New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-08-11
rr,T1-RFs OF THE SHOCK.

40 DAMAGE DONE But QUEER SENSATIONS IN
PrRfENCTD-COURsE AND DURATION
The shock of tie earthquake was SO severe as ~
g. f.it bv almost everybody on the island ana yo'
:, did no damage. II occurred al 2;o' p III nS
- co,eral report of trustworthy witnesses IL
- ohopt fifteen seconds II consisted OF two
1,,;pct waves of vibration, felt most strongly oy
.orsons who were on the ground floors OF buildings
:. 1a time To them the sensation was Ike the
noss,ng of a wave of motion under Their l'e| lno
go had its characteristics Ike wave VI
.bo sea. II was heralded by sorU VI
.LoLtrr then the wave came growing J."
Intensity of action until 1t feach'u CH""N'
,hcp decreasing in force and then passing away
Thore was am interval of "a few seconds ana 'lcH
,ecoud wave came repeating aI the 'h'r''''''''','
nj tbc first hut less violent To people who NeI' ~
al ,,,or ro,p,s of lofty houscs the vibration of the
walls was so intense as to mash the wave ucno'
utdcr the foot The shaking of the walls OF hlgh
,tru,turcs was terrible. because so sustained. II
,vns accompanied by q loud rumbling noise lRo 'h'
,,,sbtnp of a heavily loaded wagon drawn 10y many
lo,.ca over thc pavement This was So marheu
n tatutc that many persons ran To il' "i"u'"'
,,,,l,og thc.c was a runaway and that some lee
wagon wus boiug dragged along at hoad-'"nR 'p''u
l., mlddcncd team. Those who lived aloug 'h'
th,atcd Railway toutca believed that
,,,,o vna going hy nt mn unuHu"
,,t, Of spccd but when they looked thoto
M. otAinp to ho uccn Many cmploioa Rl "lHol-
emf stations did not know thbl th'l' u'u ",'' I I
e,rthunAAt until thcy were told hN thr l,h WI"
,irvrJ theiu Few ucupe who were in the open
an m lbe lime had any knowledge that any lhlHs
uuubIaI had u4nsprcd. The h"iHe wac y, 80 le"'tN ~
aiJa ,,,d The rumblmg 20 sustained that hey must
have heard IT, hut II resemblrd 80 Closely l9@ii'.' mn
S,,f,tpded II with the noise of passing Nehlcle';
IN. volunteer preacher who occupies lhe steps ,"i
tbe CITY Hall for pulpit dld not h1lce H. nor Ylu
his numerous congregation. Inc IhIuIcn@ @ d, @ @Pl'S
!, tL. streets and about the parks were unaware
that the Earth giant was show lhg ullh'Ti IuI Nv
brief moments. No dogs howied OF OIIAeo ! Il" VI 'et
rined CATS cTept for shelter 10 the protector
man But the manifestation played the ml1eihcl
with IN. electrical devices which commerce mas
utilized for ITS protection. Al tonnes =, = ~ @
Profecfive Campauv where there are 362 galVau-
Onetcrs connec ted with important stores anu ndlN;
aud when an improper entrance In'o any ~ u',, f ol
them Is instantly recorded OY tAe Ilu-tHe VI
bell as pertluacOus and as continuous a. Ine Que III
"DivorcOnS all the 362 bells began ringing at oiJJe'
aud the official III charge at hIsl thouEut l!'
Communists were up and were attacking the rlGh
pl3oe, of the city simultaneously But as the Oeis
{yNlnch the watchmen IN all these buildings also
an announcing that all was right the matter
~ r-+rrred 10 unknown cause ,lcIC tii''
N'e - sLocLs we're light The two ends of the
island felt them most severely Al, ihe C"IV'i
.aguc Cluh many members Ielt no NlpIauoua '".u
heard no UmbLug, In Iuty-!ouI h-'l,' ann anu III
Forty-seDond-st. number OF lH.t'li-'4. i.-.+.ni h.,
knew nothing of the visitation uhIA Il4oIHi0U ~
70 the direction of the wave all seem to agree
thai lt came from the south. but some thluA u wa
htta Ia the west Of south. IL passed upWaIu
toward the north. or north by east. . c,I. ,,o,lo
In most localities when the shock was ieIt pe"pe
ran out of their houses IN PANE. he sea re-
manned uud.,uried. bat the waters oi the liul1on
were sand to- have been rut1ed. inns W"GIq I'du 10
the inference that the general direction OF iIlu "ole
was not from due south TO due HOIII' Ou' HoIn
southwest.
