Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1843-06-03
EARTHQUAKES.

We noticed yesterday the fact of the arrival
at the Astor House, of Professor Risley and
his little son ofsix years old, and we also al
luded to their having made one of the most as
! tonishng escapes from the Guadaloupe earth
| quake that ever was recorded in verse or prose.
! Mr.. Risely has a most remarkable and original
! genius for elastic gymnastics, and his little son
is a perfect prodigy. They will soon appear
at the Park. We shall now give some remark
able particulars Of that great earthquake, as
nearly as possible in his own words
| and my little boy had been at Pointa Petre,
Gaudoloupe, four days previous to the earth
quake, which occurred on the morning of We'd
nesday, the eighth of February. was there
on short professional engagement. was
taking my lodgings at the American Coffee
! House, and my meals at the French Coffee
House, in different places, according to the Gus
tom of that country. Wednesday morning the
! eighth, was one Of the most beautiful that could
be imagined--the sun shone ont in all its splen-
dor-a soft and pleasant breeze came in from
the sea-and everything seemed in a state of
natural peace and quiet.
There were estimated to be about seventy
! five persons in the French Coffee House where
! was taking my meals. We had all sat down
to breakfast on that morning as usual, and were
| quietly taking our morning meal, chatting and
talking freely on the thousand trivial subjects
! that come up on such occasions; indeed, we
! had ull nearly finished breakfast. For myself
had finished my breakfast, and was sitting
| partly sideways at the table, as one would
naturally sit after eating-conversing with the
gentleman who sat opposite TO me; | had the
towel ring in my hand, turning it about, and
carelessly playing with it.
The first thing which attracted my attention
was sudden jar, accompanied by rumblng
sound like distant thunder. had some two
weeks before this been at Fort Royal, in the
Island of Martinique, and seen the effects of a
similar visitation, and instantly knew what
it meant. So sudden vas the shock, that with
in two seconds from the instant first felt the
jar, looked up and saw the whole building,
commencing at the farther end, falling upon
the peoPle-the joists opened, and all began to
come down with an awful crash instantly
uttered the word 'jump!'-the gentleman who
sat opposite to me. turned his head, and looked
mp sideways, but never rose from his seat
and at precisely the same moment, and with
out waiting to turn myself about started from
my seat, and actually jumped sideways out OF
the window, through glass sash and ALL land
ing some ten or twelve feet in the yard below
think it could not have been over three to
five seconds from the instant first felt the
jar, TO the instant my feet struck the pavement
My impression on touching the ground was
its indcscrihahy rapid motion-I can compare
it to nothing unless it might be the seve of q
thrashng mill in its most rapl motion.
should Judge from the distance was thrown
first one way and then the other, that the late
raj motion of he earth must have been from
standing, in retaining my feet for some eich
or ten seconds, till got away from the build
ing TO the distance of 80 or 40 yards into al
f open lot Of ground.
|
or forty yards, saw the buildings of the Who'll,
city tuInbling into one mass OF runs-and ais,
the earth opening in the lower part OF tht
town and spouting up immense volumns of wa
ter, to the height of an hundred or an hundre,
and fifty feet. The multitude Of thoughts whicl
passed through my mind during these few sec
onds is utterly inconceivabe and incredible.
If there could have been any first thought
amid such an instataneous flood, my first though
was for my little boy. In relation to him ht
was not NTH me on that morning. At abou
halfpast eight o'clock, Mr.. Montague, frien,
of mine, had by previous arrangement, ca.leC
for him, and taken him away TO breakfast witt
some friend Of his-where or who il was
know not, and neither does the boy know. Blu
knowing the reputation of Mr. Montague, | 0
course felt that Master John was safe, and gayt
myself no uneasness about him.
Master John tells his story thus Mr.. Mon
tague took me TO the distance of some six O
eight blocks from the Coffee House where | lef
, my father, to the house of some friend Of Mr.
Ms, whose name | do not know. There wa
store kept under the house, and was takeI
up to the second floor. There was one youn,
lady who was playing upon the piano, an
several others were also present, who had beeI
invited there that morning. The whole part
were waltzing-I was also Waiting with on
of the ladies. Breakfast was nearly ready, an