Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-09-12
EARTHQUAKES OF THE PAST.
Some of the Greatest Upbeavals the
World Has Known.

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been at intervals the scenes of monstrous
upheavals in geologic revolution, North
America has been most fortunate in es-
Gaping the fearful havoc they have
caused. 1t is fact that in southern
Italy and Sicily no century has elapsed
since the earliest periods of history that
has not been distinguished by frequent
or severe earthquakes,
Biblical reference is made to the earth
quake in Syria during the reign of Abab.
900 B. G. Judea was also devastated dur
ing the time of the battle of Actium, 81
B. G. Josephus says it caused the death
of $1,000 persons.
The cities of Herculaneum and Pom
peii, in central Italy, that succumbed to
the same gigantic and destructive force
in A. D. SO, are so familiarly known as
to need no special comment. 1t has been
a fruitful theme for novelists and poets.
Antioch has frequently been visited by
earthquakes In A. d. 115 it was almost
destroyed. In A. D. 456 it was again
visited, and in speaking of this Gibbon,
the historian, states that $50, 900 persons
lost their lives. Again, in A. D. 5S7,
10000 persons came to their death. The
last in this city occurred in April 1872.
In the year 1878, for instance, there
were no fewer than 947 shocks, and sol
of these were what scientists term "of the
first degree of force"
The historic earthquake in Lisbon, in
1866, threw down the greater part of the
city. The sea retired and left the bar
absolutely dry, and portion of the city
was buried beneath the waters of the bay
to the depth of 600 feet. Humboldt es-
Inmates the area shaken by this earth
quake as four times the extent of Europe.
Sixty thousand people persisted within
the space of six minutes. The shock was
felt in the Alps, on the coast of Sweden,
in Bohemia, and many towns were de-
stroyed in northern Africa. The ''earth-
quake waves" even reached Scotland, and
the waters of Loeb Lomond suddenly
rose two feet. Its velocity was 2, 900 feet
per second.
To give some idea of the immense de-
struction of life and property, it is re-
corded that the great earthquake in Ca
labria, in 1888, caused the death of 100,-
900 persons. Its origin was at spot di-
rectly under the center of Calabria. 1t
dislocated huge rocks that fell into the
sea and destroyed the city of Messina.
In 1919 1900 square miles of country,
near the mouth of the Indus, was sub
merged, and the shock was distinctly
felt at Calcutta.
On January %, 1885, Central America,
on the occasion of the eruption of the
volcano Coseguma, darkness suddenly
enveloped the country, and the people
were plunged into great fear.
The famous earthquake in the king
dom of Naples in 1857 is perhaps the
greatest in modern times. 1t was felt
throughout the kingdom, but singularly
enough little comparative damage was
done in the city of Naples itself. Its
travelling force was almost incredible.
At the town of Potenza the speed of the
shock was 775 feet per second. 1t was
felt in Paris, Metz and Geneva. Its
greatest violence was between Berne and
Chamouni. 1t travelled northward at the
rate of 2, S61 feet per second and south
ward 1, 391 feet.
On November IA, 1861, Switzerland
was similarly visited, though the results
were not so disastrous.
The last memorable incident of an
eruptive character happened on the night
of July % of last year on the island of
Ischia, near Naples, when the town of
Cassamicciola was almost destroyed. The
adjacent towns of Foris and Lacceameno
were greatly damaged. 1t commenced
at $3.50 o'clock. Three thousand persons
were killed, 800 were injured, and nearly
all the houses were thrown down.
Great darkness fell upon the peo-
pie, the earth opened in many places,
water gushed out from the springs,
and the terrified populace rushed to
the sea to escape. 1t left its ravages at
Lacco, at Torrio (where the churches
were ruined); at Scuara fifteen persons
were killed. The scenes were heartrend-
ing and impossible to describe.
Referring to earthquake shocks in the
United States, which have been remark
ably rare, the notable one of 1911 took
place at New Madrid, Mo. 1t covered
an area of 800 miles southwark from the
mouth of the Ohio river. The ground
rose and sank in mighty mounds; lakes
were formed and again drained. There
were two distinct motions felt-a verti
cal and horizontal. The latter wa
considered to have done the most dam
aye. The disturbances continued at in
tervals until March 26, 1912, when the,
suddenly ceased coincident with thu
great earthquake at Caracas, the capita
of the republic of Venezuela, where i
caused the death of 10000 inhabitants,
showing Enthusiastically that there was al
evident transmission of force between
them.
The same earthquake commenced il
Massachusetts with a noise resembling
thunder. 1t lasted a minute, followed
by long swell, like land billow. 1
was so great that men working in tn
fields tried to lay hold of something tx
prevent them falling. Jerks and wrenches
lasting two minutes, succeeded. In Bos
ton the effect was seen by the upheava
of chimneys, wind vanes and numerou
brick buildings. Millions of fish wer
killed and floated on the surface of tn
water Nine hours later g o'clock p. NJ
the sea-wave, twenty feet high, arrived
at the harbor of st. Martias, West Indies
The wave, undoubtedly, originated a
the source of this earthquake.
In 1852 an earthquake destroyed tn
missions in Southern California. Tina
State was again similarly visited o
March 26, 1872, when the walls of sew
eral public buildings were cracke'
through.
A disastrous earthquake visited Mcxic
on June 10, 1868. 1t travelled throug
the entire valley and destroyed the aque
duct that supplied the city with watel
1t did great damage, and was the mos
severe ever experienced there. Sewers
nrouinnes Mere nreatlu in iured