Middletown transcript., 1886-09-09
THE EARTHQUAKE.

| CONTINUED EARTH TREM0RS AT
| ARLEsTON-GREAT LOSS OF LIFE
I, AND PRoPERTY.-SCENEs AND IN
CIDENTs IN THE STRICKEN CITY.
| THE LATEST NEWS TO DATE.
Since our last issue no more earth tremors
have been felt in this vicinity. In Charles
ton and vicinity the quakings of the earth
have continued at intervals, but with no
more loss of life.
A special dispatch to the Baltimore Sun
dated Sunday, September 9Th, says:
The partly restored confidence of the peo-
pie of Charleston was rudely shattered BY
theearthquake shock which came at IL clock
Friday night, after about 36 hours previous
quietude. Up to IL o'clock. Friday night
strong hope was entertained that the sub
terrannean disturbances were pretty well
over, and many people were looking for
ward to the morrow to carry into execution
plans they had matured to resume the ordi-
nary avocations of life. The effect Of the
visitation was dispiriting in the extreme
throughout Saturday, 30 that at $50 O'Clock
Saturday night, when another shock came,
it well nigh crushed out every lingering
hope, and disposed every mind and heart to
seek comfort in the religious. assemblages,
which are feature Of Sunday in this strick.
en- city today. The reign Of terror, which
has prevailed for FIVE days, seems almost as
long as q century Of uneventful time.
Your correspondent was one of twenty
hve or thirty strangers sitting and standing,
talking and smoking in the Charleston Ho-
tel business Office when the shock of Friday
night came. Some newly-arrive people
had their gripsacks and other belongings in
hand and were negotiating with the hotel
clerk for quarters. Several newspaper
writers were engaged at their work in the
writing room near by, and there were half
dozen thirsty people getting drinks at the
hotel bar. The shock came and went as
quickly as fash of lightning in the sky !;
but quick as it was, it had not ceased be-
fore nearly every man in the crowd, includ-
ing some who were old and limping, were
out in the middle of the street. The agile
young hotel clerk sprang over his marble
counter and left q handful Of money which
some parting guests had just paid. Two
venerable colored porters dropped the grip
sacks which they were carrying and joined
in the stampede. When the thing was over
the stampeders looked sheepish as they re-
turned, but there was no cause for shame to
any of them. The few who remained were
not less frightened because they did not
catch on 70 the panic; they simply knew it
was safer to stand than to run out and be
overwhelmed by the top stories, which would
be the first to come down, of course, if the
shock was violent enough to disturb the
equilibrium of the building. The tremor Of
Friday night was not strong enough for any
such purpose. 1t came apparently from the
southeast; itjarred the marble-tiled pavement
about as much as if it had been thumped by
baggage-smashing porter dropping COM
mercial travellers goOds-laden trunk, and it
was attended by about as much noise. I
did not realize what it was until the thing
was over. The visitation was preceded by
no warning, and it was followed by no con-
sequences except to hush the hum Of conver-
sation which had been going on, and to put
an anxious look on everybody's face. Two
gentlemen who had left their beer glasses on
the barroom counter in their hurried exit
returned with the barkeeper to finish the
transaction. The omnibus drove up for the
midnight travellers who were ready to go,
and who went gladly to the train. The cor
respondents hastened to the telegraph Office,
on East Bay street, some distance off to add a
note or two of the incident to their previous
dispatches. On the way they found that the
people who had taken up quarters in the
market-house were all in state of excitement
and that the streets had become more lively
than at midday.
In various localities on ths surburbs oi
Charleston, as well as at Summsrville, l have
seen the bubbling springs, and the so-called
tissues and ridges on the surface, which have
attended the Disturbances below. From
small round orifces white sand has come up,
looking like 80 many large ant-hills. From
other similar openings blue mud, which ID
found everywhere beneath the surface here,
has come to the surface. The mud has q
strong sulphuretted hydrogen smell, like the
famous old basin smell of Baltimore. When
the tide is out one may always get this
familiar odor along the Charleston wharves
or on the battery. Professor W. T. McGet
has been very actively studying the physical
siRus and the effects of the earthquake. He
very positively says that there are nc
volcanic signs in this earthquake. HI
does mot think volcanism has anything to do
with the disturbances, but that displacement
of the basic rocks ia the cause of the com
motion, which opinion is strengthened BY
the evidently great area of the disturbance
He says the area is the largest recorded for
any earthquake, and that volcanic distur
Dances are usually local, while the slip of 9
coastal plain hundreds of miles in length
may affect half q continent. The jerky ma
ture of the shocks at SummerVille are e1-
planned by this theory. The professor say
he thinks the general movement is over, ant
added the following reassuring statements
"I think the pressure has been satisfied, ami
that there will be quiet for, perhaps, loni
geologic period. The tendency to the SCI
will continue, however, and the movemen
will continue, though it may be inappreci
able to the general public. 1t is probabl
that no more trouble will result, and that tn
slight shocks now notable here and there ar
the subsiding tremors. Perhaps the move
ment may be gentle hereafter in the Sout
Atlantic States as it has been in the Middle
States"
Subsequently, while he was in Summer
willie, Prof. McGee is reported to have sal
that when he left Washington he though
that he would have very little difficulty
detsrming the approximate cause of the earti
quake, but confessed to have been much pu1
zIed BY his observations. Contrar
to expectations, he found that IL
/ kI~~s- Srs