The weekly union record., 1865-11-11
The Great Earthquake Of New Madrid.

The Great Earthquake of New Madrid.
The greatest recorded earthquake,
within the limits of the United States,
occurred in New Madrid, then small
village upon the Mississippi, since in
the State Of Missouri. The agitations
of this terrible convulsion commenced
at o'clock on the morning of the 10th
of December, 1911. The inhabitants
were aroused from their slumbers by a
deep rumbling noise, like heavy thunder
in the distance, accompanied with a
violent vibratory movement of the earth
from the southwest to the northeast, so
violent at times that the people were
unable to stand upon their feet without
holding on to something for support.
1t was dangerous to stay in their
dwellings, for fear they might fall and
bury them in their ruins; it was dan
gerous to be out In the open air, for
large trees would be breaking off their
tops by the violence of the shocks, and
continually falling to the earth, or the
earth itself opening in dark. yawning
chasms, or fssures, and belching forth
muddy water, large humps of blue clay,
coal and sand, and when the violence
of the shocks were over, moaned and
slept, again gathering power for more
violent commotion.
On this day, twenty eight distinct
shocks were counted, all coming from
the southwest and passing to the north
east, while the assures would run in
opposite direction, or from the northwest
to the southeast.
On small river called the Pemiseo
at that time, stood mill owned by a
Mr.. Riddle. This river blew up fsuch
is the expression used by the narrator
for distance of nearly fifty miles, the
bed being entirely destroyed, and the
mill swallowed up in the ruins, and an
orchard of ten acres Of bearing apple
trees, also belonging to Mr.. Riddle,
nearly ruined. The earth, in these
explosions, would open in assures from
forty to eighty rods in length, and from
three to five feet in width; their depth
none knew, as no one had strength of
nerve sufficient to fathom them, and the
sand and earth would slide in, and water
run in, and soon partially fill them up
After the earthquake had subsided,
there was not perfect row of trees left
in this orchard-one-half destroyed,
some leaning in one direction, others
directly contrary; some covered to the
limbs in these chasms as they filed up,
and others with their roots turned en-
tirely out Of the earth.
Large forest trees which stood in the
track of these chasms would be split
from root to branch, the courses of
streams changed, the bottoms of lakes
pushed up from beneath and form dry
land, dry land blow up, settle down,
and form lakes of dark, muddy water.
Where the travelled, beaten road ran
one day, on the next might be found
some large fssure crossing it, half filed
with muddy, torpid water. 1t was
dangerous to travel after dark, for no
one knew the changes which an hour
might effect in the face Of the country,
and yet so general was the terror, that
men, and women, and children, fed to
the highlands to avoid being engulphed
in one common grave. One family, IN
their efforts to reach the highlands by
road they all were acquainted with, un-
expectedly came to the borders Of an
extensive lake the land had sunk, the
water had flowed over it Or gushed up
out of the earth and formed a new lake.
The opposite shore they felt confident
could not be far distant, and they trav-
eled on in tepid water, from twelve to
forty inches in depth, of a temperature
of 100 degrees, or over blood heat, at
times of warmth to be uncomfortable,
for the distance of four or FIVE miles,
and reached the highlands in safety.
On the Sth of February, 1872, the
day on which the severest shocks took
place, the shocks seemed to 60 in waves,
like the waves Of the sea, throwing
down brick chimneys level with the
ground, and two brick dwellings, IN New
Madrid. and vet. with all its desolating