Santa Clara High School - Tocsin Yearbook (Santa Clara, CA)

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TH E TOCSIN-1922 from his dark brown eyes, crying and falling down in the streets to pray, and shrieking that the day of doom had come, and begging the good Father to have mercy on them. Abjeet terror and dismay were reflected in every countenance. But the water kept receding, a quarter of a mile, a half mile, a mile, and outside the gates of the harbor. Then in the late afternoon came a low rumble, followed by a mighty trembling of the earth, and seaward a huge mountain of water appeared, coming closer and closer, sweeping in with relentless force-in, through and over the harbor it came. The screams and cries of the people of the town were terrible. Came another crash, and the tidal wave struck the town-chaos. The ships that had been lying idly at anchor in the smiling harbor were thrown up into the hills-and the mighty, relentless sea having ac- complished this dreadful deed, withdrew and filled up the harbor again. It so happened that at this time my great-grandmother was traveling from San Jose to Loreto. In those days people had to travel in large com- panies for safety, and usually went when the freight companies sent their pack mules along the trail. This was the manner in which my grand- mother was travelling, accompanied by her aunt. They had crossed a rocky plateau and were just beginning to journey through a rugged stretch of mountain region. This canyon was one of the most difficult and dangerous parts of the journey. The trail was very narrow and shelf-like, close to one canyon wall, while below it lay a deep yawning chasm. It was indeed so narrow that the mules went single file, with very little room to spare on either side. The company was very silent, and sensitive to the danger of their situation. They were threading their way very carefully, and had passed the first turn of the canyon. They now began the roughest part. The surrounding scenery was not beautiful, consisting chiefly of ugly brown and red roughly-hewn bowlders and rocks. There was practically no vegetation, and the only sound beside the scrunch of the pebbles and' tap- tap of the mules, hoofs, was the dull roaring of the swift grey torrent far below the trail. The atmosphere seemed to be very close and heavy, and accordingly affected the spirits of the party. The guide was a taci- turn, stalwart Indian, who silently led the way. Suddenly, and without warning, they heard a deep loud rumble seeming to come from the very bowels of the earth, accompanied by a great quivering and shaking of the earth. Almost immediately they knew that it was an earthquake. The guide cried out, Hold tight to the ad- dle, trust the burros ! Page 19

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THE TOCSIN-1922 Slowly he made his way homeward. As he came near the church he saw the congregation pouring out. About a block from home his pain ceased, but he did not turn back or even hesitate. Wheii he reached the gate he saw his mother coming down the street and he knew he was safe. When he sat down to dinner he got his ear boxed for stealing some frosting from the cake made from Mrs. Duncan 's new recipe. Jim Byers, '24, i.-. The Tidal Wave A '1'rue Story BOUT forty years ago, more or less, there was a terrible tidal wave in Loreto, Lower California. The little town of Loreto was built around a natural harbor, while behind it were low foothills, sparsely dotted with scrubby mesquite bushes and a few choyas. Although the hills were for the most part bar- ren and ugly, and the town itself was not especially lovely, there was a charm in the harbor itself, and in the climate. The harbor was some- times deep blue with somber tints, or very blue in a capricious mood, with the soft winds whipping the smiling surface into little Whitecaps, and sending on their way, small sparkling waves tipped with green-white foam. These gay little waves would roll into the beach and break, with long sudsy fingers of white spray slithering over the sand, then receding. This morning the harbor and long white beach were especially beau- tiful, the weather was ideal, and the simple fisher-folk and people of Loreto were either beginning to enjoy the day in pleasant idling, or mak- ing the most of it in happy toil. The morning was half spent before the people realized that something peculiar was happening in their harbor. The water was slowly receding, inch by inch, as if drawn by some irre- sistible force. The wiser people muttered ominous warnings among themselves and prepared to flee to the hills for safety. But the others flocked to the beach, curious to see this unusual occurrence. They saw, as the water withdrew, the sandy, rocky bottom of the harbor covered with strange plants and shells. Then, as the water did not come back, they became afraid and awed. They were simple folk who did not under- stand, and they ran to the church to pray, instead of fleeing. They knelt there, and prayed and prayed, their moans and wailing interrupting their prayers. A half-wit, named Juan, ran here and there, tears streaming Page 18

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THE TOCSIN-1922 f The mules threw themselves flat on their bellies, and spread out their legs. Several were not quick enough, lost balance and rolled off the trail, with horrible shrieks. Luckily enough, they had been without human burdens, and were just pack-mules. Screams and cries arose from the throng, and gripping the burros with clutching hands, the riders raised their eyes to the sky to pray. As my grandmother looked up to pray, she said afterwards, that it seemed as if the very walls of the canyon came to- gether with a great clap, and the earth shook to its foundations. There was a long shock, followed by a few minutes of ghastly silence, then came two short shocks, and all was still. In a breathless instance the mules struggled to their feet, more falling down to the churning, angry rapids below. The company slowly made their way out of the canyon of death and horror, their progress blocked every few feet by bowlders and loose, treacherous dirt. Just out of the passage, they came to a small, flat, grassy plateau, and here they pitched camp for the night. In the early morning they rose, ate breakfast, packed the mules, and resumed the way to Loreto. As they were not far from Loreto, and made rapid headway, they reached their destination in the early afternoon. It would be more truthful to say that they arrived at the place where Loreto had been. They found ships and boats from the harbor up in the hills, now mere broken hulks. From the bottom of the deep-sea, strange and beautiful sea fish, as well as numberless sharks and shells were every- where to be found. As for the town, there were bodies, wreckage, trees, bits of adobe buildings strewn over the place where the town had stood. Loreto was completely erased from the map of Mexico. The only whole thing left was the belfry of the church, whereupon, the people, seeing, cried, Ai! It is the will of God! ' As soon as possible, relief ships and steamers came to Loreto, or what had been Loreto, and carried the refugees away. Of those who fled to the hills, many were hurt, few survived. But on this afternoon the harbor was at its best, smiling and dimp- ling in the breeze. Anita White, '22, P19920