The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-08-14
SHAKEN UP.
The Inhabitants of the Atlantic Coast
Shaken Up by an Earthquake-No One
Hurt, But Everybody Scared.


NEW YORK, August 1O.-About two
, o'clock yesterday afternoon residents OF
this vicinity were startled by a severe shock
of earthquake lasting about ten seconds
At this hour particulars have been received
at the Western Union Office here from the
following points: The Atlantic Highlands
near Sandy Hook, Long Branch, Phila-
delphia, New Haven, Boston, Elizabeth,
Plainfed, Spring Lake, Cottage City, Mar
tha's Vineyard and Portland, Ne At
2:15 O'Clock the Atlantic High
lands experienced a second shock, but
less violent than the first. At Philadelphia
the ScaffOiding on some new buildings going
up on the corner of Reed street was shaken
violently and some bricks ON the boards
were shaken off and fell to the street below.
The SevereSt shock was reported from Sea-
Bright, y. j., where the depot was shifted
to one side, shaking up its contents and
alarming
THE SOLE INMATE.
At $50 p. m. an Intellectual effort was
made to raise the Long Branch Office which
had been in communication with the local
office up to the time of the shock. The OPP
orator just had time to report the shock to
gether with the fact that the jars of his
battery had been overturned when the wires
gave out At Hartford bareheaded 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 pIastering
| on the ceiling above above him had been
cracked and in some places had dropped
| off on the floor. In BROOKLYN
the streets were alive with peOple
hn bo 10 90 Al,
rocking and to gossip about it. One cool
headed observer, on the first perceptibIe
motion. took ont his stop watch and timed
the vibration. He reported that the shock
began as near as could be determined at
2:06M; that the first shock lasted ten
seconds and that the "Quieting down." as
he described it, took nearly fifty seconds
more. Off-hand gueSseS AS to its duration
varied from five seconds to two minutes &C
cOrding to the observers fright and his
judgment of the flight of time. At Menlo
Park and Trenton the shock was timed at
2:05 p. m, while at the more SOutherly
points of its orbit it was felt at 2:1O. The
first impression which seemed to take pos
session of the inmates of the houses in New
York was that the building
WAS ABOUT TO FALL,
and people ran into the streets only to dis
cover their neighbOrs rushing out amazed
like themselves. Then as there were no.
evidences of q catastrophe the people re-
turned to their homes, realizing that there
had been an earthquake. As 4 rule people
remained in front of their houses few
| minutes, apparently trying to get at some
solution of their fears and watching the
faces and manner of others, Women and
children, as they regained some degree Of
confidence, returned to their houses. the
men remaining in groups in the streets dis
cusSing the occurrence SO unexpected and
so startling. An earthquake is a thing
so unlocked for in this part of the
world that its cause and the history of the
most terrible ones became the topics of par
amount interest About all the people were
concerned in trying to find out from those
they talked with was whether second and
perhaps subsequent shocks were likely to fol-
low. At the observatory of the United
States Signal Service the time of the earth
Quake and its duration were noted. Assist
ant Observers K. Human and Merring were
at the time i'll the office, about two hundred
feet above the level of the streets. The first
intimatiOn of the earthquake was a
slow rumbling sound like the muttering of
distant thunder. 1t was Immediately fol-
lowed by shock like that of a violent eX-
plOSiOn, which caused the building to culver,
although it did not shake perceDtibly. The
rafting continued about eight seconds and
was accompanied by a rumbling sound
which gradually died away.
Immediately after the shock had been felt
at the police central office considerable con-
fusion WAS OccasiOned and the impression at
first prevailed that
A VIOLENT EXPLOSION HAD OCCURRED
in the neghborhOOd. A little Investigation
however, led Acting Superintendent Sanders
to the conclusion that the cause of the dis
turbance was real earthquake. He at
once sent out general dispatch to all pre-
cinctS asking for information in regard to-
the shock in the city. Answers soon began
to pour in, and operators were Kept busy
for two hours writing out reports from the
different captains. 1t appears that the shock
was felt with about the same intensity all
over the city, although it produced more
alarm in the thickly settled tenement dis
tricts on the east side. A telegram from the
Yonkers police said the shock had been felt
there also. The greatest excitement pre-
vailed in the Jewish and Bohemian quarters
OH the East side. The houses, which are
mostly high and lightly constructed tene-
mentS, were violently shaken, and the terri
fed inmates rushed out into the streets,
carrying with them whatever of their house
hold effects they could move. Children
screaming with fright were borne out by
their parents, who were hardly less panic
stricken, and the whole population was soon
massed in the center of the street In Lud-
low street between Hester and Canal, the
panic was at its height The streets were
swarming with people, men, women and
children huddled together, evidently think
ing their last hour had arrived, and expect
ing every moment to see all their dwellings
falling upon them.
WOMEN WERE SHRIEKISG,
and children bawling, while men were either
swearing or praying. This was kept up
for nearly half an hour, when the police
persuaded the people to return to their
houses Similar scenes were witnessed IN
Mulberry, Jersey and Mott streets, where
Italians have their colonies The fright
however. was not so intense and after a
little their loud shouts and wild gesticula-
tons ceased. A few minutes after
the shock a gray-haired man rushed into the
Madison street police station and SAID sew
eral houses in Monroe street had tumbied
down. AmbulanceS were called and the
reserve force sent out by the Sergeant
On arriving at the place indicated 1t was
found that the street in front OF large
tenement was crowded with all excited
throng Of people, but there was no in
iicatiOn of any accident. The panic was
,auSed by an excited man, who rushed out
into the street shouting. The house is fall
ing"