The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-12-19
THE EARTHQUAKES.

THE EARTHQUAKES.
Three Ea%rthqunkes-An American Volcano
The Earthquake in the Eastern States
Exciting Experiences OF Inhabitants OF
Western Cities-The Southern Earth
quake.
An unusually mild autumn was sig
nalized at its close by three severe
earthquake shocks. These shocks were
felt in the East, in the West, and in the
South. Commenting upon them the
Chicago Evening Journal makes the
following interesting statement about
the recent active condition of a little
known volcano In Nebraska
The latest earthquake shocks, which
especially affected western Iowa, and
we're still sharper in northeastern Ne
braska and southwestern Dakota, bring
to mind the fact that the "Ionia Vol
cano," known to a few scientific investi-
gators of the west as existing in the
high bluffs heal the little village of
Ionia, in northeastern Nebraska, is d.
rectly in the centre of the area traversed
by the earthquake vibrations OF Thurs
day noon. The little fre-mount has at
times, in the memory Of Indian and
white settlers, put On all the airs OF an
embryonic but ambitious volcano.
From out the can OF assures in the
bluffs in that locality have come vapors,
heat and rumbling sounds. No snow
could long accumulate in winter in close
proximity to this place. since the heat
Of the ground would melt it, and springs
of water running from the side OF the
bluff have been made too warm for drink
ing uses. Being in o retired spot, miles
away from any line o ftravel, on the west
bank of the Missouri river, in @ blufy
region, the little volcano has attracted
the attention of only q few of those who
make such subjects a study, and hence
is not mentioned, as We believe, in any
of the works on geography or geology.
The occurrence of the earthquake, with
its key or centre at the Ionia volcano,
makes worthy of remark the fact that
for q few months past this little Ameri-
can Vesuvius has been unusually active.
Its vapors have arisen almost constantly,
and, for the first time since white men
have viewed it's action, these vapors
have been easily distinguishable for a
dozen or more miles away.
The first of these disturbances of the
earth's surface was perceived on Novem-
Der 4, by the inhabitants of northern
New Hampshire, Vermont, western
Massachusetts, northern and central
New York and Canada. The course of
the shocks was from west to east. They
we're especially violent in the Adiron-
dack mountains region. On November
Is, an earthquake shock was felt in the
States of Kansas. Nebraska and Iowa,
and in Dakota Territory. The shock
was q very severe one, and its effects
were %perceptible in most of the cities
of the States mentioned. In Omaha,
Neb., there was a panic. All persons in
the upper floors of the lofty buildings
fed to the street. The post office, o
four.story building, was almost deserted.
The clerks st work in the Union Pacific
railroad company's Offices ran from the
building, under the belief that a large
safe, which was being placed in n Of
the upper stories, had crushed in the
flooring. Others were Of the opinion
that some part of the building had fallen.
The United States military headquarters
and the Grand Central Hotel lost also,
in n few seconds, most of their occupants.
The earthquake was felt throughout the
State. The court house at North Platte
was injured, and the walls of the SCHOOL,
house of the place 80 shaken that the
frightened children left the building.
The walls of a courthouse in Columbus
were cracked in nine places. The court
house at Plattsmouth was also slightly
damaged ; the two upper stories Of the
high school, a four.story brick, were
cracked, and some children were injured
while fleeing from the building. The
children of q school in Peru ran out of
the building in great alarm. Two dis
tinct shocks of earthquake were felt ct
Blair; goods carelessly placed on store
shelves were tumbled upon the floor,
but no buildings were damaged. At
Fort Randall, the earthquake lasted
nearly a minute; buildings were violent
" shaken, and several Indian tepees
were knocked down. The Indians at
Yankton agency were greatly excited,
and goods fell off the shelves in the
traders store. In Lincoln, at the Globe
office, the racks were swayed to and fro
in the third story, thetype ratified in the
cases, and although there was not a
breath of air stirring, the windows
shook and ratified as if a gale of wind
was blowing outside. The county Off
GERS at work in the second story Of the
State block, a large building of brick and
stone, became alarmed and ran frantic
ally down stairs into the streets. Most
merchants left their stores.
In Sioux City, Iowa, there were two
earthquake waves, the second being the
most powerful and Immediately follow
ing the first. There was a continuous
vibration lasting forty-6ve seconds. 1nthe
court house the district court was in
session in the upper story, The build
ing began rocking, the chandeliers
changed, and apparently everything was
about to tumble into ruin when the
court, jury, and spectators rushed to the
street bareheaded and greatly excited.
A large congregation in st. Mary's
Catholic Church, present to witness con-
frmation ceremonies, sprang to their
feet in alarm, and would have rushed
madly from the building but for the re.
assuring words of the priest. Several
women tainted, and two we're injured by
jumping from their seats in the choir, to
the floor, a distance Of twelve feet. The
scholars and teachers in the High School
building were also greatly alarmed and
fed into the street. Fortunately no one
was injured, although several of the
scholars leaped into the street from the
first story windows. One of the walls
of the building was badly cracked. The
clocks in many houses were stopped,
crockery wa broken, and in n house
all the panes in a window were broken.
The town must have presented the ap-
p~earance of o Peruvian village at the
moment of an earthquake, for every one
within a building fed from it and into
the streets for safety's sake. A rumbliig
noise was heard before the earthquake
was felt. The direction of the wave was
from northwest to southwest. Slight
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