting fire cut telephone trunk line between Yakima and Ellensburg.
INTENSITY VI IN OREGON:
Portland.-Pictures fell and floor lamps toppled. Slight plaster cracks.
INTENSITY V:
Ardenvoir, Battle Ground, Belfair, Bellingham, Brooklyn, Bumping Lake,
Chelan, Chewelah, Coupeville, Ephrata, Everett, Fairfax, Holden, Kosmos, La
Conner, Lakeside, Leavenworth, Littlerock, Longmire, Mineral, Monroe, Mud
Mountain Dam, Packwood, Port Gamble, Preston, Ravensdale, Renton,
Richmond Beach, Skykomish, Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Spirit Lake, Sultan,
Toutle, Trinidad, Tumwater, Washougal, Wenatchee, White Salmon, and Winton.
INTENSITY V IN OREGON:
Bay City, Multnomah, and Veronia.
INTENSITY IV:
Adna, Ariel, Arlington, Blaine, Buckley, Cathlamet, Carson, Chehalis, Clallam
Bay, Clear Lake, Colville, Congor, Coulee City, Deer Park, Diablo, Eastsound,
Elbe, Electron, Ellensburg, Elma, Entiat, Forks, Glacier, Grand Coulee Dam,
Greenwater, Hartford, Ilwaco, Keechelus Dam, Kalama, Lickitas, Lucerne,
Merritt, Mt. Spokane State Park, Mukilteo, Naches, Naselle, Newport, Nooksack,
North Head, Ocean Park, Odena, Okanogan, Palmer, Pateros, Point Roberts,
Prosser, Puyallup, Quinault, Rock Island, Rockport, Satsop, San Juan County,
Sedro-Woolley, Sekiu, Sequim, South Bend, Spokane, Stampede Pass, Twisp,
Vancouver, Washtucna, Wellpinit, Winthrop, Yacolt, and Yakima.
INTENSITY IV IN OREGON:
Astoria, Hood River, Oswego, Salem, and Willamette.
INTENSITY I TO III:
Creston, Harrington, Kelso, Laurier, Marietta, Mazama, Mt. Rainier National
Park, Pasco, Republic, Valley, and Wilbur.
INTENSITY I TO III IN OREGON:
Baker, Beaverton, Dayton, Gold Beach, Mollaba, Newberg, Rockaway, St.
Helens, and Seaside.
Negative reports were received from 34 places in Washington and 18 places in Oregon.
February 15: 04:17:15* and 04:58:36* BC. Northwestern Washington. Light
shocks. The first was felt at Eatonville, Clear Lake, and Randle; both shocks were
felt at Gig Harbor, Olympia, and Stampede Pass.
February 23: 00:54:53* BC. Olympia, Wash. Moderate shock felt by several.
Small objects moved and loosened plaster fell. Dishes clattered. Felt by many at
Lakeview and particularly noticeable in Seattle.
March 19: 20:27. Issaquah and Kirkland, Wash. Moderate shock felt by many.
Rattled windows, doors, and dishes. Pendulum clocks stopped. Trees and bushes
moderately shaken. Also felt at Auburn, North Bend, and Pilchuck Valley.
June 23: 09:13:19.* Epicenter 49.9 degrees north, 125.3 degrees west, in Georgia
Strait, British Columbia, by Dominion Observatory, Ottawa, Canada, based on a
field study of surface effects. A comprehensive study of seismographic data is
being made by the observatory for future publication. This strong earthquake
was felt over an area of approximately 55,000 square miles in Washington and
Oregon. See map. In the epicentral area intensity VIII may have been exceeded.
The bottom of Deep Bay (49 degrees 25.5' north, 124 degrees 45' west) in Georgia
Strait was reported by the Canadian Hydrographic Department to have sunk
from 9 to 84 feet. There was a 10-foot vertical shift of the ground on Read Island
and persistent rumblings were reported by residents. Beaches at the mouths of
Cottonwood Creek and Little Shaw Creek sank 100 feet beneath the water. At
another point one person was drowned when a small boat was overturned by
waves set up by a nearby landslide. Near Campbell River a hillside slid 35 feet,
and a house was shifted 5 feet. Waves were reported sweeping in from the sea,
flooding fields and highways. Rock slides occurred along the railroad between
Port Alberni and Victoria. Fishermen reported muddy water and some bottom
changes in bays along the seaward coast of Vancouver Island. The magnitude
was rated between 7 and 7 1/4. South of the border a special canvass for
information was conducted by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey in cooperation with the University of Washington. At Courtenay thousands of dollars of damage was done to the interiors of building and many show windows were shattered. A wall was knocked from the post office building and a chimney on a school plunged through two floors. The highway between Courtenay and Comax was badly broken. In Vancouver cracks appeared in the walls of several downtown buildings and pieces of masonry fell from the Canadian National Railways station. Several chimney fires were started, and in one district power lines were down. Lionsgate Bridge "swayed like a leaf," and a swing-span bridge was knocked open. At Port Alberni the top of a brick front crashed to the street. At New Westminster bricks were shaken from an old building which was thrown out of alignment. The shock was reported heavy in Vancouver. Changes in terrain and fallen trees were reported in the Matsqui area a few miles North of Lynden. South of the boundary a 20-foot crack appeared in a glacier on Big Four Mountain in Snohomish County, and at Big Four Inn several layers of rock were shaken from the fireplace and large sections of plaster fell. INTENSITY VI: Eastsound.