Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-08-14
EARTHQUAKE Shock,


shock was felt along the Atlantic coast.
FASTING for ten seconds. The seversst
shock was reported from Sesbright.
n. j., where the railroad depot was
shifted to one side. 1t was felt az far
north as Portland, Me-, where it was
very slight. AT Long Branch the jars
of the electric battery were overturned.
In New York and other cities houses
rocked and the shock was shown to have
rolling motion, and was accompanied
with rumbling sound like the rolling
of distant thunder. Something of a
cially from the Bohemian quarter, here
the people rushed frantically from the
tall tenement houses and thronged the
streets. The shock was severe in Cen
tral Park, N. Y, where the rumbling
was heard with especial distinctnesS.
Some houses we're cracked, and horses
thrown down upon the street. Brook
ly Bridge was shaken. The alarm was
general. and as widespread as the shock,
but no serious damage is reported. 1t
is not known that il reached west of the
mountains, nor to have been felt much
further south than Washington.
The New York Tribune of Monday re-
ferring to the occurrence. says: THE
earthquake shock which amazed and
startled the people of New York shortly
after o'clock yesterday afternoon, WAS
part of a widespread disturbance. The
area subjected to seismic influence ap-
pears to have extended as far west as
the Alleghanies, and as far east as Port
land, Maine. The States of New York,
New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware,
Massachusetts, part of Maine. and the
District of Columbia are included in it.
1t is not possible as yet to fix the earth
quake centre, the reports being as
rule anything but precise, and the rela>
tive severity of the shock in different
places being consequently matter for
conjecture. 1t is generally agreed that
the shock was severe, but as most of
those who felt it had little experience
of earthquake shocks it is necessary to
question the accuracy of this conclusion.
The proof of severity in an earthquake
is the damage done, where it occurs in
populous cities and towns; and SO far no
record of any damage has been received
The earthquake in England last spring
was much more serious and severe. That
destroyed many buildings completely,
injured much property, and caused some
loss of life.
"The shock Yesterday was accompa-
MED by loud rumbling noise. In this
city it sounded as If a wagon heavily
laden with loose railroad iron, was being
drawn by. The motion in the upper
part of the city seems to have been
sharper than down town. 1t was less
oscillatory than vertical. In fact We
nCte but one place (Waterbury, Conn.,
where lateral motion was observed.
and there it is said to have been from
East to West. AS regards the duration
of the shock there is naturally great va
riety of opinion. The fact is that earth
quakes always seem to last much longer
than they really do. But since oscillar
tions continuing for minute would
probably throw the walls of the strong
est building, or the highest tower,church
steeple or chimney beyond their center
of gravity, and so cause their downfall,
it is clerr that when no damage at all re.
suits from what is thought to be a ser
we're shock, it cannot have lasted many
seconds.
As compared with really serious earth
quakes, even that of San Francisco in
1868 was light. Yet compared with
that of San Francisco in 1858 the shock
of yesterday was insignigcant. 1t no
doubt frightened many people but it did
no harm.