River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1872-09-27
EARTHQUAKES in 1S71.1S72.

The following is an extremely con.
else list of the earthquake and volcanic
| disturbances which occurred during the
spring of 1872 and it must be remem-
bered that this catalogue is necessarily
imperfect, both on account of the slow
ness with which such information comes
in, and our distance from the most
direct and authentic sources of informa.
ton. The time embraced is from De.
cember to April, lS7l-72:
Dec. % to Jan. 6.-Terrible earth
quakes in Persia. Khabooshan, in
Northwest Khorassan, entirely de-
stroyed, and 10000 persons killed.
January.-Severe earthquakes in Aus
tralia. Regions afflicted by them which
never before had been shaken since the
country was settled.
! Jan. l6.-Shamaka, at the southern
base of the Caucasus, seventy FIVE miles
west of the Caspian Sea, entirely de-
stroyed, and over one hundred persons
killed. The surrounding country SUI.
fered severely.
Jan. 2S.-Smart shock in Malaga, at
hours | minute p. M, lasting from
four to six seconds.
Feb. Cat Winona, Minnesota-S
a. m.
Feb. Sat Cairo, Illinois, a. m.
March Elm Central and Eastern
Germany. A large area shaken; dis.
turbance lasted over an hour.
| March H. okohama, Japan. About
| this time destructive earthquakes took
place in Japan. The town of Hamada
was destroyed, and five hundred per
sons killed. The North China Herald
says, in its japanese news, "Great
earthquakes in the south, and much
damage to life and property"
March 23.-At Unionville and Win
nemucca, Nevada. Slight shocks.
March 26-The series of earthquake
in California and Nevada commenced,
and continued for two months and over;
especially severe at the eastern base of
the Sierra Nevada, in Ovens Valley,
where between twenty and Thirty per.
sons were killed. This earthquake was
felt over all of California, except its ex-
IRENE northern end, and throughout
nearly all OF Nevada.
March 26.-The same day as the
Ovens Valley earthquake, the city Of
Mexico was shaken, between aud 9
a. m. 1t is said that this disturbance
extended over wide region of the
South-that Oaxaca was seriously in
jured, and that the volcano of Colima
burst into eruption. No authentic de
tails, however, of these occurrences
have been received.
March 26.-Slight shock at Paducah,
Kentucky.
March 2S.-Slight shock at Salt Lake
City.
April 3.-Terrible earthquake at An
tech and vicinity; felt far to the east,
and over wide area of territory. The
shocks continued for a week or more.
Some 1000 or l,500 persons killed in
the vicinity of Antioch.
April Earthquake at Acera, on
the Gold Coast of Africa.
April l5.-The volcano of Merapi, in
Java, which had been quiet since 1868,
burst into a terrible eruption. Great
destruction of life and property fol.
lowed.
April l6, II, 1S.-Severe shocks in
Iceland, partly destroying the town of
Hasvick.
April 24.-Mt. Vesuvius commenced
its greatest eruption since 1882, much
loss OF life and property resulting.
April Eruption of the Mayou-a
magnificent volcano in the Philippine
Islands. A letter published in Nature,
May l6, 1872, from w. w. Wood, of
Manila, says: "The terrestrial dis.
turbances still continue in the Philip.
pine Islands, and almost every post
brings us intelligence of earthquakes
in the provinces. The past year has
been remarkable for the great number
of earthquakes throughout the Archi
pelaso, especially on the great island of
Mindanao, where the new military
colony on the great river suffered
severely"
From the above list-which no doubt
will be extended considerably, as de-
tailed news has reached US from the far
off regions of the earth-it will be seen
that the winter and spring of lS7l-2
were a season of extraordinary seismic
disturbance; North America, Iceland,
Europe, Africa, Asia, the Japanese, the
| Philippine and the East India Islands,
as well as Australia, being all visited ty
| severe shocks, which in many cases
were highly destructive. Probably over
fifty thousand, and possibly as many as
one hundred Thousand, lost their lives
in these commissions of Nature. This
excited period lasted over four months.
--OVrlaad Monthly.