El Paso history 1931: Multiple earthquakes rock El Paso
El Pasoans were thrown from their beds, dishes rattled and light fixtures swayed when El Paso experienced three earthquakes between 4:40 and 6:35 a.m. Aug. 16, 1931.
The Times reported the following morning:
Quake rocks El Paso and vicinity; $75K damage caused at Valentine
Sleepers are thrown from beds here: Few Juárez Houses Crack
Three separate shocks are felt: Homes shake on foundation
Rudely awakened early yesterday morning by intense temblors that shook West and Central Texas and Southern New Mexico, hundreds of El Pasoans heard their homes cracking, dishes rattling and saw light fixtures swinging dizzily.
Three distinct shocks were felt clearly by those awakened by the quakes, the first and most severe coming at 4:41 a.m. when several persons were thrown from their beds. This shock was felt for approximately 45 seconds, according to officials of the Fort Bliss weather bureau.
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Buildings Groan
A second shock, Bliss weather bureau officials said, was noticeable about 5:45 a.m., but was of much less intensity than the first when buildings groaned and creaked as a result of the earth's movements.
Still, a third shock was felt by many El Pasoans at 6:35 a.m.
From widely scattered sections of the city, reports of the quake last night definitely set the time for the first temblor at between 4:40 and 4:45 a.m.
Building Vibrates
Western Union employees working all night on the 15th floor of the First National Bank building felt the vibrations and prepared to leave the structure but the quake subsided before action could be taken.
Many employees working in all-night business establishments felt the shocks and were puzzled for the time being when light fixtures suspended from ceilings swung back and forth.
Scores of office clocks were stopped by the gyrations, it was found yesterday afternoon.
Charles E. Waterhouse, a watchman at the Wyler Industrial Works, 714 South Virginia St., was thrown from a cot upon which he was resting.
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Floor Lamp Tipped
Mrs. Kelton Clark, 1109 North Stevens St., had arisen shortly before the first quake to prepare food for her baby. She saw the bed shake noticeably and a floor lamp swung back and forth, nearly tipping over.
Mr. and Mrs. Hugo Bonaguidi, 715 Cincinnati Ave., were awakened when unlocked doors in their home started rattling as though from a strong wind. There was virtually no wind and within a few seconds, light furniture in the residence was affected. Dishes rattled for several seconds.
Leonard Goodman, 3101 Wheeling Ave., awakened by the temblors, said last night he had noticed a slight trembling of the earth at 10:15 p.m. Saturday.
Women Nauseated
Several El Pasoans, particularly women, said they were nauseated by the swaying motion of beds. One woman said she found her pillow several feet from the bed.
Guests of Downtown El Paso hotels near railroad tracks were least affected by the temblors, those awakened by the jar thinking it merely another heavy freight train passing until they looked from their windows and discovered there was no train nearby.
Walls Are Cracked
No damage was reported in El Paso. Several adobe buildings in Juárez were cracked from roof to ground by the quakes and a vacant building collapsed, it was said last night. West of Vinton in the upper valley, a dwelling on the C.H. Vick Farm was slightly damaged. Cracked walls and damaged plaster were reported in other valley homes to well beyond Anthony.
Upper and lower valley residents reported chickens shaken from roosts. W.C. Simpson, and J.W. Bolton, lower valley residents, and Mrs. A.J. Archer, of Mesquite, said chickens and cows were greatly disturbed by the tremors.
Dogs and cows, frightened by the shaking of the earth, barked and lowed for several minutes, valley residents said.
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Bad In Mexico
From reports of the quake reaching Juarez last night, the states of Jalisco, Vera Cruz and Oaxaca were shaken, with the greatest amount of damage reported in and near Oaxaca City. Houses were wrecked there, and a number of persons are said to have been injured.
In the Coscomatepec mountains of Vera Cruz state, large fissures are reported to have been opened, emitting large clouds of smoke. Heavy underground shocks were also felt in the district.
Four Earthquakes Jar El Paso
On May 12, 1969, the Herald Post reported that El Paso experienced four small earthquakes earlier that morning:
Four mild earthquakes shook El Paso early today.
It is the first time El Paso has felt earthquakes this strong in recorded history. At least one house was damaged.
Dr. Harold S. Slusher, assistant professor of physics at the University of Texas at El Paso, said the quake apparently set a record.
Police were swamped with calls, most of them from residents in the northeast area.
The quakes were recorded on seismographic instruments at Kidd Memorial Seismographic Observatory on UTEP campus.
Dr. Slusher said the quakes occurred at a distance of 28 to 30 miles from the UTEP campus, northeast of El Paso, outside the city limits.
The quakes were recorded at 2:26, 2:49, 2:51 and 4:39 a.m. today. Dr. Slusher said.
He said they were of a magnitude of 2.2 to 2.3 on the Richter Scale. For comparative purposes, the San Francisco earthquake was 8.4. The scale goes to 10.
"These were small quakes, just enough to be felt and do a slight bit of damage," Dr. Slusher said.
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Sounded Like An Explosion
Mrs. Leona Flowers, 4963 Rutherford Dive, reported she was awakened at 2:30 a.m. by what sounded like an explosion. She found the plaster ceilings of her home covered with hairline cracks, and her cement driveway patterned with larger separations.
Several other residents called police to report hearing similar "explosions" and minor damage. Most of them thought the phenomenon was caused by an airplane breaking the sound barrier.
James Sibert at St. in Northeast El Paso told The Herald Post the quake awakened him and his wife.
Dishes rattled, Attic Creaked
"It was just as if the house had a foundation of jello," he said. "Dishes rattled, the bed shook, the beams in the attic creaked.
"We heard rumblings. It sounded like the blasting on the mountain, and the house shook almost the same way, except it was much heavier. We thought it might be Army maneuvers. Our house has a cement floor and it takes a force of some magnitude to make it shake like that."
Mrs. Ruben Garcia, 5641 Waldorf Drive, said the tremor shook her house so hard that the baby's crib and her bed hit the wall. "I thought it was dynamite," she said.
Policeman Juan Borjor, said the tremors were felt mostly in the northeast area. One resident in the Tigua area reported feeling a slight tremor.
Borjon said the quake was felt slightly up to 50 miles to the north but apparently not on the west side of the mountain or far south.
Trish Long may be reached at tlong@elpasotimes.com or 915-546-6179.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Pasoans thrown from bed, dishes rattled during triple earthquakes
