Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-08-11
A Great Earthquake Startlss Thou
sands.
THE PEOPLE SEIZED WITH A PANIC.
A Widespread Vibration Of the Earth
Causes a Sensation and Causes
Considerable Damage.

a. ZIG NokCAA " LAOA OA4NC oAO" IAO oAONO
was widespread. The FIRST reports were re
seived from the following points: The At
lantic Highlands, near Sandy Hook, Phila-
delphis, New Haven, Boston, Elizabeth,
Plain6eld, Spring Lane, Marths's Vineyard,
Cottage City and Portland, Me. At the
last point it was slight. Reports were also
received from many cities about New
York The reports as to its duration
are divers, but the average seems to be
About Ten Seconds.
The operator at Providence was vaguely
questioned as to whether he had heard or
seen ANYTHING unusual, and he promptly re-
piled he had his hand on the steam pipe
and it trembled violently. He had been
looking up and down the street to discover
the heavy train which up to the time of in
quiry he he'd supposed was passing. The
question made him suspicious of an earth
quake. This suspicion was promptly con-
6rmed by various people rushing into the
streets and Office asking for an explanation.
At 5:l5 the Atlantic highlands experienced
second shock, but less violent
than the first At Philadelphia
the scafOlding on some new buildings 60
ing up at the corner of Sixth and Reed
streets was shaken violently, and some
bricks on the boands were shaken off and
fell to the street below. The severest shock
is reported from Seabright n. j., where the
depot was shifted one side, shaking up the
contents and alarming the inmates. AT
2:2O P. N. an Intellectual effort was made
to raise Long Branch Office, which had been
in communication with the local office up
to the time of the shock The operator Just
had time to report the shock, together with
the fact the jars of his battery had been
overturned when the wire gave out. At
Hartford
A Bare Headed Man
rushed frantically to the telegraph Office
holding in his hand 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 were alive
with people who had come out to ascertain
the cause OF the rocking and gossip. One
cool headed observer ON the first perceptible
shock took out his watch and timed the Vi
brations. He reported that the shock began
as nearly as could be determined at 2:06:50.
That the first shock lasted just ten seconds,
and that the "quieting down. as he de-.
scribed it, took nearly fifty seconds more.
of hand guesSes as TO the duration varied
from few seconds to two minutes, accord
ing to the amount of the observers fright
and his Judgment of the fight Of time. At
Menlo Park and Trenton the shock was
timed at 2:05 p. m, while at more southerly
points in its orbit it was felt at 2:lO.
Exaggerated Reports
came in from various points. From Tren-
ton it was reported that the water in the
river was lashed into foam. A passenger
arriving from Trenton soon after, however,
said the story was absurd and that the water
was as placid and muddy as usual The
telegraph manager at Coney Island
promptly asked for particulars of the ''ex-
plosiou,' supposing some oil refinery, pow
der mill or dynamite factory had blown up.
A few minutes later, however, the fact be-
came known there that the whole island had
been thoroughly shaken BY the vibrations
and that the guests and visitors were very
greatly alarmed. the fright in some cases
amounting to a panic, Neither Cape May
nor Atlantic City noticed any unusual
motion, and, so far as early reports indicate
Philadelphia was the southern limit Of the
shock.
the shock was plainly but slightly felt. In
the main local telegraph Office the hundred
people present felt serious movementot
their floor. the seventh story, but there was
no electrical phenomenon connected with 1t
and no electrical disturbance. The hrst
impression which seemed to take possession
of the inmates of the houses in New York
was that the building was about to fall, and
the people ran into the streets only
10 discover their neighbors rush
inr out amazed like themselves
Al the observatory Of the United States
Signal Service the time of the earthquake
and its duration were noted. Assistant OBJ
servers Rehenman and Merring were at the
time in the office, about twenty feet above
the steeet The first intimatiOn was slow
Rumbling sound
like the mutterings of distant thunder,
which was Immediately followed by a shock
like that of violent explosion, causing the
building to quiver, although 1t did not shake
percepubly The rafting continued
about eight seconds and was accompanied
by a rumbling sound which gradually died
away. The first shock was felt about ii
minutes past two. The effect of the jar was
much more pereeptible in houses high In
structure, in many instances 1t being re-
ported that clearly defined rocking move
ment was felt and the dishes in the pantreS
were shaken from the shelves. Thus TAR,
however no damage of any kind is report
ed. While the shock was felt
strongly in dwellings, persons
travelling on the elevated roads
Aid not know of the occurrence until they
were told of it BY the people at the stations
and that the shock felt on elevated stations
Was slight compared with that on the
ground below As far as can be aseer-
tanned the shock was entirely 1npercepttble
on the waters. Immediately after the
shock had been felt at police central
office considerable confusion was OCCASION
ed and the impression at first was that a
violent explosion had occurred In the neigh
borhOOd. A little investigation led acting
Superintendent Sanders to the conclusion
hat the cause Of the disturbance was a real
eartbouake. He at once sent out dispatch
to all the precincts asking for intorma-
ton in regard to the shock. Answers
soon began to pour in and opera
tors were kept busy for two hours writing
ont reports from different captains. tap
nears the shock was felt with about the.
same intensity all over the city, although 1t
nroJuced more alarm in thickly-settled ten
ement districts on the east side.
ODerator Hoffman, at the arsenal, was
Thrown From His Chair,
but was not hurt. The globes OF the lamps
in the office were cracked. The ceiling IN
the Tenth precinct station were badly
crscked and the frame house, l3I Lewis
street, cracked in several places, and one OF
The women who lived in the house
Loo.,,a unconscious from fright A street