Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-08-11
EARTHQUAKE.

Baltimore was visited yesterday oY an
earthquake shock which surprised many
people, but did no particular damage. The
shock was severely felt at the Atlantic
Highlands near Sandy Hook; Long Branch,
Philadelphia New Haven, Boston, Eliza
beth, Plaintield, Spring Lake, Cottage City,
Marthas Vineyard, and Portland, Maine
At the last point it was slight. The reports
as TO its duration are divided, but the aver
ace seems to have been about ten seconds.
In Baltimore there was decided trembling
of the earth, windows ratified, furniture
moved about, people were awakened from
their sleep, small articles were displaced,
and some persons report rocking sensa
ton which produced nausea, similar to
sickness. There was no rumbllng or other
sound, and no damage to buildings IS re-
ported.
Seabright, New Jersey, where the depot
was shifted to one side, shaking up the con-
tents and alarming the sole inmate.
In Philadelphia the strongest buildings
in the city were shaken, rickety chimneys
toppled over on the roofs and bricks
tumbled down upon the pavements in all
parts of the city. Plaster fell from the cell
| ings of houses, china ratified in the closets,
door bells began ringing, glasses clinked a
lively tune upon sideboards and clocks
were set to running down. In some In
stances people were FRUSTRATED upon the
floors of their dwellings Nervous people
we're frightened TO such an extent that
MANY thought the destruction of the world
was at hand. Everywhere the populace be-
came excited. Every house i'll the city was
agitated more or less, their occupants run
ming breathlessly into the street, thinking
that a terrible explosion had taken place.
The shipping was affected By the shock.
The large ships loading petroleum in the
Schuylkill river snapped their hawsers,
and were only prevented from going ashore
nv the united efforts of their crews. Sew
eral large steamers were thrown strongly
against the wharves in the lower section oil
the CITY, and the crews thrown out of their
hunks. Huge waves, backed up by the
rising tide, overlooked many of the wharves
and considerable property was Hooded
thereby. In several instances where per-
sons were watching the river from the
docks, they found themselves suddenly
overtaken by huge waves and were thor
oughly soaked with water. Deeply laden
steamers lying in the Delaware trembled
without apparent injury during the exis
tence Of the shock.
At Hartford bareheaded man rushed
frantically to the telegraph office, holding
in his hand newspaper which he mac
been reading. He said he had been rocked
violently, and that the plasterlng on inc
: ceiling above him bad been cracked, and II
: some places had dropped to the floor. =,
In Brooklin the streets were alive VIII
| Ii ,ho boa t0 acnnrtnln the
cause of the rocking and to gossip about it
One cool headed scientist, upon the hrsl
perceptible motion, took out his stop-Watcl
and timed the vibrations. He reported
!, that the shock began. az nearly as could b'
. determed, at 20G:50; that the first shoci
e. lasted lust ten seconds, and that the quiet
ing down" as he described it, took nearly
: fifty seconds more.
Coney Island was thoroughly shaken b.
:, vibrations, and the guests aud visitors wer
= very greatly alarmed, the fright in som
! s sGafFanfteIy~ fs eSie. to panic.
g No less than six distinct shocks were fel
a in Boston and vicinity, The shock was frs
. noticed about POT 10 p. M, continuing abou
ten seconds. The shocks were plainly fel
, throughout the city, the jar being YER
. clearly defined in the outlying districts, an
. the occupants Of second-story tenements fel
. the shock more plainly than those on tn
ground floor. At the West End considera
BILE excitement was occasioned among th
colored people, who are naturally supersti
! tious, and as the windows and bells bega1
!, to rattle, they ran into the streets, and for
!, lorg time could not be persuaded to return
! in doors. At the Parker House the inmate
+ of lbe hotel were thoroughly frightened, ant
; many of the guests rushed down stairs hal
clothed. In hundreds of places in the cit,
pictures were swung against the walls, ga
fixtures shaken and small articles wer
thEown from the mantels, but in no instance
is *ny serious damage known to have beer
doee. In the Charlestown district small
boz: is reported to have been thrown dowl
stsSrs by the violence Of the shock. In New
TOT, Watertown, and Waltham and numer
ousother places the shock was distinctly felt