The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-06-03
Something About Earthquakes.


The recent earthquake in South
America in connection with the tre-
mendous tidal wave that seems to have
traversed the Pacific ocean inflicting
serious damage with loss of life, has
induced us to present to our readers,
some information relative to earth
quakes and the causes that produce
them. In every part of the world the
surface is subject to be shaken at times
by movements taking place in the in
terror transmitted somewhat like a
wave, to distant regions. No country
escapes these visitations, and they have
been known to pass beneath sea and
land, from one hemisphere to another,
until fully one eight of the entire sur
face of the globe has been more or less
disturbed by the movement. Taking
earth, there is not day that passes
without the occurrence somewhere of a
sensible disturbance of this kind, and
hardly month without one or more
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accounts of earthquakes of particular
interest is that which resulted in the
destruction of Herculaneum and Pom
peii in the year 63, which was 16 years
previous to the time when these cities
were buried in the ashes from Vesuvi-
lis. The ancient city of Antioch in
Syria was visited for the third time by
an earthquake in the year 526, the most
disastrous one of which any record has
been preserved. Gibbon, the historian,
states that $50, 900 persons are said to
have perished at this time, the festival
of the Ascension swelling the multi
tudes belonging to the city. History"
he remarks, Twill distinguish the peri
DDS in which the calamitous events have
been rare or frequent, and will observe
that this fever Of the earth ragged with
uncommon violence during the reign of
Justinian. The approach of earth
quakesis hearalded by several Fremont
tory symptoms of an unmistakable
character. The air appears to be affec-
ted in some respect, perhaps in its
electric condition, and the brute crea-
tion show n sensativeness to this by
uttering cries of distress and running
wildly about. Men sometimes are
affected with dizziness and sensation
like sea-sickness. The atmosphere is
often hazy for months, and the sun seen
through it appears red and fiery. The
weather is subject to sudden changes,
from fierce gusts of wind to dead calm,
and rains pour down in torrents at
times, or in places in which they are
usually of rare occurrence. A sound
then breaks upon the stiffness like dis
tant thunder, or it may break at once
with an awful explosion. Occurring as
they most frequently do along the sea
board, the water is observed commonly
to retire to some distance, leaving the
harbors dry, and then to return in 4
great wave of many feet in height
which sweeps everything before it. OF
all the calamities to which man is eX-
exposed, there are none of so fearful a
character as earthquakes; none involve
such terrible and devastating destruc-
tion to life and property. The very
mysteriousness Of the danger oppresses
with terror. He is ignorant i'll what
form it is most imminent, in what di-
rection to seek a way of escape.
Of modern earthquakes, that Of Lis
bon, in 1865, and that of New Madrid,
NO., in 1911 present some of the most
interesting details. That of Chill in
1922, is interesting for the permanent
elevation of the country between the
Andes and the coast which attended it.
The area thus raised has been estimated
to equal fully 100, 900 square miles, and
the height of the elevation to vary from
. to feet. When Port Royal was de-
stroyed in the island of Jamaica in 1892,
the capitol was carried down with the
greater part Of the buildings in the
city beneath the surface of the water.
A thousand acres or more thus sank in
less than one minute and driving the
vessels in the harbor over the tops of
the houses. In the great earthquakes
of Lisbon, commencing Nov. l, 1855,
10000 persons perished in the short
space of six minutes.
The earthquake of New Madrid, be-
low st. Louis, on the Mississippi, is the
most important that has occurred in
this country, of which we have any
record. These shocks continued until
the destruction of the city of Caracas,
which took place March 26, 1872. In
the destruction of Caracas the whole
city with its splendid churches, was in
an instant heap of ruins under which
about $4,000 of its inhabitants were
buried. The city of Quito was almost
whoely destroyed by an earthquake i'm
1859, and many thousands of lives were
lost. The cause which produces the
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