American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1857-10-15
The Earthquake on Thursday.

lPSlerhay morning The clty was visited
bv one of those mighty convulSions of ma.
ture whieRsst thsworld to thinking. Two
disunct shocks Of an earthquake were sem
sibly felt from the one end Of our city TO
EXTREMIST verge.. Majestic edifces, reared
Ehy The labor 'oI mab, rocked upon their
bases. tile earth moved from her accustom
ed Iettilude anil quaEed beneath us, the
river was raisedIa tumult, and many men
shook wilhiiehr and trembling. r "
The evening Of Wednesday was calm,
and the moon reflected extraordinary bril-.
liancy upon the city Toward niabt a
slight humidity gathered over us. and Ia
ter this Increased to a dtnie fog Men
went to their peaceful 'slhmbtrs and wot-
ted not wietpoFlhpy aw0ke al early cock
crow. l'utso il ths; At a'few minutes az
Ter idur . clck lalf the c,tizens 81 st.
Louis we're ngog, wirh their heads ju,tihg
from the wIhh6ws Of their apsttmtnts, Or
rushing into the street, on disbabilIo. ter
rl6ed at the su'ldpn bresking Of their rest.
and atthe confusion which they expert
tnced, and which seemed to compass
them. Thefancied danger was soon over
and they returned to their comfortable
rouelts. rehScdng upon The causes which
had produced their great discontinue. =
The cry of earthquake was heard, and
then AL became calm again: the fog soon
cleared off, ard WA Gameto our bushes IS
and talked of the event oithe night.
The first shock was distinctly felt
Th,re were hut few persons whose slum-
bers were soheavy that they did not expe-
rience it. From such persons as we CON
versed with, and from our own sensation,
we believe it was irll about len minutes
ailvr four, A. NJ. lasting about thirty SEQ.
onns. Its first effect was Of grsat force,
but ms it rolled along it.. grew gradually
stronger until in lis heavings it seemed to
br rocking the houses TO and fro, Then
people aw0ke as their windows ratified, as
their beds swHyed, and ny the light article
which mounteL their madtlapieces fell 10
tive floor There was a grand rush to the
windows, and heads hung out, will, alarm
drbi"teh upC N the countenances whioh dis
linguished hem, other people found their
way inthe midle OF the streets, where they
frll somewhat more secure until the thing
was over. F'i '''lf 4r
A second shock was felt shortly after,
hut there are no two people who agree as
to the length Of time which elapsed be-
tween the two. II wss not very violent,
the more especially as compared with the
former quake; its force. however, WAS Suf.
ficirnt to make the still waking people feel
the tremulops motion of their bids.
The accompaniment of'tlIe shocks can
be placed in hut one aspect Of resemblance
as to other noises. There was great
rumbling, like the passage Of heavy ve-
hicle' over our pav,ments, while the shock
i!sr T may be, apllyA likened to, the effect
produced by the working Of a steam en-
gine,. which, aGer laboring lppass the cen
ter lets itself gently down,w IL. tes,
We have uot yet heard Of any great a.
mount OF actual damage done. Some few
small articles were broken inmany houses-
by, falling a. three ,sloly house oc-
cupied ' y Mr.. Landry, on Wash street,
was crarked from top 10 bottom. Bells
were iung IN styemi houses, as, Tor in
stance, IN lEat Of DR.. McPheelers, aud
some Irw people on lhtir more patural wa
king bad temporarily list thei, senses, as,
for example, one gentleman of the bar,
who, living near, tie college, could mot
with all his eyes discover, the steeple. .
The shocks were distinctly felt, not only
in the city, but all around, II seemed 10
come in q soulb' Ily, or, perhaps, south
westerly direction, extending as we learn,
lor miles on either side of'us. The wide
prairies Of Illinois felt The jar, the cities be-
low us experienced its effect. aud perhaps
more forcibly Than we. The telegraph
tells the tale Of these places, and to them
We refer for further particulars, ,,t ,, r..
Since the year l8l | no such powerful
shock has been experienced in our city,
81. Louis RepuJlicon, 8th, n,