Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-01-22
balance-the motion of the earth was


convulsed - the houses shook very
much-chimneys falling in every di-
rection.
The loud, hoarse roarings which at
tended the earthquake, together with
the criee, screams and yells of the people
seem still ringing in my ears. Fifteen
minutes after seven O'Clock we had an
other shock. Thiswas the most severe
one we have had yet, the darkness re-
turned, and the noise was remarkably
loud. The first motions of the earth
were similar to the preceding shocks, but
before it ceased we rebounded up and
down, and it was with difficulty we kept
our seats. At this instant expected a
dreadful catastrophe, the uproar among
the people heightened the coloring of
the picture. The screams and yells
were heard at a distance. One gentle
man from whose learning expected q
more consistent account, says that the
convulsions are produced by the
WORLD AND MOON COMING IN CONTACT
and the frequent repe tition of the
shocks is owing to their rebounding.
The appearace of the moon yesterday
evening has knocked his system as low
as the quake has levelled my chimneys.
Another person with a very serious
face told me that he was ousted from
bed. He was verify afraid, and thought
the day of judgment had arrived, until
he reflected that the day Of judgment
could not come in the night.
TUESDAY, 17th.-I never before
thought the passion of fear so great as
1 find it here among the people. 1t is
really diverting. or would be so to q
disinterested observer, to see the rue
full faces of the different persons that
present themselves at my tent. Some
so agitated they cannot speak, others
cannot hold their tongues, some cannot
sit SILL, but must be in constant motion,
whilst Others cannot walk.
Several men, lam formed, on the
night of the first shock, dese,.ad their
families and have not been hearo If
,3sse. Esseaapnents are formed of
tssose that remaiLs in. the open sseisls, OF
SO and 100 persons each.
TUESDAY, DEC. 24.-The shocks still
continue-we have had eight since Sat-
urday-some of them very severe. bit
not sufficiently so to do much additional
injury. Ihave heard Of no lives being
lost. Several persons are wounded.
This day have heard from the Lit
tie Prairie, a settlement on the bank
of the river Mississippi, about fifty
miles below this place. There the
scene has been dreadful indeed the
face of the country has been entire
ly changed. Large lakes have been
raised and become dry land, and
many fields have been converted into
pools of water. Capt. George Ruddell,
a worthy and respectable old gentle
man, and who has been the father of
that neigporhoed, made good his retreat
to this place with about 200 souls. He
informs me that no material injury was
sustained from the first shock. When
the tenth shock occurred he was stand
ing in his own yard, situated on the
banks of the bayou of the Zig lake; the
bank gave way and
SUNK DOWN ABOUT THIRTY YARDS
from the waters edge, and as far as he
could see up and down the stream. 1t
upset his mill, and one end Of his dwell |
ing house sunk down considerably; the
surface on the opposite side of the bayou
which before was swamp, became dry |
land; the side he was on became lower. |
His family at this time was rnnning |
away from the house toward the woods; |
a large crack in the ground prevented
their retreat into the open field. They |
had just assembled together when the
eleventh shock came on, after which,
here was not, perhaps, u square acre Of
ground unbroken in the neighborhoOd,
md in about fifteen minutes after this
waist deep. The old gentlemen, in
eaving his family, endeavored to find
higher land, and would lie sometimes
headlong into one of those
racks in the earth, which were conceal
d from the eye by the muddy water
through which they were wading. AS
hey proceeded OH their course the
arth continued to burst open, and
mud, water, sand and stone coal were
brown up to the distance Of thirty
ards; frequently trees of large size
we're split open fifteen or twenty feet up.
After wading eight miles he came to /.
ry land. ] have heard of no white
erson being lost a. yet. Seven In h
ians were swallowed up; one that es-
aped says he was taken into the
round the depth of two trees in length
that the water came under him and
rev him out again; he had to wade
nd swim about four miles before he ]
cached dry land. The Indian says the q
hawnee Prophet has caused the earth
uake to destroy the whites. /
Dec. 28.-We have had q
w more feeble shocks-in all, SIXTY q
EVEN. IL