The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-08-30
EARTHQUAKES OF THE PAST
Some of The Greatest UpheayaIs the
World Has known.

Il
1t is worthy of remark that while Cen
trail and South America and Europe have
| been at intervals the scenes of monstrous
upheavals in geologic revolutions, North
America has been most fortunate in escap-
ing 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 distin-
guished by frequent or severe earthquakes.
Biblical reference is made to the earth
quake in Syria during the reign of Ahab.
900 B. c. Judea was also devastated dur
ing the time of the battle of Actium, 81
B. C. Josephus says it caused the death
of 10000 persons.
The cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii,
in central Italy, that succumbed to the
same gigantic and destructive force in A.
d. 63, are so Familiarity known as to need
no special comment. 1t has been fruit
full theme for novelists and poets.
Antioch has frequently been visited by
earthquakes. In A. d. lis it was almost
DESTROYED. In A. D. 456 it was again
visited, and in speaking of this Gibbon,
the historian, states that 100000 persons
lost their lives. Again, in A. d. 5S7 80,
900 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
1855, threw down the greater part of the
city. The sea retired and left the bar alb
solutely dry, and portion Of the city was
buried beneath the waters of the bay to the
depth of 600 feet. Humboldt estimates
the area shaken by this earthquake as four
times the extent of Europe. Sixty thou
sand 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 destroyed in northern
Africa The earthquake waves even
reached Scotland, and the waters of Loeb
Lomond suddenly rose two feet. Its We
locity was 1000 feet per second.
To give some idea of the immense de-
struction of life and property, it is recorded
that the great earthquake in Calabria, in
1888, caused the death of 100, 900 persons.
Its origin was at spot directly under the
centre of Calabria. 1t dislocated huge
rocks that fell into the sea and destroyed
the city of Messina.
In 1919 1000 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 vol
cano Coseguma darkness suddenly enEel-
oped the country, and the people were
plunged into great fear.
The famous earthquake in the kingdom
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 north
ward at the rate of 1851 feet per second
and southwark 1891 feet.
On November IA, 1861, Switzerland
was similarly visited, though the results
were not so disastrous.
The last memorable incident of an erup-
tive character happened on the night of
July % of last year on the island of Ischia,
near Naples, when the town of Cassamic-
cola was almost destroyed. The adjacent
towns of FORTS and Lacceameno were greatly
damaged. 1t commenced at $50 o'clock.
Three thousand persons were killed, 800
We're injured, and near y all the houses
were thrown down. Great darkness fell
upon the people, 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 heartrending and impossible to
describe.
Referring to earthquake shocks in the
United States, which have been remarka-
bly, rare, the notable one of 1911 took
place at New Madrid, Mo. 1t covered an
area of 300 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 vertical
and horizontal. The latter was consid-
cred to have done the most damage.
The disturbances continued at intervals
until March 26, 1872, when they suddenly
ceased coincident with the great earthquake
at Caracas, the capital of the republic of
Venezuela, where it caused the death of
10000 inhabitants, showing Enthusiastically
that there was an evident transmission of
force between them.
The same earthquake commenced in
Massachusetts with noise resembling
thunder 1t lasted minute, followed by
a long swell, like Il land billow. 1t was so
great that men working in the. fields tried
to lay hold of something to prevent them
falling Jerks and wrenches, lasting two
minutes, succeeded In Boston the effect
was seen by the upheaval of chimneys,
wind vanes and numerous brick buildings.
Millions of fish were killed and foated on
the surface of the water. Nine hours later
q o'clock p. M the sea-wave, twenty feet
high, arrived at the harbor of st. Martias,
West Indies The wave, undoubtedly,
originated at the source of this earthquake.
In 1852 an earthquake destroyed the
missions in Southern California. That
State was again similarly visited on March
26, 1872, when the walls of several public
buildings were cracked through.
A disastrous earthquake visited Mexico
on June 10, 1858. 1t travelled through
the entire valley and destroyed the aque-
duct that supplied the city with water.
1t did great damage, and was the most
severe ever experienced there. Several
provinces were greatly injured.
The most considerable shock experienced
in the Middle and Eastern States in this
century was felt on October 10, 1870. Its
] eo,,r.ro ,ras traned 10 the rolcanic renion