AN EXCITED CENTRE OF Obs RNAIIoN.
II Printing House square around THE TRIBUNE
Building the shock was pronounced. Persons VINO
have lad similar experiences remarked that they
bad never known So distinct vibration. On sun
dsv afternoons Park Row Is always crowded with
peop'e pa,,ne to and fro over the Bridge and by
street cars from all parts Of the city. Men ana
women .topped suddenly at the strange sensation
md looked 9t one another IN amazement. The IIst
Instant the lar was faint and distant but as II IN
creased into heavy rumble and tremor pedestrians
Iusned from the sidewalks into the middle OF the
street and cazcd with expressions of fear
ood wonder at the tail buildings. The real
nature of the shock DID not aJ hlsl appear
L. be realized, but as IL came WIN ai''i
tbouyht some of the more cautious ones LuIl-e i
INTO tile Civ Hall Park, until couSdeIa2e
crowd gathered there discussing the cause OI ne
phenomenon. Jaul}or~ and families occupying th'
office buildings presently Hduc iltI aplt'i""1' @'
the windows and. alarmed hN the, SHOCK ana -IAe
looks of the crowd. rushed INTO the streets. ne
general impression prevailed al hrst tlaj there ual
been pu explosion in tine neIghborhood, and II was
sttrbitcd to some of the boilers the large print
ing establishments As the real cause DecaMe
known the excitement seemed 10 spIeSo. 1900 ,,.ii
inp asking eagerly for every detail OF lnlormailon'
Other crowds collected az the intersections oI cross
streets every one with story OF his O"hexpeiSHct
and wonder. From the upper etol - VI = 49,
iEBUNF IU 'ldmg knots of pcople couIa ne seen III
every direction gathering IN the mluule OF Ihe
street until M many places the thiohRo DeC"il' y,
large ten minutes after the shock as 10 blotk
the thoroughiares for the time. Inc lanlt0is
Csmo out on the roofs on the buildings
fo .ee IL any damages apparent IN
them aud the crowds scanned with Apprehension
he tail wallis of the higher structures TO ascertain
.ff XIeII a
circulated about the crowd IN Prntng Hous,
square that there had been an GA plosion at one oi
lie large gas works on the West SIDE, ana tha
over "A hundred lives were lost. Another report
was started that the shock had been caused by d
premature explosion of dynamite at tell H9ie
One man drew "A crowd about him 10y telling VIVA
he knew Of earthquakes, andby predlGlhR enPnaI W PI
icaly that there would be second ShocA az M"
night. DuIing the afternoon people gathe!f'
around the newspaper offices from all palts ol lh'
city to make inquiries of the extcnl OF lhe hhuI
or 20 tell their own experiences o H. nV ," II, aI ~
breaches ON sunday afternoons from th' Nlly, ma, m
steps had a much larger audience thah uSudl an
be was inspired by the occasion to draw iIon L Hlt
Incldenta vivid description OF the uaHBcI 'HIJ
might at any moment fall upon the cltF. coP'
on the Brooklyn Bridge seemed less anecteu tha
those elsewhere. The shock there did not seem u
BE- perceptble. Though the Bridge was crowded
with foot passengers at the time NO unusual com
pent cOu Id be detected among them.
ALONG THE WATER FRONT.
The Ship News Office the Battery be
sieged all Yesterday afternoon by those anxious L
learn particulars about the earthquake. Mr.. Bur
It's who was on duty there, said that those WIN
were in the Office at the time felt slight trembling
and rocking Of the earIA uhuer lhe Duuulhg-s
In the Barge Office the occupants said that per
ceptible vibration was felt. lhe impression e. con
yeyed at first was that RAJ way car had Ialle
from the elevated railway ana III that beAel man
rushed TO the doors ana WINDOWS look
Ing towardthe tracks To see the havoc.
At Castle Garden some of the inmates imagine
that they heard clap Of distant thunder IN