The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-08-12
Gotham and other Eastern
Cities Shaken Up.
An Earthquake Makes a Sadly
Frightened People.
Whose Sins tome Up to TrOu-
BILE Them.
And They Pray Long, Loud and
FuriOusly.
Shaken Up.

shock OF earthquake, I2stlng aoout
ten seconds. at this hour, 500,
particulars are received at the
Western Union office, showing the
shock was wide spread. The hfst
reports were received from the fol-
lowing points: the Atlantic high
lands, near Sandy Hook, Long
Branch, Philadelphia, New Haven,
Boston, Elizabeth, Plsinfeld, Spr ng
Lake, Cottsge City, Martha's Vine
ward and Portland, Maine. AT the
last point it was slight. Reports
were also received from many OF
the sub-ofices about New York.
Reports as to its duration are di
verse, but the average seems to be
about ten seconds. The operator at
Providence was vagely questioned
as to whether he had heard or seen
ANYTHING unusual, and he promptly
replied he had bis bsnd ol the
steam pipe, and that it had trem-
bled violently; he had bean look nR
I'D and down the street to disc over
q heavy team, which, up to the
time of the inquiry, he had supposed
was passing. The Question made
him Suspicious of an earthq uake;
this suspicion was promptly con-
frmed by various people rushing
into the streets ard Office asking for
an explanation. At 2:15 O'Clock the
Atlantic highlands experienced a
second shock, but less violent than
the first. At Philadelphia the
scaffolding on some new buildings
going up on the corner Of Sixth and
Reek streets was shaken violently,
and some bricks on board were
shaken off and fell to the street be-
low. The seVerest shock was re-
ported from Seabright, n. Y,
where the depot was shifted to one
side, shaking up the contents and
alarming its inmates. At 2:40 p. m.
an effeCtusl effort was made to raise
Long Branch which had been in
communion up to the time Of the
shock. The operator had just rsn
ported the shock together with the
fact that jars of the battery had been
overturned when it gave out. at
Hartford a barehe AIDED man rushed
frantically to the telegraph Office
holding in his hand a newspaper
which he had been reading. He
said he had been shocked violently
and that the plastering on the ceiling
above him had been cracked and IN
some places had dropped to the floor.
In Brooklyn the streets we're alive
with people, who had come out to
ascertain the cause CT the rocking
and to gossip about 1t. One cool.
headed observer upon the first par
ceptible movement took out his stop
watch and timedt the duration of the
earthquake. He said the shock be-
gan as near as he could tell at 2 o.
so. lie said the shock lasted just ten
seconds and.in quieting down, as he
said, it took nearly fifty seconds
more. Of hand guessing varied
from five seconds to two seconds,
according to the observers fright
and his judgment of time. At Menlo
Park and Trenton the shock was
timed at 2 O5, while at more south
ern points it was felt at 2 10. Ex-
aggerated reports come in from var.
io1s points. From Trenton it was
reported the water in the river was
dashed into foam. Passengers who
arrived from Trenton soon after.
however, said the story was absurd.
and said the water was placid and
muddy as usual. The telegraph
manager at Coney Island promptly
asked for particulars of the ''exe
plosion," supposing that some re-
fnery, powder mill or dynamite
factory had blown up. A few min
utes later, however, the fact became
known there that the whole island
had been roughly shaken by the
vibrations, and the guests and visit
OTIS we're very greStly alarmed, thu
fright in some cases amounting tt
s panic. Neither Cape May no
Atlantic City noticed any unusua
motion, and so far early reports
show that Philadelphia was tn,
southern limit of the shock. A
Cleveland the shock was plainly blu
slightly felt in the main local Iele
graph office. The hundred peopl
present felt a serious movement o
The floor on the seventh story, bu
there was no electrical phenomenon
connected with it and no clectrica
disturbances. The first impression
which the inmates OF the HOUSE. i
New York had was that the hous
was about to fall, and the people "a
into the streets only to discover PEG
e pie rushing out as amszsd rs them
selves; then, as there was no evi
dence of a catastrophe, the peopl
returned TO their homes re2liZin
there had been an earthquake. a
a rule people remained IN front {
their houses apparently trying to g
at come solution OF their feaI
and watching the faces an
manners Of others. Women an
children "a they regained some d,
gree of confidence returned to the
houses: men remained in the stree
discussing the occurrence so une1
nected and so startling. The esrtl
quake is a thing so unlocked for
this part OF the world that its cau'
and the history OF the most terrib
ones become topics of paramount il
terest. ABOVE all people were COZ
-,,oJ T., trrino IN Il ID out fro