Cascadia Catalog 1793-1930

	Cascadia Historic Earthquake Catalog, 1793-1929 Covering Washington, Oregon and Southern British Columbia Provided by: The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network About the Cascadia Historic Earthquake Catalog One-line catalog format 1793-1849 .... 1850s .... 1860s .... 1870s .... 1880s .... 1890s .... 1900s .... 1910s .... 1920s .... 1930s (not complete) .... Other Cascadia Catalogs

Individual Event Report

Event #297 - Summary, and parameter estimates with source IDs
Felt from Portland to Salem. Although the Oregonian Index says: " broke window at McMinnville, rang bells at Dayton, Oregon City", and Townley and Allen cite theS.F. Chronicle, [April 3, 1896, p. 4.], the Oregonian article makes no mention of McMinnville. From the Oregonian: "The Earthquake Yesterday Morning Was Severe, and Lasted Ten Seconds, but Did No Damage. The earthquake of yesterday morning is said to have been one of the most severe that has been experienced in Portland in many years. It did no damage to property, but it managed to waken thousands of people from sound slumber, and caused no little alarm.... Mr. Blandford, ... was able to furnish some information about the shock. "The earthquake," he said, "occurred at 3:13 this morning, and lasted between 8 and 10 seconds. It began with a severe and quick jerky vibration, and then, after a moment's interval, the vibrations resumed with lesser force until the finally died away. ... I should say the earthquake was rather severe at first." The time at which Mr. Blandford fixes the shock was corroborated by almost everyone who thought to notice the time, though there was considerable disagreement as to the duration of the vibration, some contending that it did not take up more than five seconds. That it was a severe shock is proven by the general attention it attracted. Many were the stories told yesterday of what the earthquake had done. One young man said it wakened him, and as he looked at the wall he saw the pictures swinging to and fro and heard the shutters moving, though it was a quiet night. The unusual loudness of the rumbling which accompanied the shock was what attracted general attention, many of those who noticed the earthquake saying that it sounded like the collapse of some big brick block. One man ... said that his house rocked as if it were about to tumble. It nearly overturned a lamp standing on a table besides his bed, and twisted the nails in the woodwork. The shock was less severely felt in The Oregonian building then almost anywhere else ..."
TIME							LOCATION			MAGNITUDE		MAX. INTENSITY					FELT AREA
YR	MO	DAY	HR	MIN	AM/PM	Time Type	LAT(N)	LON(W)	DEP (km)	MAG	Mag Type	Felt Plc.	Felt St.	Inten- sity	Int. Type	Felt Area	Felt Area Int.	Felt Area Units
1896	4	2	3	13	A	L	45.30	123.30				Portland	OR	VI	RF	1000.00		mi2
N-Ore - 1580							USEQS - 934		-	-		TA-OR - 506				USEQS - 934

Underlying Source Material

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
572	Smith, W. D., 1919, Earthquakes in Oregon, BSSA, V. 9, n. 3, pp. 58-71	1919
Transcription: 1896. April 2; 3:20 am.; Portland. About 3:20 am. a single shock of brief duration was felt here. The shock was felt as far south as Salem. McMinnville, Ore. The inhabitants were awakened at 3:17 this morning by an earthquake (VI). Two or three distinct shocks followed in quick succession, with a loud rumbling noise coming from the west. The earth appeared to tip toward the east.-San Francisco Chronicle.

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
1580	The Oregonian	1896	April 3, 1896, p. 10, c. 3.
Transcription: THE EARTH DID SHAKE And It Aroused Portlanders Out Of A Sound Sleep. The Earthquake Yesterday Morning Was Severe, and Lasted Ten Seconds, but Did No Damage. The earthquake of yesterday morning is said to have been one of the most severe that has been experienced in Portland in many years. It did no damage to property, but it managed to waken thousands of people from sound slumber, and caused no little alarm. Earthquakes are very rare in Portland and many people did not know the cause of the strange rumbling and shaking, until they read their morning paper. Strange to say, the instruments of the weather bureau office failed to record the earthquake. There was no indication whatever upon the barograph, or self-registering barometer used for recording changes in the air pressure. But Mr. Blandford, Mr. Pague's assistant, was able to furnish some information about the shock. "The earthquake," he said, "occurred at 3:13 this morning, and lasted between 8 and 10 seconds. It began with a severe and quick jerky vibration, and then, after a moment's interval, the vibrations resumed with lesser force until the finally died away. As far as I could tell, the vibrations seemed to go from the northeast to the south east. I should say the earthquake was rather severe at first." The time at which Mr. Blandford fixes the shock was corroborated by almost everyone who thought to notice the time, though there was considerable disagreement as to the duration of the vibration, some contending that it did not take up more than five seconds. That it was a severe shock is proven by the general attention it attracted. Many were the stories told yesterday of what the earthquake had done. One young man said it wakened him, and as he looked at the wall he saw the pictures swinging to and fro and heard the shutters moving, though it was a quiet night. The unusual loudness of the rumbling which accompanied the shock was what attracted general attention, many of those who noticed the earthquake saying that it sounded like the collapse of some big brick block. One man who, with his entire family was aroused from sleep, said that his house rocked as if it were about to tumble. It nearly overturned a lamp standing on a table besides his bed, and twisted the nails in the woodwork. The shock was less severely felt in The Oregonian building then almost anywhere else, which probably accounts for the barograph not recording the vibrations. The record is made by a fine needle on smoked glass. So sensitive is it that the slightest vibration will affect the needle and indicate the disturbance on the surface of the glass. The only instruments of this kind on the coast are at the observatory at Mount Hamilton, and at the weather bureau office in Carson City. Of course, the earthquake caused all the old-timers yesterday to limber up their up their tongues and turn loose their experiences of the "airly days" in the Northwest, and such stories found ready listeners. The most severe shock of the past of which there is any record occurred here October 12, 1877. There were several shocks following each other in rapid succession, the first of which was felt seven minutes before 2 o'clock in the afternoon. The vibrations, which were from north to south, were very pronounced. Considerable damage was done by the breaking of dishes, lamps and glassware, and buildings were shaken up and walls and ceiling cracked. A portion of the west wall of the post office building was cracked by the shock, which is there even now. There was great alarm among the people, hundreds of whom rushed, pell-mell, out of their stores and dwelling into the streets. No one was hurt through the shock, which was felt as far north as the Sound. February 21, 1892, there were several slight tremors of the earth about 8:15 in the evening, lasting 8 1/2 seconds. The vibrations, as usual, were from north to south. April 17, of the same year, there were three distinct shocks, at 2:56 o'clock in the afternoon, clocks being stopped and dishes, doors and windows rattled by the vibrations. On February 25, 1895, there was quite a severe earthquake. It came in three severe shocks, lasting about nine seconds, the vibrations being from north to south.

