The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-09-09
FATAL EARTH TREMORS.
THREE-FOURTHs OF THE CITY OF
CHARLESTON DEsToYED BY
THE SHOCKS.
OVER THIRTY PEOPLE KILLED.

THE SHOCKS.
OYER THIRTY PEOPLE KILLED.
FULLY A HUNDRED WOUNDED AND $40,
100000 OF PROPERTY LOST.
Reports from more than hundred points
within the area embraced by the Gulf Of
Mexico The great lakes. the Mississippi
river and the Atlantic ocean show thai
about ten O'Clock on Tuesday night, the
18th, all this vast territory was shaken by
the tremors of the earth's crust. The
pitiable and engrossing narrative is that
which comes from Charleston. S. G., and
tells Of the destruction of three-fourths OF
the city, the loss of from thirty to forty
lives, the manning of over one hundred
persons and the obliteration of from
$8, 900, 900 to SIC, 000. 900 worth of property,
Three -fourths Of the buildings IN the city
will have to be rebuilt. There was nc
tidal wave and consequently no damage to
shipping. The city is shut off from ali
communication by rail with the outside
world, and the terrors Of the situation
were increased by another shock at 11.5(
Wednesday which knocked down several
houses.
The seismic disturbances Of Tuesday
night were felt with more or less severity
in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia,
South Carolina. North Carolina. Tennes-
see, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia,
Maryland. Delaware, New Jersey. Penn
sylvania, New York, Ohio. Indiana, ILL
nois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Connecticut, Rhode
Island and Massachusetts. On the ex-
treme northeastern, and northwestern
boundaries of the movement the shocks
were so slight as to be scarcely appreciable
seeming to have spent their force about
Boston on one side and Dubuque on the
other. The elimination of their action
was in the vicinity Of Charleston, S. c.,
where the only loss Of life and the most
serious destruction of property occurred.
Elsewhere the earthquake was no more
than violent enough to topple chimneys,
cause assures in walls. ring bells, move
furniture, rattle crockery and throw many
communities into panic.
Next to Charleston the most serious
effects were felt at Summerville. S. c. !;
Columbia. S. e.. Augusta, Savannah and
Raleigh, Nc While there were no fatal
results, except at Charleston and Summer
vile or the immediate neighborhood the
shocks in the other towns named fell just
short of causing destruction of human life.
The scenes of alarm and terror were such
as can result from nothing less than a
and dreadful CONFUSION of
nature. Whole communities spent the
night in horrible fear that each shock
might be succeeded by another that would
bring to them sudden and violent death,
and the telegrapbic reports tell of thou
sands Of men and women unnerved with
dread and frantically calling upon the aid
of a Supreme Power.
From very many points the reports are
similar. At Raleigh. N. G., there were
six shocks between $40 p. m. and $50 a.
m. At Newberne, N. c., buildings were
shaken for minute. At Fay
N. c., four shocks we're noticed
and the same number at Asheville. The
disturbance was general throughout South
western Virginia and Eastern Tennessee.
At Macon, Ca, the last shock occurred at
APO a. m.
Around st. Louis the suburban towns
were violently shaken. At Murphysboro.
Ill.,, the bell on the court house kept up a
constant ringing for two minutes. At
Vicksourg, Miss, the City Council was in
session, and the city hall, a very frail
building, constructed on high brick IL
lars, under which is the city market, was
made to rock so that the board adjourned
suddenly and unceremoniously. There was
no loss of life and no great damage done
at any of the points.
A widespread magnetic storm prevailed
yesterday and doubtless had come inti-
mate relation to the earth's tremors.--
Ground and aerial currents Of great power
were manifested all over the North and
East. At Rochester, when observations
were taken, a heavy needle nine inches
long swung an inch and half to the
west of the magnetic meridian at inter
yals. A needle two and half feet long
was detected five inches toward the west.
The earthquake extended over a larger
territory than any that has taken place in
North America within the history OF the
continent. 1t was also fraught with the
greatest loss of life known to have caused
by any such event in the region to which
it was confined, but while in these respects
it was unparalleled, it was not the most
violent that has been felt in this country.
That precedence belongs tosthe earthquake
which in December, 1911, swept through
the entire Mississippi Valley, concentrat.
| ing its powers at the town OF New Mad
rid, Mo with was nearly obliterated =
Memphis, St. Louis, and other points along
the river suffered. and over a region
stretching for three hundred miles south
ward from the mouth Of the Ohio the
ground rose and sank in great undulations
and lakes were formed and again drained
The surface burst open in assures thai
generally trended northeast and south
west and sometimes more than half mile
long. The disturbances continued ovel
the s'sunk country" until March 26, 1872
On October 81, 1877 November Is, 1927
December 7, 1887; November 10, 1855
March %, 1855 April %, 1772 Novem
Der 80, 1888, January 8, 1917 August Z
1868; and October 20, 1870, earthq usk
shocks Of some severity were felt on tn
Atlantic coast of the United States. Tha
next preceding the phenomenon of Tues
day night was one Of August 10. 1884
which extended from Maryland to Main
and as far west as Ohio.
The catastrophe of Tuesday FOLLOWED
closely upon the movement in the southern
peninsula of Greece, just as that of 1888
was nearly coincident with the grea
earthquake IN Spain and the north coas
of Africa. Indeed any important agitatio
of the earth's coast in one portion of th
globe appears to he transmitted to sec
tions far distant. and the scientists wi
probably establish some connection be
tween the event in the United States an
that in the eastern Mediterranean. Blu
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