The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-03-30
EARTHQUAKES.
Some OF the Shocks that Have Visited tn,
Wesfern Hemisrhern.


Western Hemisphere.
The last great earthquake which
visited Central America was on March
10, 1873, when San Salvador was ut.
terly destroyed. That part of the world
is peculiarly exposed to these convul-
s,ons, but the disaster of 1873 was not
SO fatal as that just reported, for,
though three successive shocks were
felt, the inhabitants, warned by previous
noises, were able to find places of safety,
and only about 500 perished. Earth
quakes have been SO frequent in the
Central American States that the In
dians are accustomed to say that it is
"the land that swings like hammock. I"
The city OF Caracas was entirely de.
stroyed in fifty-six seconds on March
26, 1912. Quito, in Ecuador, was almost
destroyed on March %, 1869. In Peru,
Caliao was destroyed in 1856, and the
accompanying sea wave was ninety feet
high. 1t was again destroyed in 1746.
An earthquake which will be readily
recalled was that of August 13 and IA,
1868, in which africa suffered severely.
The tidal wave carried number of
ships inland, among them the United
States steamer Wateree." A United
States storeship was also lost by it. In
Chill destructive earthquakes have oc-
Cured. One in 1922 caused a perma-
nent elevation to an extent of from two
to seven feet of fully 100000 square
miles of land lying between the Andes
and the coast. February 20, 1885, the
city Of Conception was destroyed for
the fourth time; there were felt over
300 successive shocks within two weeks.
April 2, 1851, severe shock was felt
at Santiago.
In the United States have been many
severe shocks. The most severe which
States was that of November IS, 1865.
The shock felt in New England was
undoubtedly promulgated from either
the same center which emanated the
disturbance that had destroyed Lisbon
on the first day of the month, when
10000 persons perished in six minutes,
or from q center whose activity had
been stimulated by the continual
quaking that then prevailed from
Iceland to the Mediterranean. The
earthquake of the 18th began in
Massachusetts with a rearing noise like
that of thunder. After a minutes
continuance of this there came
first severe shock with swell like
that of rolling sea-a swell
so great that men in tho open fields
ran to seize something by which
to hold on lest they should be thrown
down. After two or three lesser shocks
then came the most violent of all, pro-
ducing quick horizontal tremor with
sudden jerks and wrenches; this con-
tinued two minutes, and after o short
revival died away. Numerous other
shocks followed in the course of q
month. IN Boston many buildings
were thrown down and twisted out OF
shape. On October 19, 1870, occurred
the most considerable shock that has
been observed in the Middle and East.
ern States during the present century.
The source of this disturbance has been
traced, with some probability, to the
volcanic region fifty to 100 miles north
east of Quebec. From this region
the shock spread to St. Johns, N. B.,
and thence was felt westward
to Chicago and southwark to New
York. The velocity of the wave or
shock was about IA 600 feet per second.
The occurrence of the shock felt al
Quebec was telegraphed to Montreal by
the operators of the Montreal Telegraph
company in time to call the attention
of those at the latter city to the phe.
nomena, about thirty seconds before
the the shHGk reasabSf ST 595 one Of
the Southern missions. That of March
26, 1872. was tho most severe that has
occurred there during many years.
Special damage was done in San Fran
cisco by the cracking of the walls of
fine public buildings. In Nevada the
mining regions suffered in 1871 by the
destruction of Lone Pine and other
settlements.