Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-08-11
The Country Shaken from Boston ID
Philadelphia, from Ohio to
the Atlantic.
Two Distinct Shocks Peroeptible--feo'
pie Rush Panic Stricken
Into the Streets.
Ten Seconds rraught With History
The Brooklyn Bridge and
Stone Piers Shaken.
Men Pray Who Never Prayed Before
Those Who Had Prayed Only
Prayed the More,

NEW York, Aug. l0.--About 2:05
O'Clock this afternoon the residents of
this vicinity were startled by severe
shock of earthquake, lasting about ten
seconds. At this hour, 6p, M, par
ticulars have been received Mt the
Western Union Office here showing
that the shock was felt at the follow
Ing points; The Atlantic
Highlands, near Sandy Hook,
Long Branch, Philadelphia,
New Haven, Boston, Elizabeth, Plain.
field, Spring Lake, Msrtha's Vine
yard and Portland, Me. AT the last
named point 1t was slight. Reports of
the shock have also been received from
many Of the sub-oilices throughout
New York. The reports rs TO Its dura-
ton are diverse, but the average seems
To be about ten seconds. An
operator at Providence was vaguely
questioned as to whether he
had heard or seen anything
unusual, and he promptly replied that
he had had his hands on the stenm
pipe and that II had trembled violent
ly. He had been looking up and
down the street To discover the heavy
team which up to the time OF the In
quiry he had supposed was passing.
The question made him suspicious
of an earthquake. The suspicion
was promptly conilrmedby the various
people rushing into the streets and
asking for mn explanation. At 2:l5 p.
m. the Atlantic Highland experienced
n second shock, but less violent than
the first. AT Philadelphia the scaflold-
Ing on some new buildings
! going up on the corner OF
Sixth and Reed streets was
shaken violently, and some brlcke on
the boards were shaken or and fell to
, the street below. The ssFcrest shock
+ was reported frsm Seabright, MI,
, where the depot was shifted TO one
I side, shaking up the contents and
+ alarming the inmates. AT $50 y.
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 operator Just had time 10 report
the shock together with the fact that
the jars Of his battery had been over
turned when the wire gave out. AT
Hartford IA bareheuded man
rushed frantically to the tele.
graph Office holding In bis
hand newspaper which ne had been
reading. He said he had been rocked
, violently and that the plnsteriDg on
the ceiling above him had been
cracked, and In some places had
: dropped of on the floor. In
D Brooklyn the streets were alive
; with people who had come
J out 10 ascertain the cauee of the rock
ing and TO gossip about IT, One cool
! headed observer upon the first percept-
9 ible motion took out his stop watch
! and timed the vibrations. He reported
: that the shock began AT BOG; that the
, first shock lasted just ten seconds and
: that the quieting down, AZ he de-
r scribed IL, took nearly fifty seconds
: more. Offhand guessers as TO the du.
= ration varied from five seconds TO two
minules, according 10 the amount
e Of the observers fright aud his judg-
. ment Of the flight Of time. At Memo
! Park and Trenton the shock was
3 timed ut 2.O5 p. M, while Mt more
3 nputherly points II was felt at 2;l0.
! Exaggerated reports came In from
I various points. From Trenton 1t
. was reported that the water
I, In the river was dashed
TO foam. A passenger arrived from
: Trenton soon after, however, aud said
: that the story was absurd and that the
. water was as placid and muddy ns
: usual. The telegraph manager at
q Coney Island promptly asked for par
Q ticulars Of the explosion, supporting
r that some oil refinery, powder mill or
J. dynamite factory had Nown up. A few
4 minutes later however be fact became
q known there that the whole island had
= been thoroughly shaken and that the
j guests and visitors were very greatly
: alarmed, the night In some cases
] amounting 10 o panic. Neither Cape
j, May nor Atlantic City noticed any UNI
d usual motion, and 30 far the early re-
G ports indicate that Philadelphia
4 was the southern limit
y OF the shock. AT Cleveland the shock
L was plainly but slightly felt. In the
= main local telegraph Office here the
J. hundred people present felt serious
+ movement Of their floor In the seventh
o story, but there WAS no electrical phe-
noinenoa connected with II and NO
electrical disturbance.
The first impression which
seemed 10 take possession OF
the inmates OF the houses In
d New York was that the building was
) about to fall, aud the people rsii into
the streets only to discover their neigh