The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1884-08-13
Their Inhabitants, Badly Frightened,
Rush Into the Streets Thinking
There Was an Explosion. =.
Solid Piers and Buildings Shake
and Culver as If Ague-
Stricken.
Some Pray That Had Never Prayed,
and Others Pray More Earnestly
Than Ever.
TIE EARTHQUAKE.

The Eastern States and Principal Cities
Badly Scared by an Earthquake shock.
New YoRK, Aug. 10-AbOut 2:05 o'clock
this afternoon the residents of this city were
startled by severe shock of earthquake,
lasting about ten seconds At this hour (6
p. M. particulars have been received at the
Western Union Office here showing it was
felt at the following points: The Atlantic
Highlands, near Sandy Hook, Long Branch,
Philadelphia, New Haven, Boston, Elizabeth,
Plainfield, Spring Lake, Cottage City, Mar
tha's Vineyard and Portland, Me. At the
last point it was slight Reports were also
received from many of the sub-offices in New
York. The reports as to the dura-
ton are diverse, but the average
seems to be about ten seconds The operator
at Providence was vaguely questioned as to
whether be had heard or seen anything un.
usual, and he promptly replied he had had
his hand on the steam-pipe and it had trem-
bled violently. He had been looking up and
down the street to discover the heavy team
which, up to the time of inquiry, he had
supposed was passing. The question made
him suspect it was an earthquake. This
suspicion was promptly confirmed by vari-
ous people rushing into the office and ask
ing for any explanation.
At 2:15 o'clock the Atlantic Highlands ex-
perienced second shock, but less VIOLENT
than the first. at Philadelphia the scatfold.
ing OH some of the new buildings going up,
on the corner of Sixth and Reed streets
was shaken violently, snd some
bricks on the boards were shaken Off and
was reported from Seatright N. j., where
the depot was shifted to one side, shaking
up the contents and alarming the sole in
mote.
At 2:3O p. m. an Intellectual effort was
made to raise the Cony Branch office, which
bad been communication with the local Of
fee up to the time of the shock. The opera
tor had Just had time 10 report the shock,
together with the fact that the jars of his
battery had been overturned, when the wire
gave out.
At Hartford a bareheaded man rushed
frantically to the telegraph Office hold
ing in his hand newspaper
He said he had been rocked violently, aud
that the plastering on the ceiling above him
had been cracked and in some places had
dropped off on the iocr.
In Brooklyn the streets were alive with
people who had come out to ascertain the
cause OF the rocking and to gossip about it,
One cool-headed observer, upon the first per-
ceptIble motion, took out mis- stop watch and
timed the vibration. He reported that the
shock began, as nearly as could be deter
mined, ct 2:06, so seconds; that the first
shock lasted just ten seconds, and that in
"quieting down." as he described it, it took
nearly fifty seconds more. OF hand
guesses as to its duration varied
from five seconds to two minutes,
according TO the amount of the observers
fright and his judgment OF the flight OF
time. at Menlo Park and Trenton the
w a m m w 10 ar ho
more southerly points OF its orbit it was felt
at 2:lO.
Exaggerated reports came in from
! various points From Trenton it was
ported that the water in the river was lashed
| into a foam. A passenger arriving from
| Trenton soon after however, said the story
was absurd, and that the water was as
placid end muddy as usual. The telegraph
manager at Coney Island promptly asked
I for particulars of the explosion, supposing
that some oil refinery, powder oil. dynamite
factory bad blown up. few minutes later
| the fact became known there that
the whole island had been thoroughly
shaken by vibrations, and the guests aud
visitors were very greatly alarmed, the fright
in some cases amounting to panic. Neither
Cape May nor Atlantic City noticed any un-
usual motion, and so far as the early reports
indicate, Philadelphia was the southern
| limit of the shock
At Cleveland the shock was plainly but
slightly felt. At the main local telegraph
Office the 100 people present felt a serious
| movement OF the seventh story, but there
was no electrical phenomina connected with
it, and no electrical disturbance.
The first impression which seemed TO take
| possession of the inmates of the houses in
| New York was as il the building was about
fall, and the people ran into the streets only
to discover their neighbors rushing out
amazed like themselves, and then as there
was no evidences of a catastrophe, the peo-
pie returned to their homes, realizing that
there had been an earthquake. AS rule
the people remained in the front of their
| houses few minutes, apparently trying to
get at some solution OF affairs, and watching
the faces of women and others. The women
and children, as they regained some degree
of confidence, returned to their houses,
while the men remained in groups in the
, streets discussing the occurrence so unex-
pected and so startling.
An earthquake is thing so unlocked for
in this part of the world that its cause and
the history of the most terrible ones became
topic of paramount interest. Above all,
the people we've concerned in trying to find
out from those they talked with, whether a
second and perhaps subsequent shocks were
likely to follow.
! At the observatory of the United States
Signal Service the time of the earthquake
and its duration were noted by Assistant
Observers rs r ;, K. Heinscan and Merring, who
above the level of the streets. The first init
nation of the earthquake was q slow rum
bling south, like the muttering of distant
thunder, which was Immediately followed
by shock like that OF a violent explosion,
which caused the building 70 culver, al
though it did not shake perceptibly. The rat
tling continued about seconds. accompanied
by the rumbling sound. which gradually
| died away. The FIRST shock felt about
eleven minutes past two. The effect OF the
jar was much more perceptible In houses of
| light structure, in many instances it being