The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1883-02-07
SUBMERGED BY AN EARTH
QUAKE.
A Large Body OF Land Sinks
Near Reelfoot Lake I'm Ten
neHRQe.

hCNEGGa
Prom the Paducsh Sews.
Reelfoot lake, a noted body of
water, situated along the line which
divides Tennessee from Kentucky,
was formed by the mighty earth
quake which shook the valley of the
lower Mississippi in 1911. Tradi-
ton has it that during that terrible
cOnvulslOn of nature the water In
the Mississippi temporarily flowed
up the stream. The course of the
great river was changed for miles,
and in certain localities the entire
topography of the country was
changed. Where Reelfoot lake is
now once stood a heavy forest. The
earthquake caused this land 10 sink
to the depth OF many feet, and it is
now covered with q body of water
nearly forty miles in length and
more than a mile in width at GER
tain places. Even TO this day the
hunter or fisherman padding over
its pellucid depths can see far below
the tops of the great trees which
once lowered up into the blue ether,
veritable monarchs of the forest. SO
much for the history of this remark
able lake. 1t is a child of the earth
quake and its parent does not seem
to have forgotten it.
About 1:30 on the morning OF the
11th inst, quite a severe shock of
an earthquake was felt all through
this section of the country. 1t was
particularly severe in the neighbor-
hood of ReelfoOt, and the land in
that vicinity commenced sinking
again. A reporter for the NeiCS had
the pleasure, last evening, of max
ing the acquaintance of Mr.. r. A.
Browder, of Fulton, who states that
the rumors which have been cur
rent here for several days concern
ing terrestrial disturbances in the To-
cality above described are true,
though the trouble was not as seri-
Gus as was thought at first. Many
changes are said to have taken
place along the banks of ReelfOOt.
In Lake county, Tennessee, a gen
tleman named Wade, who lived be-
tween the lake and the hills, lost
his entire farm of more than 100
acres. The shock ofthe 1lth awoke
both himself and family. 1t was so
severe that all of them fed from
the house to the bluffs in the rear
for safety. Only q short distance
from his residence they came across
a huge crack or fissure in the earth
some ten feet wide. They had no
means of ascertaining its depth in
the darkeness and Mr.. Wade and his
sons returned to the house and Sc
cured planks, which they threw
over it as a temporary bridge. In
the morning the opening was dis
covered to be from fifteen TO twenty
feet in depth. The earthquake had
sunk all the ground from the lake
shore nearly up to the house, and
also, by peculiar freak, thrown
this huge crack quite around the
premises, and swallowed up the
road. With the exception of a lit
tie spot on which the house stands,
the whole of Mr.. Wade's farm is
now permanently added to the lake
and is covered with water. Be
tween 400 and 500 acres of adjacent
land are also submerged.
Not far from Mr. Wade's place. at
the time of tho occurrence of the
phenomenon, a party of hunters
were eneamped. They were awak-
ened by the shock and compelled TO
abandon all their camp equipage
and fee for their lives, the water
came rPOn them so rapidly. They
also were stopped by the sudden
opening in the ground and hurried
ly threw n narrow bridge of fence
rails across il. The newly sunken
land lies on the east side of the lake.
The fssure extends for a long dis
tance just at the foot of the bluffs,
aud varies considerably in width
and depth. Mr.. Browder states
that il is difficult to obtain much in
formation concerning the extent of
the disaster, owing to the extreme
ignorance of the people living in
the neighborhood. They are most
w hunters and fishermen, and pay
but little attention to anything else.
He regards the information printed
above as being authentic, however,
rs it came from a Methodist clergy
man, in whose circuit the lake is
situatad