The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1868-10-01
GREAT EARTHQUAKES.


Earthquake in Syria in 1857. This
was felt on line of 500 miles in length
BY go in breadth: 5000 persons perished.
Valdivia, in Chill, was destroyed by an
earthquake in 1887.
In 1887 an earthquake was felt Iii Con-
ception, In Chill; it extended from Cop-
uape and Chloe from north to south, and
from Mendoza to Juan Fernandez from
east to west.
In November, 1885. Conception was
shaken by severe teFremote, extending
to Osorm, more than 400 miles distant.
On the I'd of February, 1885, the
whole island of Tschia was shaken to its
foundation.
On the 10th of November, 1927, the
plain of Bogota was convulsed.
In November, 1922, the coast of Chill
was visited by most destructive earth
quake.
In 1915 the province Of Tomboro, in the
Island of Sumbana, about 200 miles from
the eastern extremity of Tava, was de-
stroyed. Of a population of $4,000,
twenty-six individuals only survived and
the area over which the effects extended
was 1000 square miles in circumference
In March, 1872, violent shocks of
earthquake were felt at Caracas. The
surface undulated like boiling liquid and
terrific shocks were heard underground :;
10000 of the inhabitants were buried
under the ruins, and the mountain Silla
lost about 800 feet by subsideuce.
In 1911 and '12, earthquakes were
felt in South Carolina and the valley of
the Mississippi from New Madrid to the
mouth of the Ohio in one direction, to and
the st. Francis in another, and was con-
vulsed in such degree as to create new
lakes and islands. Humboldt, in the
Cosmos, remarks that this is one of the
| few examples on record of the ihcessant
quaking of the ground far from any vol
caEo. The grave yard at New Madrid
| was precipitated into the bed of the Mis-
sissippi, and Cramer's Navigator, publish>
ed in Pittsburgh in 1911, states that the
| ground whereon the town was built, and
the river bank for fifteen miles below,
sank eight feet below their former level
A space of land, three hundred miles long
by one hundred broad, were suddenly
drained at New Madrid during the same
! earthquake.
In 1906 new island in the form of a
peak, with low conical hills upon it, is
said to have risen from the sea among the
Aleutian Islands, east of Kamschatka :;
and in 1914 another extraordinary cJnvul-
sion happened in the sea of Unaiaschka,
in the same archipelago. A new Island
of great size, with peak 5000 feet high,
as Milton says, ''rose like an exhalation." I"
On the morning of February 4, 1897,
the volcano of Tnnguragua, in Quito, and
the surrounding districts, experienced an
undulatory movement, lasting about four
minutes In the same year four fifths Of
the town of Cumana was shaken down.
In Canada earthquakes occurred in
1868, in 1921 and in I791.
In the Caracas, on st. Matthew'S day,
1890, an earthquake caused the grahite
soil to sink, and left lake 800 yards in
diameter and from 80 to 100 in depth.
In March, of the same year, at Santa
Maria di NiscemI, some miles from Ter
ranova, near the southern coast of Sicily,
the ground gradually sunk for circumfer-
ence of three Italian miles, and IN one
place to depth of thirty feet.
In 1886 there was an earthquake in
Java.
The shocks of the earthquakes at Gala
bria began in 1888, and lasted till near
the end of 1856 10000 died of disease
consequent npon their suffering.
In 1772 forty villages in Java were
destroyed. In I77O a great part Of ST.
Domingo was shaken, and previous
earthquake, namely, in 1881, had de-
stroyed Port au Prince, its capital
Chittagong; in Bengal, was destroyed
in 1862.
The earthquake at Lisbon took place
on the 1st of November, 1855.
On the oath of May, 1851, the town
of Pence was totally destroyed:
In 1746 Peru was visited by tremen-
dous earthquake. In the first twenty
four hours two hundred sbo KS were expe-
rienced. Lima was destroyed and part
of the coast near Callae converted into a
bay. Nineteen vessels in CaIlao harbor
were sunk, 1000 citizens lost their lives.
In January, 1899, no less than two
hundred and eight shocks were felt in
Java.
In 1868 Quito was again afflicted.
In 1895 shocks Of eau thquakes spread
over the whole of Sicily and the city oi
Catania, and forty-nine other places were
lsveled to the ground; the number of killed
being almost incaIcuiable.
In 1862 there was an earthquake al
Jamaica, aud in 1903 in the small isle oi
Sorea.
In 1889 the shocks in Syria were pro-
tracted for three months, and felt over 8
space of mere than 10, 1000 square leagues
Accom-, Balbec, Damascus, Sidon, TripOt
and many other plates were leveled to thC
ground, and over 20, 900 persons perished
1 In 1868 there was a great earthquake
at St. Thomas.