-Some chimneys fell. Everett.-City clock stopped. Swaying power lines caused temporary interruption to service. Friday Harbor.-Pendulum clocks stopped. Trees and bushes strongly shaken. Knickknacks and pictures fell. Grapeview.-Some plaster cracked. Very long duration. La Grande.-Few slight plaster cracks. Subterranean sounds heard during shock. Langley.-Pendulum clocks stopped. Cracked plaster. Overturned small objects. Mount Vernon.-Cracked plaster. Hanging objects swung. Pendulum clocks stopped. Northport.-Houses swayed. Slight damage to buildings. Olympia.-Pendulum clocks stopped. Slight damage to buildings. Cracked windows, and cracks from previous quakes widened in plaster and woodwork. Port Angeles.-Large concrete mill reported distorted. Western Union master clock stopped. Water sloshed from pools and fish ponds. Port Townsend.-Cracked plaster slightly. Pendulum clocks stopped. Slight damage to buildings. Lighting fixtures swung. Puyallup.-Hanging objects swung. Pendulum clocks stopped. Shifted small objects and furnishings. Slight visible swaying of trees and buildings. Quinault.-Shifted small objects and knickknacks. Cracked chimneys. Trees and bushes strongly shaken. Reported quite severe in upper Quinault Valley. Seattle.-Hardest hit in Puget Sound area. In the 42-story Smith Tower Building plaster in upper half of elevator shaft fell on elevator roof. One person suffered a fatal heart attack after seeing the tower sway. Some plaster fell in County-City Building and a few bricks fell from the Sears, Roebuck Building on which the flagpole "whipped as though it would snap." An aquarium built on piles was bad shaken. Many pendulum clocks stopped. Some parts of city reported rumbling noises. A 3 1/2 inch gap appeared between two sections of East Slough Bridge on Snoqualmie Highway. Weights on fill pipes of Standard Oil Co. swung back and forth. Landslides occurred near Glacier Park. Sedro-Woolley.-Some plaster cracked. Pendulum clocks stopped. Water on lake came in light rolling swells from west to east. Moderately loud scraping and rattling subterranean sounds heard. Sekiu.-Broke dishes. Shifted small objects. Knickknacks fell. Trees and bushes strongly shaken. Tatoosh Island.-Walls cracked slightly. Moderate subterranean sounds like distant thunder or cannon fire heard at time of shock pendulum clocks stopped. Water overflowed from full water tank. Heavy wrenches on east-west wall fell off nails. Lighthouse tower swayed. Tacoma.-Some cracked walls reported in downtown buildings. INTENSITY V Blaine, Brooklyn, Camano Island, Carbonado, Carnation, Cle Elum, Colfax, Colville, Concrete, Coupeville, Darrington, Easton, Edmonds, Elma, Enumclaw, Everson, Forks, Glacier, Granite Falls, Hoquiam, Kent, Kirkland, La Conner, Littlerock, Longmire, Marietta, Metaline Falls, Mineral, Moclips, Monroe, Neah Bay, Nespelem, North Bend, Nooksack, Olga, Omak, Oroville, Packwood, Port Roberts, Port Gamble, Port Ludlow, Poulsbo, Preston, Quilcene, Ravensdale, Rockport, Sequim, Shelton, Skykomish, Snohomish, Snoqualmie Pass, South Bend, Startup, Stehekin, Sultan, and Winslow. INTENSITY V IN OREGON: Astoria, Hillsboro, Portland, Tillamook, and Vernonia. INTENSITY IV: Adna, Ariel, Auburn, Bothell, Bremerton, Chehalis, Chelan, Chelan Falls, Chewelah, Clearwater, Diablo Dam, Eatonville, Ellensburg, Electron, Fairfax, Greenwater, Holden, Hoodsport, Kelso, Lakeside, Leavenworth, Longview, Mazama, North Head, Oakville, Okanogan, Palmer, Port Madison, Possesion, Potlatch, Randle, Raymond, Roche Harbor, Satsop, Scenic, Skagit Power Plant, Winthrop, and Woodland. INTENSITY IV IN OREGON: Clatskanie, Corvallis, Multnomah, Rockaway Beach, Sherwood, Timberline Lodge, West Linn, and Willamette. INTENSITY I TO III Amboy, Cougar, Elbe, Grand Coulee Dam, Laurier, Morton, Naselle, Paradise Inn, Pateros, Stampede Pass, Tonasket, Valley, Vancouver, and Vashon. INTENSITY I TO III IN OREGON: Milwaukee and St. Helens. Negative reports were received from 56 places in Washington and 28 places in Oregon. December 27:08:43. Thurston. County, Wash. Mild earth tremor felt in Olympia and other Thurston County communities. Dishes rattled and houses creaked. One report of picture slightly displaced in Tacoma. Felt slightly at Baldi, Bremerton, Hoodsport, Index, North Bend, Seattle, Shelton, and Startup. Negative reports were received from 22 places.
UW Dept. of Earth and Space Sciences ..... . PNW EARTHQUAKES