Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-09-17
The Shake of 1872.
THE EFFECTS OF IT STILL VISIBLE NEAR
NASHVILLE.
From the Nashville Banne,


1t may be of interest to the reading pub
lie at this particular time to recall the
effect of the earthquake Of 1872, felt in
Davidson county. 1t was quite severe
shake, but the only effect now to be seen
in the county is on Mill Creek, near Nor
gan's mill. A strip of land containing
about forty acres was sunk to depth of
twelve or fifteen feet below the surface.
This ground is in cultivation, and is one
of the richest spots in the county. Anoth-
or feature of interest about this spot is
that it is about the lowest geological point
in the State. AS an evidence of this the
highest stratum of rock in the place shows
itself in the bed of the Cumberland river
about twenty feet below low-water mark.
When the American Association for the
Advancement of Science met in Nashville
the Association visited this piece Of
ground in body and made a critical ex-
animation of it's surroundings.
AS a result of the shock of 1872 we now
have the famous Reelfoot Lake in Obion
county, West Tennessee. instantaneous
with the shock, hundreds Of acres of land
dropped out of sight. thus forming one Of
the most wonderful lakes in the world.
Some of the trees remained in their ma
tural positions, but their tops are now I'M
der water. Tennessee was sparsely settled
in those days, and little is known of the
true history of this lake. In the fall Of 1851
an earthquake passed over the country,
and, although more decided shake than
this one, did no material damage. 1t oc-
Cured about sunrise, and was SO severe:that
it threw people down and cracked great
many buildings, some few falling. II was
uniform all over the Union in it's severity.
Letter in the Lynchburg News.l
In 1911 Il believe it was), there was an
earthquake that was felt all over the con-
tinent and eliminated on the Mississippi
river, at New Madrid county, Miss, and
what is the upper part of Arkansas and
West Tennessee opposite. This upheaval
was so great that the Mississippi was so
banked up that its water ran up stream
and actually forced a channel in a differ
emit direction, many miles from its origi-
nal channel, and Lakes Obion and Reel
foot, two large lakes exist to this day,
where was formerly the bed Of the Missis-
sippi. The country near this section for
many miles, including portion of Mis-
souri, and Arkansas are covered with capes
and lagoons, and few years ago trees
could be seen in traversing the waters
The whole of tie upper San Francisco
river is uninhabited, and is an i'acognita to
the world. This is the country that the
great robber and highwayman, John A.
Murrell, fer many years had for his plumber.
This was not day or two. but lasted for
years. I was in that section forty years
ago, thirty years after the great event,
and got up in the morning and found the
tavern crowded with people, discussing
the earthquake the preceding night. an d
which did not hear. but it was very vio-
lent, and expressed my surprise at their
uneasiness at so small an affair, as there
was no danger. but there we're many is-
sures in the earth in that section, and the
earthquake was fearful thing to them.
This was over fifty miles from New Ma
drid.
The earthquake of 1911, was very ex-
tensive and destructive to land, and, I be-
lleve of life, more so than the late one.
We had no enterprising newspapers to
publish and no telegraph to wire the news;
and in that particularly unsettled country,
there were hardly stages in those days,
and, say the earthquake is not a new
thing that has recently come among us.
has been with US for seventy or eighty
years, to the knowledge Of many now liv-
ing.