Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-02-24

l,oat spout OF confined air OreSKlag I'D ""J
- ro,,rh the waters, burst forth, and with
lond report discharged mud, sticks, &c. from
tbe rivers bed, at least 80 feet above the sur
face. These spoutihgs were frequent, and IN
MANY places appeared to rise to the very
heavens. Large trees which had lain Tor a.
ues at the bottom of the river were shot up IN
thousands of instances, some with their roots
uppermost and their tops planted others
were hurled into the air; many again were
only loosened, and hoated upon the surface.
Never was a scene more replete with terrlhc
threatnings of death with the most lively
sense Of this awful crisis we contemplated III
mute astonishanent scene which completely
bercars description, and Of which the most
glowing imagination is inadequate to form
picture. Here the earth, river, sc. torn with
furious commissions, opened in huge trenches,
whose deep Jaws we're instsntaneeusly closed;
there through thousand vents sulphurlous
streams gushed from it's very bowels, leaving
vast and almost unfathoma5le caverns.-Eve-
ry where nature itself seemed lettering On
the verge of dissolution. Encompassed with
the most alarming dangers, the manly pre-
sence of mind and heroic fortitude OF the men
were all that saved them. twas a struggle.
for existence itself, and the need to be pur-
chased was our lives.
During the sday there was with very little
intermission, continued series OF shocks,
attended with innumerable explosions like the
rolling Of thunder the bed of the river was
necessarily disturbed, and the water boiled
severely in every part: consider ourselves
as having been IL the greatest danger from
the numerous instances of boiling directly un-
der our boat fortunately, for us however,
they were no. attended with eruptions. One
of the spouts which we had seen rising under
the boat would inevitably have sunk it, and
probably have blown it into thousand frag-
ments /; our ears were constantly assalled
with the crashing of timber, the banks were
iastantaneousy crushed down, and fell with
all their growth into the water. 1t was no
less astonishing than alarming to behold the
oldest trees Of the forest, whose firm roots
had w!thstood thousand storms and Wea-
thcred the sternest tempests, qulverlng and
shaking with the violence of the shocks,
whilst their heads were whipped together
with quick and rapid motion many were
torn from their native soil, and hurled with
tremendous force into the river; one of these
whose huge trunk Cat least feet in diane
ter) had been much shattered, was thrown
better than hundred yards from the bank,
where it is planted i'll the bed of the river,
there to stand terror to future naviga,ors
Several small islands have been already
annihilated, and from appearances many o.
theirs must suffer the same fate. TO one OF
these, ventured in a skiff, but it was impos-
sible to examine it, for the ground sunk from
my tread, and the least force applied to any
part OF it seemed to shake the whole.
Anxious to obtain landing, and dreading the
high banks, we made for an island which e.
yidenced sensible marks Of the earthquake
here we fastened to some willows, at the eX-
tremity ofa sunken piece of land, and CONT
nued two days, hoping that this scene ofhor-
rors was now over-stiIl however the shocks
continued, though not with the like frequency
as before.
On Wednesday in the afternoon visited
every part of the Island where we lay, it was
extensive and partially covered with willow.
The earthquake had rent the ground in large
and numerous gaps; vast quantities of burnt
wood in every stage of alteration, from its pri-
mitive nature to stove coal had been spread
over the ground to very considerable distan-
ces frightful and hideous caverns yawned on
every side, and the earth's bowels appeared
to have felt the tremendous force of the shocks
which had thus riven the surface. was gra-
tilted with seeing several places where those
spouts which had so much attracted our won
der and admiration had arisen, they were &C.
morally on the beach and have left large cir
cular holes in the sand formed much like a
funnel. For great distance around the orr
fee vas. quantities of coal have been scattered,
MANY pieces weighing from IS to 90 lbs.
were discharged so measured paces.-These
holes were of various dimensions, one of them
| observed most particularly, it was Is feet
in perpendicular depth and SO feet in circum-
ference at the mouth.