The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1875-12-28
THE EARTHQUAKE.
49,. Particulars Of the Effect Of the
Shocks.
Richmond Shaken Up.
IN. Phenomenon In Washington.

...oxp. Va, Dec. %. After the
,l.s n my report to the Hrro'd at
closc m, / visited nearly every
o elysnr If the city, in order to ascertain
qua..atalv the extent and effect OF tho
sccuh'.a.,ake The result was that il
eaI.nJJ ant to be much more serious
tufn s,ao and perhaps dangerous than
sal,, ,ssr,. III. Everywhere the citizens
W. Walking about the streets hall
weie or congregated on corners dis
desI the events. Some OF them re-
eussnd N their houses with the doors
rls'ae n,rpared mt the first symptom 81
vltni Mr. rumble to rush to the streets
snVs""fety from the impending danger
lw ,o.ii;ng houses. Few were courageous
y la ',,i 10 retire again, and those who
t ,l So kept their clothes on to be
gu v 81 for flight IN any emergency,
fea"s ,nn,bers chose tho seemingly
ana alternative Of walking about all
mll WIZ, Never in the history Of this city.
p'g" ",aons for disasters aud terrible ca
p,ssanhos. was there such dismay and
msna,varrnation depicted on the counte-
c c.nosa 81 the populace rs they stood in
u Inar doorways or In the streets. treinb-
wv, ur,is lacking forward TO u calamity
lnsn awful than anything they had yet
pp'n,;enced From interviews had with
earsns or intelligence aud cool judg-
Vlo,i n ID now certain that the city and
un.,,,,v were violently shaken by three
sss,inet rumblings Of an earthquake.
w.sa,nnnnied by n noise resembling
anvnJar n rushing sound In the air and
~" sbooting Of thousands Of meteors
through the heavens.
THE FIRST SHOCK.
rvervbody agrees that the first OF the
.i,acks was the most terrific and start
ilng ~ them ALL shaking and 5waying
.ha ho,Ises like the rocking Of II cradle,
,.stiing glasses aud glassware, ringing
haIis and. I'm many instances, throwing
voru, from their beds with force aud
I;oience 20 the floor. This latter Incl
aant otc,,rred nj several of the hotels
oud numbers OF private dwellings. and
the eIfact was al once TO produce u panic
IA the Widest CONSERVATION that can
~ imaplped Men and women alike
r,shed into passages and streets scream
inc with terror, unable to realize such
~ e awful visitation, and In the confus on
and uproar which ensued escaping the
s1act ri the second "shakc," which
iollowed IN about three minutes after
the first.
THE SECOND SHOCK,
This latter shock was less violent, but,
like the first, II came with the same
rumbling and rs ii suppressed sound OF
thunder, the ss,ine rushing noise, like u
whlrlwind, and the same shooting Of
mcteors In the empyriaD, which WAS filled
ed with electricity, producing the most
brilliant and at the same time the most
frI,.aa Il,
calm and collected enough to witness
the latter display in the streets became
terribly impressed with this cxtraordi-
nary demonstration OF nature, and there
was many u mental resolutions, tending
ID reformation in the future. made in
the few minutes that il lasted.
THE THIRD SHOCK.
In about twenty minutes from the
lrst shock the third occurred. and this
was still less violent than even the sec
ond, but accompanied with the same
atmospheric phenomena as the proceed
ing two.
After that there was the usual mid
night or early morning stiffness, un-
broken save only by the wanderings Of
the panic-stricken citizens and their
spcctilations and discussions as to the
recurrence Of the remarkable and excit-
ngcvcfts Of the night Nothing further
happened. and many were becoming
quleted and retiring again. when. as
some say, ut little after three u. M.
still another.very slight and feeble shock
was felt and heard, but 20 very slight
that but few noticed il. though many
vouch for II al an actual fact.
WHERE THE SHOCK BEGAN.
From every source i'm the city, at least,
the conclusion has been arrived at that
The rumble, or quake. began at some
point Ia the southeastern portion OF the
State, passing under the James river
and traversing the entire territory lying
between the North Carolina border and
the Potomac river. where 1t seems TO
have exhausted It's force, and between
the Blue Ridge and the Atlantic coast.
Accounts vary In stating the duration
d the first rumble Mt from ten to thirty
seconds, or even fifty. rs some say; but
lhe most authentic reports place IL at
twenty seconds, which i think is the
correct estimate. Ii IL. of course, differ
entity described. according to the tenn
l~rament OF the individual. II Is safe,
however, to state that the earth was up
heaved IN u manner similar to the mo
tou Ola swell in mid-ocean during a
oead calm, and this comparison is not
MHll extravagant. 1T, then, the reader
sho has beenacross the deep will recol-
ect the sensation caused while on board
suembling steamship riding swell in
calm, he will then have a proper ap-
RIscmtion Of the earthquake last night. |
Inc ground rose and fell with the regu-
Mrity and symmetry OF an ocean swell, |
ana houses and earth groaned and
SHOOK with that same sensation peculiar
the working and trembling OF the |
mScnlnery OF an ocean steamship. The
second and third shocks. IL is said, fully |
pop out this theory in regard to the |
motlon OF the earthquake, and many |
Me thorough In the belief that at some
FONTS houses stood at I'M angle Of forty
1--WE degrees during the CONFUSION. This
must nus De taken with grains Of allowance.
rri!olessor Mallet. OF the University of
slrsinla. says that the shocks last
uxnt, apparently three iI number,
wei ssle distinctly Eel tat Charlottesville by
saany persons at twenty minutes to IL |
IN, washington time. The direction
- uncertain, probably from the south
M PREVIOUS SHOCKS.
raa mt earthquakes on record at Rich
a'ond are as follows:
pcs wi shock August 81, 1902.
y virginia, May l6, 1904.
., My1.lIlond again, i'm December, 1911,
ssss,u.al.aneously with the New Madrid
1EIs r.skeS IN the Mississippi Valley.
or.slnguakes are of maximum fire.
1SS sr " from November to January, and
n .Ss1 nave been supposed to have been
Hsr ecueu by unusual heat and by low
1v..leter, with much oscillation.
,,s VIA sswsaiegram for Charlotte, N. c., in the