The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1874-07-09
NEW MADRID EARTHQUAKE.


are like a thrice-told tale OF an old
crone, muttered by "A winters firesldc.
to the elders Of st Louis, but beyond
these, comparatively few are in any way
familiar with the facts. To the rIsinf
generation and those who have brought
TO us their industry from foreign lands
absolutely nothing is known OF tina
event to ninety persons ont OF every
hundred. The destruction was sc
thorough and widespread, and the Ell
fects Of the general devastation upof
tho settlers Of New Madrid OF tina
early day were 80 fatally and ruinously
felt, that the visitation became as II
were interviewer ~insepnrably with tho
history of st. Louis. Believing that I
brief account Of these occurrences vii
prove of interest to Our readers, We
have complied the following statement
from m account Of the events AZ they
occurred, written by Mr.. Godfrey Lee
eieur, an eyewitness Of and "A partlclpa
tor in these terrible scenes Of more thar
sixty years ago:
During the night of December 10th,
1871, the first shock OF the earthquake
was experienced. III oHllo upon 'n'
senSe8 OF a TERMED people N n't'tol
O'Clock in the morning, and was repeated
mt intervals Of half m hour, the shocks
being comparatively slight and doing no
further damage than the shaking down
Oh some ioR.Iou7e' ~ inpn tL,ndar in
NJ tno ih'1V1IIn6n 81" ntoln niIn,gnJ
,ho "cS'; az" "eio Lnt;am 'aftho oorth
aDSJ thot in nIocns where fine shock was
No .l"t IL p'" to,n ,ndra ohin to walk or
lloS' vioi1l', 10" TLio borrnr JiJ NOT
i L , l"na parLnro minnie Bnt while
i"9o ,oiib. ~ ano ~ terror must have
m, onawdoJ M tha hriefness. The
'LI ,a1IoI iitn woyos If thn sea with
a,I trannho hatwnan tbe waves
L,,rat anjioyIy onnn md from their
,"n,tla araot yoInmes If woter leaned
Liah ;ntn3 thn mir miycd with blocks of
nLarcnol oIl cootnd with Il substance
am,anima ELo orIrhnr When fine wave
- .nrtL1 Lod g,LsidaI and the volcanic
Dr,,,,i"n Lod naoael thn destruction lay
Lll.a IVA ,,oo,In in all its owfnlness
G,IIs or fsanras from four to ten feet
Joo, ana tnmnino north md eortb were
apoJ naraIioI fnr mile. in some in
pnnos f"r Goo NJ tLpm The terror
mst nH in INA minds of those
a,,ri,i n@eonia can scarcely be CON
p'o5 unu honod for thS hest and
10000 ;no h injury which had
rev "'o''V Inir1 onttInn'oTtY and tbo
ocon uot1 J." w. 3,i,on nnnn thoir nr;r,i.
,.''" "''''' II,
i've hoihesCeau' I,,,,.r f,llow;ro
On the hlgh' "I '"li.Il hi
the rum "aS more "''oiy |
more devastating IN lIS res.,.'' MS It,
the earth rollel III mug "".Gn and
waves purSI ,i'o 'oo"' Er'IIinn
the sulPhuret'cu c%.l'l'o", l''!'"S
showers seemed 10 i,9o .n,p Gi ~ H. 1Tth
cable chaos. FROM 'i'1 'h1i' Uno t,It
OF February, S'I8u' success "o'o r.i'
from time 10 tlme, an" Chen " ooh'"'
ION OF nature again occurred "iilcn ca,
ceeded IN itH Jury loSe u Pio',Gn
occasions. Guns m assures D'"'ori
and deeper, were opened "lt,l IhBn
land was sunk INTO hollows, no,lo"S
made high lands, axe" einp'''u I"eIli,
selves into the m,teS OF h,S,'reN' anu
where ground previously had neeh I'M
touched by water there were 10 De
seen broad she'ted lakes, lho lace OF
nature WAS changed.
The extent OF country covered ny 'hlSS
fearful conflict OF the hidden forces OF
,,nttNA. ,lil mt embrace n lnrOpr rlft1lll-
ference than a hundred ana ntty mites
taking the Indian t0wnof Little fralrle,
ncar CarruthersylIle, M the center. 10
quote Mr.. Lesleur "A very large rE'
tent of country ON either Sldc OF tle
White Water, called lhttIe rlVer, hiso
On both sides OF the st. Frnncis, IN IiilS
state and Arkansas, was SUNK Drlo" i'H
former elevation about ten ieef'
Remarkable to note, there were le"
losses of life, during tins conV'ilsioh.
A Mrs. Lafont died from lear, ana MIS-;
Jarvis was crushed from tnG ia'llnR ol
n CABIN log. Iho loss OF lio on '"e
river must nave heeh greattr tl"n ol
land. 1t was the age OF 1a'-D0"'s wilcn
supplied the river ViilaSes WIN ProT'H'
IONS. THESE were io"hu LOT ptl'e',
wrecked IN company WIN o"lIo'' VI
PORK, hour, WHISKY ahu H1cll "''loI nj
ticIes AZ Womb foa.' ine ctows %
these were IN al ProDaoll',y many VI
them lost, ana 1t Is known eiiuL " Gu.
nesaeean's VIE ana seven ciilorcn were
All drowned himSeii oately eso"pInH
ny a pianN' @'let Ihe poa, I"pn'To"'
WhlIe h0the lan'l'y h"ineu HI""oo's
storm AZ lsi'ho NO TO- II" o0r'o"p"n :
81. Louis, and Mr.. Lesieur, in 1871, on
this subject, the latter gentleman states
tb,r, wcra ;pJicotioua an tbe s%urfoca of