Emmett Index, October 7, 1915:
"EARTHQUAKE FRIGHTENED EMMETT
Buildings Shook—Clocks Stopped—Chickens Shook from Roosts—No Damage.
An earthquake shock that lasted at least a minute struck Emmett at 11:55 Saturday night and caused general consternation. Brick buildings trembled, frame buildings swayed, clocks stopped, electric lights suspended by cords swayed to and fro like pendulums of clocks, chickens were shaken from their roosts and people roused from their slumbers by the swaying of the beds, the rattling of windows and the creaking of doors and joints. In short, Mother Earth acted as if she had been on a spree and with unsteady gait was trying to make her way upstairs to bed without disturbing the old man and had made the usual bungle at it. No damage was done, except to the of the nerves of timid and of those with guilty consciences.
The direction of the quake was from west to east or visa versa. Clocks whose pendulums swung north and south stopped. Those swinging east to west gained momentum and pounded the sides of their cases. Brooms suspended in a rack in McNish's store swung in the same direction a distance of five feet each way as did also a bundle of whips, and electric lights. Sam Motz was just reaching for the door knob of his back door upon his return from the dance, when the quake occurred, and he missed the knob a foot as the house swayed to the east, and missed it again as it swung back. He thought some one had "spiked" the city water and it had effected his head.
Arch McKellar, the Squaw creek rancher, was engaged in a social game of solo at the Brunswick. The lights swayed, the pop bottles crashed against each other, cigars got up on their hind legs and walked, the queen of spades winked at him and the jack of clubs made a pass. That was too much for Archie; he rushed for the door, leaving his hinkeys on the table,
Tom Hance was toasting himself before the fire. He had a severe cold and had been taking cough medicine, When everything began to swim before his eyes he thought he had taken too much of the stuff and it had gone to his head.
Bob Knizer, who was asleep, thought the dog had gotten under the bed and was bouncing the bed springs up and down. D. M. Stokesbery's wife thought her husband was trying to bounce her out of bed, and Ora Bever scolded his wife for kicking so hard . The effect upon Allen Gatfield was to make him sick at his stomach, and others were affected the same way. Herb Blackman rushed down town, expecting to see every brick building in ruins. The city water tower swayed, and the iron braces scraped against each other and made an awful noise, something like a symphony orchestra playing the Dance of the Valkyries.
At the Russell hotel the guests were badly frightened and rushed panic stricken from their rooms and down stairs, clad in sundry and divers garments.
So far as the news agencies have been able to learn little damage has resulted from the earthquake, although it was general all over the western country. It was felt from Victoria B. C. to Fresno, Cal.; and as far east as the Rocky mountains. It was the heaviest in Nevada and Utah, but no casualties or material damage is reported from either state. In Utah there was a slip in the Wasatch mountains for 150 miles, and this caused a third shock which many people thought was another earthquake. In Boise the tremor was felt for nearly two minutes while at Ontario it is reported that it cracked the plaster in the Moore Hotel. Practically all southern Idaho and eastern Oregon towns felt the shock. At Baker City a panic was narrowly averted, and at Vale the shock was quite severe.
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