The ground shook for about 45 seconds and was felt over a 190,000 square mile area including all of Washington state, northwest Oregon, southwest corner of British Columbia, north Idaho panhandle. The quake’s epicenter was located near Des Moines, Washington, at 47 degrees, 24 minutes North Latitude and 122 degrees, 24 minutes West Longitude. Total damage is estimated at $12,500,000 (approximately $65,000,000 in 1999), most of it in Seattle. In Olympia, the State Capitol Building was temporarily closed and government departments move to nearby motels while buildings are being repaired.

Mercalli Intensity Level VIII

Damage was considerable to well-built structures and extensive to poorly built ones with some buildings collapsing. Chimneys, factory stacks, columns, and monuments fell. Heavy furniture overturned. People had difficulty driving.

Seattle: Intensity VIII pockets of shaking occurred in Seattle at West Seattle, Harbor Island, and South Seattle. The earthquake caused four deaths and 30 injuries serious enough for treatment at hospitals. See Intensity VII below for details of buildings and structures damaged.

Issaquah: During the earthquake there were loud earth noises. A brick garage partially collapsed and both junior high schools received major damage, daylight seen through some of the long jagged cracks in the walls. Concrete sidewalks were broken in places and chimney damage was prevalent. Much of the state liquor store stock was destroyed.

Mercalli Intensity VII

The following areas of King County have similar intensity of ground shaking and damage. Loud earth noises were heard seconds before the quake struck that lasted about one minute. It was felt by all, many were frightened, and people quickly exited shaking buildings. Automobile drivers noticed the quake. Damage was slight to moderate to well-built structures and considerable to poorly built or badly designed buildings. Some damage to brick and concrete buildings. Some chimneys cracked, broke, and fell. Building walls and windows cracked. Trees and bushes shook back and forth from moderate to strongly. Also books, knickknacks, vases, dishes and glassware fell and some broke, hanging pictures swung and fell, furniture moved.

The following towns received Intensity VII damage:

Auburn, Black Diamond, Carnation, Cumberland, Des Moines, Dockton, Duvall, Enumclaw, Grotto, Hobart, Kenmore, Kent, Kirkland, Maple Valley, North Bend, Pacific, Palmer, Portage, Preston, Ravensdale, Renton, Seattle (both Intensity VII and VIII), Skykomish, Snoqualmie, Snoqualmie Falls, and Vashon Island.

Auburn: Earthquake lasted for about 10 seconds. Everyone felt and many still asleep were shaken awake. A few chimneys were damaged and fell. At Auburn schools, plaster fell from ceilings and schools were closed while damage was assessed. East of Auburn along Lake Holm Road slides were reported.

Black Diamond: Loud “earth noises” heard seconds before shock which lasted 45 seconds. Trees and bushes shook strongly, and furniture overturned and broke. Chimneys twisted and cracked, dishes and windows broke, plaster cracked.

Carnation: Loud earth noises heard just before quake struck that lasted one minute. Hanging lights and other objects swung north and south.

Cumberland: Earthquake that lasted about one minute and ground cracked.

Duvall: One chimney fell.

Grotto: Furniture shifted including a piano. Pendulum clock, facing south, stopped.

Hobart: Earthquake lasted 45 seconds.

Kenmore: Earthquake lasts 45 seconds. Chimneys, columns, and monuments fell and ground cracked.

Kent: Bricks fell off the old Armory onto parked cars, no injuries. A water main broke and several wires on telephone poles snapped.

Kirkland: Quake lasts about 30 seconds.

Maple Valley: At the nearby South Road District, shops for the water system, electrical shop, and service station suffered damage estimated at $10,000 or more. Along Jones Road and Devils Elbow Road there were slides.

North Bend: Most of the liquor bottles at State Liquor Store fell and broke. There was an extensive slide on the southwest slope of Mount Si near North Bend.

Pacific: The earthquake lasted for two and one-half minutes, much longer than most places in the county.

Palmer: Earthquake lasted 30 seconds.

Preston: Earthquake lasted 45 seconds. Reported that “Shock began with several seconds of vibration in north-south direction, rapidly increasing in speed and intensity; then followed heavy shocks of undulating and rocking motion, accompanied by earth noises. Rocking continued for several seconds after rumblings ceased.”

Ravensdale: Quake lasted 30 seconds.

Renton: Duration was 45 to 50 seconds. The Boeing Aircraft Plant had damage to floors that pulled away from the foundation piling; interior concrete blocks cracked; fluorescent light fixtures and acoustical ceiling tiles fell down. At the Pacific Car and Foundry, a large boiler broke.

Seattle: Three people die from falling debris, one person dies of a heart attack, and 30 injuries are treated in Seattle area hospitals.

Worst damage

The worst damage was in West Seattle, Harbor Island, Duwamish River Industrial Area, and South Seattle. At Rainier Brewing Company two 2,000 gallon brewing tanks fell off foundation, one full of brewing beer spilled over floor. Numerous bridges were damaged along the Duwamish Waterway and River blocking boat traffic along the river. Virtually every building, pier, and facility at Harbor Island and along the Seattle waterfront were damaged. On Harbor Island, at the 15 story Fisher Flouring Mills, owned by the Fisher family, who also owned KOMO Radio, a 50,000 gallon wooden tank fell seven stories from the top of the building and crashed and dumped water into a grain bin and brick walls broke away from sixth floor. At Carkeek Park in northwest Seattle, the quake caused a landslide that opened an underground stream that eroded away more land and broke a water main. In West Seattle a survey was made of damaged chimneys. In a portion of West Seattle out of a total of 5,005 chimneys in 188 city blocks, the earthquake damaged 1,712 chimneys (34 percent of the chimneys). At Alki Beach, a part of West Seattle not surveyed, “virtually every chimney was down” (U.S. Earthquakes 1965 p 98).