Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-08-27
Selected Miscellany.
The Comet of 1911.
the Great Earthquake in the Missis
sippi Valley Hurricanes and
Shipwreck on the atlantic
Coast 4 Brilliant SKY
rocket
From the New York Herald.

The comet of 1871, of which so lit
tie has been said, attracted great atten-
ton in the United States, and was
attended by some yerv remarkable con-
vulsions Of nature, and it was said at
the time that it reached a point within
1000 miles Of the surface of the sun
it was visable for the first time on the
7th Of September, 1911, and its stu
alton was calculated by Professor Wood
of William and Mary College, Virginia,
to be in the same line with the polar
star. The diameter Of its body, ex
elusive of tail appeared to be one-fourth
the moon. From this time to the 21st Of
September its distance from the sun in
creased as we'll as its brightness and
tail The comet was supposed to have
passed its perihelion between the 4th
anh 18th of the month with the amaz-
ing velocity of 10000 miles per hour.
1t could be plainly seen in the evening
during the mouth Of October. Prior
20 its appearance there were unusually
commotions in the earth and the at
mosphere in a variety of ways. A
severe shock Of earthquake was felt in
Virginia. Both the American and Eu-
ropean seacoasts, as well as many parts
of the interior of those continents were
unusually harrassed by tremendous hur-
ricanes aud storms of rain and hail, snd
strange agitation in the atmosphere
II 10
bic phenomena attending the comet
of 1911 was the earthquake of New
Madrid, in the valley of the Mississip-
pi, which destroyed nearly 200 miles
of the navigation of that river 1t
presented one of the few examples Of
the incessant trembling Of the ground
for several months.
FAR AWAY FROM ANY VOLCANO
Over an extent of country stretching
for 800 miles from the mouth of the
Ohio river, rose and sank, and lakes
were formed and again drained. The
surface burst open in assures that
were sometims over half a mile long;
from these tissures mud and water
were thrown as high as the tops of the
trees During the continuance OF
these convulsions the inhabitants dis
tinguished two classes Of movements
the vertical and horizontal The latter
were regarded as far more desolating
than the former. The disturbance
continued over what has been since
called the s.sunk country" until
March, 1912, when they ceased.
An eyewitness states that subse-
quentiy to some of the severest shocks
the waters of the Mississippi were so
strongly impregnated with the effluvia
of matter supposed to have undergone
combustion as to be unfit for use that
the bed Of the Mississippi was thrown
upward in a number of places formely
deemed unfathomable, so high as to i'm
pede the navigation; that in a sand
bar that had lately made its appearance
there was discovered large quantity
Of coal, and that the forests adjacent
were broken down by the abruptness of
the undulatory movements OF the earth.
The post road between Natchez and
Nashville was covered with several
hillocks of fine white sand which had
been protruded upward to the surface
Of the ground. A considerable tract OF
country was inundated with water waist
deep through which the terrified IN
habitants were forced.
TO WADE TO HIGHER LANDS FOR
SAFETY
The water was so warm as to eYl-
dence the previous action of subserra-
mean fire, and so strongly tinetared
with combustible matter as to resemble
fluids impregnated with pulverized
gunpowder, and a mountain Of eonsld-
erable height had arisen in one night
frem the level of what had been before
= nlain. Similar convulsions extended
to a greater or less degree over the city
of Charleston, S. c., which was marked
in its course by destruction and death:
Several hurricanes were experienced
off, the coast, which dismasted and
otherwise badly injured many vessels at
sea: some were totally wrecked. A
violent shock of earthquake, felt at
Nashville, Tenn, IN October, 1911
caused great damage. But 1t waa IL