Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-11
AND PANIC.
THE MIDDLE AND NEW ENGLAND
STATES SHAKEN UP.

Duration-Many Buildings Rocked and
Few Chimneys OvertOppled, but No
Great Damage DOne-PeOpIe Badly
Frightened, However.
LANCASTER, PA, Aug. 1O.-A distinct
shock Of earthquake was felt in this city
shortly after . O'Clock this afternoon.
Buildings were slightly shaken, but there
was no particular alarm. in Columbia
five distinct shocks were felt.
IN THE LEHIGH VALLEY.
EAsTON, Pa, Aug. 10.-A shock re-
sembling that of an earthquake was felt
throughout the Lehigh Valley this after
noon. In this city houses were shaken
and three chImneys were overturned.
Many people were frightened and ran
screaming into the street.
READING QUAKING.
READING, PA, Aug. 10.-At 2:12 O'Clock
this afternoon two distinct shocks of earth
quake were felt throughout this city and
county, shaking houses, moving furniture
and dropping blinds. Considerable ex-
citement prevailed among the people,
many running into the streets. Reports
from immediate points between Allen
town, Lebanon, POttsville, Phenixville
and Pottstown say that the shock was
telt there.
DELAWARE ALSO SHAKEN.
WILMINGTON, DEL, Aug. 1O.-An
earthquake shock was felt here at 81
O'Clock this afternoon, which shook build
ings sensibly all over the city. The direc-
tlOn Of the movement was about 10 de-
grees north of east.
NEW YORK NOT PASSED BY.
NEW YORK, Aug. 1O.-At about 2:05
O'Clock this afternoon the residents of this
vicinity We're startled by a severe shock
Of earthquake, lasting about ten seconds.
UP to O'Clock tonight particulars have
b. en- received at the Western Union Tele-
graph Office here showing that the shock
was widespread. The first reports were
received from the following points: At
lantic Highlands, near Sandy Hook, Long
Branch, Philadelphia, New Haven, BOs-
ton, Elizabeth, Plainfeld, Spring Lake,
Cottage City, Martha's Vineyard and
Portland, Ne. At the last point it was
slight. Reports We're also received from
many OF the sub-Oflices about New York.
OF TEN SECONDS DURATION.
The reports as to it's duration are di-
verse, 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
hand on a steam pipe and that it had
trembled violently. He had been looking
up and down the street to discover a
heavy team which up to the time of in
quiry was missing. The question made
his suspicious of an earthquake. This
suspicion was promptly confirmed by
various people rushing into the streets
and office asking for an explanation.
SECOND SHOCK.
At 2:15 O'Clock Atlantic Highlands ex-
perienced second shock, but it was less
violent than the first.
At Philadelphia the scaffOlding on some
new buildings gong up on the corner of
Sixth and Reed streets was shaken vio-
lentlv, and some bricks on the boards
were shaken off and fell TO the street be-
low.
The severest shock was reported from
oeabrlght, N. j., where the depot was
shifted to one side, shaking up its con-
tents and alarming the sole inmate.
THE LONG BRANCH BATTERY OVER
TURNED.
At 2:3O o'clock 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 to re-
port shock, together with the fact that
turned, when the wire gave out.
At Hartford, Conn, a bareheaded man
rushed franticaly to the telegraph office,
holding IN his hand a newspaper which
be had been reading. He said that he
had been rocked violently, and that the
plastering on the ceiling above him had
been cracked, and in some places had
dropped to the floor.
EFFECT ON NEW WORKERS.
In the main local telegraph office at No.
l99 Broadway, a hundred people present
felt a serious movement of their floor, the
seventh story, but there was no electrical
connected with it and no
electrical disturbance. The first impress
sion which seemed to take possession of
the inmates of the houses in this city was
that the buildings were about to fall, and
people ran into the streets terror-stricken
and with blanched faces. AS there were
no evidences of a catastrophe to be seen
anywhere, many quickly realized that the
occurrence which had so startled every
one was an earthquake.
RECOVERING COMPOSURE.
AS a rule people remained in front of
their houses for minutes apparently try
ing to get at some solution of their fears,
and watching the faces and manner of
others. Women and children as they re-
gained some degree of confidence returned
to their houses. The men assembled in
groups in the streets discussing the oc-
which had so startled them. The
faces of men and women wore a troubled
expression, and bespOKe dread that per-
naps the danger was not yet over. An
is something so unlocked for
in this part of the world that its cause
and the history of the most terrible ones
became topics OF paramount interest.
THE GREAT DREAD.
Above all people were concerned in
trying to find out from those they talked
with whether a second and perh APPS sub
sequent shocks were likely to follow. At
the observatory of the United States Sig
nal service the time of the earthquake
and its duration were noted. Assistant
Observers r. Z. Herman and MervIue
we're at the time in the office, which is on
The roof, about 200 feet above the level of
he street. The first Intimations of the
were low rumbling sounds.
These were Immediately followed by a
shock as that of a violent explosion,
which caused the building to quiyer, al
though it did not shake perceptibly.
CONTINUANCE OF THE RATTLING.
The rattling continued for eight sec
)nds, and was accompanied by a rum
bling sound, which gradually died away.
The first shock was felt at about 2:11
o'clock. The effect of the jar was much
more perceptible IN houses of light struc-
lure, in many cases it being reported that
4 clearly defined rocking movement was
elt, and dishes in pantries were shaken
from the shelves. Thus far, however, no
damage of any kind has been reported.
NOT FELT ON THE ''L" ROADS.
While the shock was felt strongly in
hnnEOc iu in 11nV. hot
sons travelling on the elevated roads did
not know of the occurrence until they
we're told OF it by people getting in at the
stations. AS far as can be ascertained
the shock was entirely imperceptible on
the water, and no wave such as usually
the phenomena in adjacent
waters was here observed.
HOW THE POLICE TOOK 1T.
Immediately after the shock had been
felt at the police central office, consider
able confusion was occasioned and the
impression at first prevailed that a violent
explosion had occurred in the neighbor-
hood. A little investigation led Acting
Sanders to the conclusion
that the cause of the disturbance was a
real earthquake. He at once sent out
general dispatch to all precincts asking
for information in regard to the shock in
various localities in the city. Answers
soon began to come in and the operators
were kept busy for three hours writing
out reports from the different Captains.
ALARM AMONG THE TENEAIENTS.
1t appears that the shock was felt with
about the same intensity all over the city,
although it produced more alarm In the
settled tenement districts on the
east side. A telegram from the Yonkers
nOlica said that the shock had been felt
there also. The greatest excitement pre-
= Inrr-ish n1ad RnIanr,ni ar.,n,.