The freeman. (Fremont [Ohio]) 1849-1850, 1850-03-09
An Earthonake ia Nicaraugua.
Ths National lnteligencer publishes the follow
nc from our Charge to Nicaragua:

Ans Natonal 4hteLtSencer puDlSneS the IolioW-
ing from our Charge to Nicaragua:
Leon de Nicaragua, Dec. %. 1s49
My Dear Sir: A press of busineesshas prevent
ed me from transmitting you my therometrical and
other observations for this point for the last three
months; but will endeavor at an early day, to
make abstract of them for the use of the insttu
ton.
Residing in this volcanic region you can readily
comprehend that have been per force, much in
terested in the subject of Earthquakes. l need
not tell you that they are of frequent occurrence
here, and probably that class of phenomena could
nowhere be studied with with greater advantage.
have experienced several, but with one exception,
they were very slight
The exception here referred to- occurred on the
27th of October last at about one o'clock in the
morning. / was reused from sleep by strong un-
dulatory motion which was sufficiently violent to
move my bed several inches backward and forth
on the rough paved hoor and to throw down books
and other articles which had been placed on my
table The tiles of the roof were also ratified to-
gether violently, and the beams and rafters crack
ed like the timbers of deeply ladened vessel in a
heavy The people all rushed from their hous-
es in the greatest alarm, and commenced praying
in loud tones The domestic animals seemed to
share the general CONSERVATION; the horses strug-
gled as if to loose themselves, and the dogs COM
menced simultaneous barking.
This undulatng motion lasted nearly minute,
steadily Increasing in violence, until suddenly ii
changed into rapid vibratory or horizontal motion,
which rendered it difficult to stand upright. This
lasted about thirty seconds, and was followed as
suddenly by vertical movement, a series of
shocks, such as one would experience in being rap
idly let down fight of steps: then declined in Vi
oleuce, but nevertheless seemed to stop abruptly.
The whole lasted about two minutes, and can be
compared to nothing except the rapid movement of
a large and loaded railroad over a bad track,
in which there undulatiOns, horizontal irregu-
larities, and breaks.
No considerable damage was done. Some old
walls were thrown down, and in various places
around the country have observed that rocks were
detached, and portions of cliffs broken off by the
shocks. The thick abode walls of my house were
cracked in several places from top to bottom. Ma
ny other buildings suffered in like manner. The
motion which seemed most dangerous to me was
that which have described as horizontal in which
the earth seemed to slip away from beneath my
= feet.
The night was clear moonlight, and it was very
still; not breath of air seemed stirring The or
ange trees in my courtyard, during the contnu-
ance of the andulations. swayed to and fro with a
steady, regular notion but when the other mo-
tons followed, they bad an unsteady or tremulous
motion. The water in my well, which is very deep,
SeeIH0U HlSO 1De OlTScuOn Oh LH0 unuu-
lations from north to south, and they were felt
throughout the entire State of Nicaragua and in
Honduras and San Salvador, and even perhaps be-
yond these limits.
Ilearn from old residents here that as seompared
/. with the others which have occurred within the
last quarter of a century. this earthquake ranked
as about z. the msxium being 10.
All observers here concur in saying that while
earthquakes are common at all times of the year,
they are much more numerous and violent at the
entrance and close of the two seasons the wet and
the dry; that is, about the last of October and the
; first Of November. and the last of April and the
first of May. They observed as particularly
numerous. and strong after the heavy rains at the
close of the wet season in October 1t is also OBJ
served that general quiet seems to prevail. for
period, both before and after their occurrence.
1t is difficult to discover the connexion between
these different phenomena, but their seems to be
concurrence to the facts here stated. It is GER
tainy true that the only shocks which l have felt
were in the periods Indicated. and it is also certain
that nearly all occur in the night Perhaps. amid
the occupations and distractions of the day, the
smaller ones pass unobserved.
am, your obedient servant.
E. GEO. SQUIER.