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
821	Reid 2, unpub., Scrapbook and Cardfile, on microfilm at USGS in Menlo Park
Transcription: Portland 3:20a April 2, 1896 VI

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
603	Reid, unpub., Scrapbook and Cardfile, on microfilm at USGS in Menlo Park
Transcription: Portland 3:20 am 2 April, 1896 VI -Holden's Cat. pg 250 Felt as far south as Salem, McMinnville (3:17 am-VI). Two or three distinct shocks followed in quick succession.

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
506	Townley, S.D. and M.W. Allen, 1939, Descriptive Catalog of earthquakes of the Pacific Coast of the United States 1769 to 1928, Chapter II, Earthquakes in Oregon--1846-1928, BSSA, V. 29, No. 1, pp. 253-258.	1939
Transcription: 1896 April 2. About 3:20 a.m. Portland. About 3:20 a.m., a single shock of brief duration was felt here. The shock was felt as far south as Salem. McMinnville: The inhabitants were awakened at 3:17 this morning by an earthquake (VI). Two or three distinct shocks followed in quick succession, with a loud rumbling noise coming from the west. The earth appeared to tip toward the east.- S.F. Chronicle, [April 3, 1896, p. 4.].

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
2062	Leslie M. Scott, Memoranda of the Files of the Oregonian 1850-1910, Oregon Historical Society	1910	Unpublished index to the Oregonian
Transcription: in Willamette Valley, Portland, Apr. 2, 1896, broke window at McMinneville, rang bells at Dayton, Oregon City, Nov. 1892; Salem, Vancouver, Forest Grove, 1896

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
934	U. S. Dept. of Commerce, 1973, Earthquake History of the United States, V. 41-1, revised ed., pp. 89-96	1973
Transcription: Apr. 2 03:17 McMinnville, Oreg 45.3 123.3 1,000 VI 3-53,25

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
2062	Leslie M. Scott, Memoranda of the Files of the Oregonian 1850-1910, Oregon Historical Society	1910	Unpublished index to the Oregonian
Transcription: in Willamette Valley, Portland, Apr. 2, 1896, broke window at McMinneville, rang bells at Dayton, Oregon City, Nov. 1892; Salem, Vancouver, Forest Grove, 1896

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
993	U. S. Dept. of Commerce, 1973, Earthquake History of the United States, V. 41-1, revised ed., pp. 89-96	1973
Transcription: 1896. April 2. McMinnville, Oreg. Three shocks in succession awakened everyone. The main shock was felt in Portland and Salem.

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
1721	Woodward Clyde Consultants, unpublished	1981	Woodward-Clyde Consultants (1981), Historical Catalog (1841-1980) for the Pacific Northwest Region, unpublished catalog prepared for the Washington Public Power Supply System. Copy provided to UW in 1993.
Transcription: 189604 21117000 45300-123300 VI NO 6 01

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
363	Byerly, Perry, 1952, Pacific Coast Earthquakes, Condon Lecture, pp. 33-38	1952	U.W. Library, N979 B991p, Special Collections)
Transcription: 1896, April 2 Portland. McMinnville. People awakened. Two or three shocks with loud rumbling noise from the west.

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
2100	Spokesman Review	1896	Fri. April 3, 1896, p. 1, c. 3
Transcription: An Earthquake at Portland Shock Was Not Severe but Was Distinct as Far as Salem. Portland, Or., April 2. -- Portland was shaken by an earthquake at an early hour this morning. It was 3:13 a. m. when a rolling, rumbling sound, unusual except in disturbances of great magnitude, was heard and for 12 seconds the ground undulated, shaking tall buildings, moving hanging objects on the walls and otherwise jarring movable objects. While no damage was done, the night clerk at the Perkins hotel says the shock woke up a number of the guests. The disturbance was felt as far south as Salem and perhaps further.

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
1312	Berg and Baker, 1963, Oregon Earthquakes, 1841 through 1958, BSSA, V. 53, No. 1, pp. 95-108	1963
Transcription: 1896 Apr 2 11:17:-- Apr 2 3:17 am (PST) McMinnville VI* 10 Two or three shocks followed in quick succession. (10)

Source ID	Publication	Pub Date	Pub Details
1922	Holden, E.S., 1898, A Catalog of Earthquakes on the Pacific Coast 1769-1897, Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, 1087	1898
Transcription: 1896. April 2; Portland, Oregon. About 3:20 A. M. a single shock of brief duration waas felt here. The shock was felt as far south as Salem. McMinnville, Oregon: the inhabitants were awakened at 3:17 this morning by an earthquake (VI). Two or three distinct shocks followed in quick succession, with a loud rumbling noise coming from the west. The earth appeared to tip toward the east.__S. F. Chronicle.